Dust mites are most commonly associated with our bed sheets and pillows. However, these tiny microscopic bugs don’t just like to share our pillows. They also love and breed in other areas such as carpets, car seats and cushions etc. Despite their immense popularity in our homes and even in the workplace, it can actually be quite difficult to detect their presence. This is because they are technically not parasites, and therefore they will not bite or sting us. Instead, they feed on our dead skin cells. It’s enough to make you shudder. But there are certain things you can do to help decrease the presence of these tiny bugs in your This makes spotting them increasingly difficult.
What is a Dust Mite?
A dust mite is a microscopic insect that lives and breathes off our dead skin cells that we shed on a daily basis. They also eat cells shed from animals such as dogs and cats etc. Dust mites cause allergic symptoms to trigger such as itchy eyes and asthma attacks. They breed faster in warm and humid conditions. This tends to act as a problem all year round since in the spring and summer, high levels of pollen aggravate allergies even more. Whilst in the colder months, people tend to turn the heating up, providing the perfect temperature for dust mites to breed and multiply in their thousands.
Detecting their Presence
Whilst they tend to be most common at home, dust mites can also exist in the workplace, especially if there are carpets. Buildings with unclean air ducts will also experience a higher degree of dust mite infestations that buildings who keep their ducts and vents clean throughout the year. A Kent Duct cleaning company such as: http://www.enviro-group.eu/duct-cleaning-kent/, provides exceptional duct and vent cleaning services to all commercial properties.
Knowing whether or not you have a dust mite infestation in your workplace is quite simple. Take a look around and see if any of your employees are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Irritated eyes
- Sneezing
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Nasal congestion
- Eczema
- Asthma
- Breathing difficulties
- Itchy nose or throat
- Coughing
- Swollen skin under the eyes
According to Environment, Health and Safety Online, you will shed enough skin cells a day to feed a million dust mites. With statistics like that, it seems impossible to do anything about the dust mite infestation problem. But as long as you try your best to control the amount of dust and dirt in the office, whether it be through sufficient duct cleaning or regular carpet cleaning, you will be able to dramatically decrease the presence of dust mites.