Duct Cleaning Tips >> The Health Risks of Dust Mites in Your Air Ducts
Dust mites are tiny eight-legged arthropods, about one hundredth of an inch in size. They live in virtually every Minneapolis St. Paul home and can number in the tens of thousands in any home. You’ll never see one without a strong magnifier. But they cause big health concerns for many people. Many common allergies and even asthma are triggered by chemicals in their excrement, which makes up a significant portion of the dust in your home. Air ducts in your home are the most common way for this microscopic excrement to circulate throughout the home. Having clean air ducts is the best way to protect your family from allergic reactions to this hazard.
Information about Dust Mites
- Why Dust Mites Live in Homes – Dust mites feed on the millions of tiny flakes of dead skin shed by all mammals. You and your pets provide them with the food they need. They can’t survive without living where people live.
- Where Dust Mites Live – Dust mites live mainly in houses and other buildings where people and animals live. They live in all climates and all altitudes. In your home, they live in carpets, upholstery, clothing, and bedding.
- Why They Cause Allergies and Asthma – Like all living things, dust mites excrete waste. Dust mite excrement is extremely small, and makes up part of the dust in your home. Proteases, chemicals from the dust mite’s digestive tract, are part of that excrement. Many people are allergic to these chemicals.
- Can Dust Mites Be Eradicated? – In most cases, it’s pretty much impossible. While some chemicals can be used to kill them, they quickly repopulate most areas. The bottom line is that there are dust mites in your home.
- Can Dust Mites Be Controlled? – Frequent washing and drying of bedding can help keep dust mite populations to a minimum. Careful housecleaning, including the use of vacuums with HEPA filters can remove some of the skin particles they eat and even vacuum up much of the excrement. Where allergies and asthma are a serious problem, some Twin Cities homeowners replace carpeting and upholstery with products that do not harbor dust mites.
- How Do Home Air Ducts Add to The Problem? – Dust mite excrement is tiny enough to circulate in your home as part of normal dust. Dust mites can also live in your air ducts. As the layer of dust inside your ducts builds up, it’s constantly re-circulating throughout your home, including the dust mite debris that can trigger allergies. The more debris in your air ducts, the more dust mite debris there is to circulate.
- Does Cleaning Air Ducts Solve the Problem? – Regular, thorough duct cleaning goes a long way toward minimizing the quantities of dust mite allergens in your home. If there’s no buildup of dust in your air ducts, it can’t add to the allergen load in your home.
Twin Cities Duct Cleaning For Minneapolis St. Paul Dust Mite Allergen Control
Every home’s heating and cooling air ducts should be cleaned at least annually. In homes where allergies and asthma sufferers live, that may not be adequate. Twin Cities Duct Cleaning has the training and expertise to thoroughly assess your home’s air ducts and recommend the most effective cleaning method to minimize dust mite debris. We’re dedicated to clean ductwork in your home, and offer several cleaning methods. Any time allergies and asthma are a problem, our Xtreme duct cleaning method is highly recommended. It’s the most effective way to keep your ducts free of debris of all kinds, including dust mite debris. Call Twin Cities Duct Cleaning today to schedule a duct cleaning in your home.