It is possible to be less affected by mites by means of taking some precautions in places where people spend most of their time.
BEDROOM
Bedrooms must receive sunlight and must certainly be ventilated everyday. There shouldn’t be any unnecessary furniture. Trinkets, radios, televisions, electronic devices, bookcases and especially downy toys must be taken out of the bedrooms or at least kept in a closed cabinet. Coverings such as carpet, woven matting and fur-skin must be taken away. Floor must be paved with parquet or hardwood. Wall-to-wall carpet is very harmful for asthmatics. Synthetic curtains must be preferred instead of velvet curtains. If there is bunk in bedroom, upstairs is more suitable for asthmatic child. Mites can easily reproduce on downy and soft toys like teddy bears, babies, etc. This sort of toys shouldn’t be kept in bedrooms or in beds.
BEDS, QUILTS AND CUSHIONS
Instead of wool bed, wool cushion or feather cushion, the ones made of synthetic fibres such as dacron or orlon must be preferred. Harm of quilts and cushions containing feather is not because of feature; it is because of the mites they keep inside. In order to decrease the contact with allergen, it is a useful application to cover beds and cushions with a plastic or vinyl case. There are many sorts of these cases.
Plastic cases that are wrinkling, bending and causing to sweat are cheap, but they are not useful. Cases made of a special micro pore cloth that lets water steam pass but are not conductive for mites and their allergens are expensive but they are very useful and they do not cause to sweat. Quilts and cushions must be washed regularly. Cushions must be changed every 2-3 years. An effective way to remove the mites from cushions is keep the cushions in deep freeze for 6 hours. Bed sheets, cushion cases and quilt cases must be washed above 60 °C once a week. Cold water and cold water shampoos do not have any affect on mites.
LIVING ROOM
It is very important for allergic patients that our living rooms must have below characteristics:
Dust of living rooms and bedrooms must be cleaned every other day with Roboclean.
Sweeping brush and standard vacuum cleaners are not suitable cleaning tools.
Plastic and leather armchairs must be preferred instead of velvet and wool ones.
Damp proportion in house must be kept below %50 and about %40. Thus we will be exposed to less mite antigens, because mites do not reproduce in environments where damp proportion is below %45. Damp proportion in houses can be easily measured by means of a hygrometer.