Allergen Avoidance Works

The Bucket Theory - Why Allergen Avoidance Works Against Allergens and Dust Mites

General Information About Allergies And Dust Mites

Allergy physicians tell us that people are most allergic to dust and dust mites, mold spores, pollens and animal danders. A common mistake made by allergy sufferers is to assume if you can't avoid all the allergens all the time, there is no point in trying to avoid any of them. But, according to allergy physicians, breathing in airborne allergens is a cumulative problem.

Think of your immune system as a bucket. It takes in allergens and starts filling up. Symptoms don't appear until your "bucket" begins to overflow. That's when you become miserable. Allergy physicians highly recommend environmental controls to help you avoid enough allergens so that your "bucket" won't overflow. Whether you're allergic to one or several substances, successful avoidance of even one of them can keep your "bucket" from overflowing.

Let's say you've been diagnosed with dust mite allergies, one of the most common problems. Using products in this web site can make your bedroom virtually free of dust mite allergen. Think about it. You won't be breathing in invisible allergen all night, and you may wake up with no allergy symptoms. Plus the 8-10 hours of super-clean air will give your system a chance to recover so that you can start the day with an "empty bucket." In fact, with conscientious, on-going avoidance measures, your "bucket" may never overflow again! And wouldn't that be nice?

THE MAIN CULPRIT

This uninvited guest is in your home...right under your nose! Click to see a short movie (3 MB) showing a magnified view of dust mites. Depending on your preferences, the movie may play in another window or external player and requires QuickTime to run. Dust mites are microscopic, insect-like creatures that live in bedding, carpets and upholstered furniture. The waste they produce causes allergic symptoms in 30-60 million Americans. Pillows and mattresses are a virtual paradise for dust mites because they thrive in warm, humid conditions while gorging themselves on shed human skin cells. Since people spend 8-10 hours a day in the bedroom, it's where the greatest number of dust mites exist. So get a leg up on dust mites. Make them feel unwelcome by washing bedding regularly, using zippered encasings, treating or removing your carpet, and filtering the air in your home with a True HEPA air cleaner (see tips below).

Here are some smart and easy tips for ridding your bedroom of Dust Mites:

1) Wash sheets, blankets, pillowcases, mattress pads and comforters every 10-14 days in hot (140^o F) water. This kills the microscopic dust mites and washes out allergenic dust mite waste, the real offender. Or consider using a product like De-Mite Lanudry Additive that can be used in any water temperature to control mites.

2) If possible, avoid thick or wall-to-wall carpeting where dust mites can burrow or treat your carpet with anti-allergen treatments like DustMite & Flea Control, Acarosan, Allersafe Dustroy, Allersearch or X-Mite.

3) Avoid upholstered sofas and chairs; especially in the bedroom - use leather, Naugahyde or wood furniture when possible.

4) Encase pillows, mattresses, box springs and comforters in our zippered, mite-proof covers. Don't worry, they are extremely comfortable because we don't use plastics - you won't even know they are on your bed.

5) Run a True HEPA Room Air Cleaner to remove airborne allergens like pollen, mold spore, dust mite waste, and animal dander.

6) Lower bedroom humidity to below 50% with a dehumidifier to help prevent dust mites from breeding.