Mattresses and dust mites

It's a fact that your mattress will be harbouring the common dust mite.

It's almost impossible to control the dust in your home. Traditional cleaning may just move the dust from one place to another and, as 80% of household dust is made up of our own dead skin, we're always producing more. It's in this environment that the dust mite thrives. Practically invisible to the naked eye, dust mites thrive on the dead skin we shed and on warm, moist conditions. It may sound unsavoury, but we're all living in close contact with dust mites all the time.

Your mattress is one of the key places that dust mites like to live. It's warm, cosy and constantly fed with the fluid and dead skin that we lose at night. In many cases, it's the enzymes released in dust mite droppings that causes or inflames allergic reactions - particularly asthma or other breathing problems. There are things that you can do to help reduce the number of dust mites in your home - although eradicating them altogether is a huge, expensive task, and a full-time job. Even if no-one in your family suffers from allergies, it's beneficial to your health to clamp down on dust mites.

• Hygiene - it's important that you keep your bed and your bedroom as hygienic as you can. Don't make your bed in the morning - let your bed air for at least 20 minutes, but preferably for the whole day. Dust mites dislike cold air and light, so leaving your bed unmade produces the conditions they hate. Wash your bedding once a week and use a hot wash every so often, as this helps to kill off any dust mites that may be in your bedding.

• Covers - buying mattress and pillow covers won't remove dust mites completely, but it reduces the conditions for breeding and also helps to prevent as much allergen being released into the air. As part of a dust mite reduction programme, you should have mattress and pillow covers for all the beds in your home. When you change the bed, leave the mattress exposed for at least half an hour to air.

• Cleaning - whilst vacuuming your mattress won't remove the dust mites, it will remove some of the dust that they feed on. Make sure you vacuum carefully so that you don't damage the mattress itself. Carpets and curtains also harbour dust mites, so you may want to consider installing wooden or other flooring and blinds instead of curtains. Clean regularly and air your room, even in winter.

If someone in your family is suffering from asthma or eczema, dust mites could be part of the problem. Before you spend weeks cleaning your house and changing your fittings and furniture, however, speak to a doctor, who may be able to diagnose another cause, saving you time and energy.

Mattress Next Day is probably the largest mattress superstore on the internet. Selling a wide range of mattresses from leading manufacturers, we can offer quality mattresses at fantastic prices. Our next day delivery service is free or, if you prefer, you can select your own delivery date. We can even guarantee delivery before 9.30am on request. Take a look at our range of mattresses now at www.mattressnextday.co.uk, or call us on 0844 3911 222 for more information.