Mites are a subclass of arachnids made up of thousands of species. In fact there are about 50,000 described species but it is estimated that there may be more than 100,000 that have not yet been classified. The mites that populate our houses are between 0.2 and 0.5 millimeters in size , which makes them invisible to the human eye, in addition to inhabiting areas of the house where it is more than difficult to find them, such as carpets, mattresses and pillows. What’s more, in a single mattress we can find more than 2 million mites.
Mites themselves are not allergenic, however their feces contain a protein that can trigger allergic reactions , asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis. And although only about 25 species of the almost 50,000 described species are related to allergic diseases, the truth is that many people suffer from allergy problems.
According to Toby Saville, a microbiologist at Dyson: ” Many people are unaware of the large number of mites that live with them in their mattress , so it seems strange to many to have to vacuum their mattress .” In fact, given the growing awareness of the population coupled with the concern on the part of society, companies have launched products to prevent mites. A good example of this is the Dyson V6 Mattress vacuum cleaner, specially designed to clean mattresses or vacuum cleaners with specific filters against mites.
In any case, as pointed out by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology “it is impossible to eliminate all dust mites “, although there are some good recommendations to prevent their growth, such as avoiding accumulating dust, using anti-allergic bedding and using vinyl and wood surfaces instead of carpets and rugs.
