The Mattress Doctor™ - Meet the mites in your mattress

Mattress Cleaning for the removal of dust mites and other contamination which can cause or aggravate symptoms of asthma, eczema and allergies

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Meet the mites in your mattress

Mattresses are the perfect environment for dust mites. Mites thrive in temperatures of more than 20°C (70°F) with a relative humidity of 60-80%. These are the conditions found almost exclusively within the mattresses you and your family sleep on every night.

Bacteria infested flakes of dry skin from you and your pets offer mites a rich source of food. Their reproductive rate is very high. Natural enemies, such as predatory mites, are extinct. Up to 2,500 mites have been counted in one gram of dust. That means there are up to two million mites in one double size mattress! Each mite excretes approximately 20 pellets a day which contain allergens in the form of protease enzymes. These can attack the protective lining of the nose, throat and lungs. Moving around in bed makes the allergens airborne and easy to inhale. This stimulates the body's immune system, triggering the symptoms of asthma and rhinitis.

More and more scientific evidence points to the fact that this mite excrement is a cause of allergies and related problems e.g. asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, inflammation of the mucous membranes, reddening of the eyes and itching. It can also be a contributory factor to skin diseases including dermatitis and eczema. Asthma in particular, is increasing at an alarming rate among children worldwide and is causing widespread concern. 85% of people with asthma have been found to have an allergy to the dust mite.

"Dust Mite proteins have been implicated as a predominant cause of the current increase in asthma prevalence. Recent advances in the understanding of these allergens have vastly increased the potential for more effective treatment and prophylaxis. In the absence of vaccines, environmental controls aimed at allergen avoidance are currently the best defence against the disease."

STEPHEN A. BRUNTON and RICHARD L. SAPHIR

Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Connecticut and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York

In Canada, approximately 3 million people suffer form asthma. Approximately 20% of all children suffer from asthma. About 10 people die from asthma each week. It is estimated that eight of these 10 deaths could have been avoided with preventative actions.