A survey of over a thousand pest control firms by the University of Kentucky and the United States’ National Pest Management Association, appears to indicate that the increase is global. This is further supported by evidence closer to home as London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, last year found the number of complaints about bedbugs in the capital grew annually, by an average of 28.5% between 2000-2006. And there’s no sign of the problem abating with Rentokil reporting the number of bedbug call outs has gone up by 24% in the first half of the year.

Experts have known about the bugs for years in fact since the banning of DDT based pest control products in 1972, it is thought the bugs have steadily been increasing. Whilst here in the UK it hasn’t made big news yet, across the pond they have been introduced laws to that require landlords to declare any infestations in the last 12 months. They also passed laws requiring schools to notify parents of any known outbreaks.

However it should be noted that although the bugs do suck your blood and can cause irritating bites they don’t pass on disease like rats or mosquito’s. Its possibly this lack of “lethality” that has led to the bugs being dismissed as harmless. The increase in allergy sufferers generally [covered in other posts on this blog] is something for maybe 25% of the population to be concerned about. They can trigger any number of other problems if you already suffer with allergies or skin conditions such as eczema.

If you spot any blood spot or are waking with “bites” and itchy marks, you should seek medical advice. Bed bugs can be treated and dealt with, but as with anything, the longer you leave things untreated the worse any infestation will become.

You can leave your comments below, have you experienced any problems whilst travelling or in your home?

A Nice Clean Bed?

Lets fast forward to bedtime, nicely relaxed after your favourite tipple and tired after a hard day, what could be better than a freshly made bed; crisp clean sheets and that fabulous clean fragrance. Folding back the duvet and slide in, absolute bliss.

Or is it? Who or what are you sharing your bed with?

What Lives in Your Bed?

If you suffer from asthma, eczema, atopic rhinitis or like me “hay fever” (it wasn’t but I’ll explain later) then what you share your bed with should be of concern. Why? let me explain.

Wherever there is a food source there will be something that feeds on it. In this case the food source is human skin and the ‘predator’ is the House Dust Mite. They live in their 10′s of ’000′s in our homes. However you wont meet one coming down the hall, you will probably never see one at all except on websites like this.

House Dust Mite Facts

The house dust mite is about 1/3rd the width of a human hair or .3 microns. Dont let the size fool you as these tiny creatures create a powerful allergen that is thought to be responsible for a massive surge in allergy sufferers.

• Allergens produced by house dust mites are among the most common triggers of asthma.
• Allergies affect as many as 10-15 million people in the UK, 20 – 25% of the population.
• From 1982-1994, asthma increased 84% overall, and 72% for children under 18.

The house dust mite is a prolific breeder and left unchecked can literally double the weight of a mattress in under ten years!

You can deal with these invaders although you shouldnt become obsessed in their irradication, sensible regular  cleaning can control their numbers and improve you and your familys health.

Controlling The House Dust Mite

The ideal environment for dust mites is warm and humid, so the first thing you can do is control the humidity. Where it doesnt pose a security risks, open windows, especially at night whilst your sleeping – you can lose 500ml of fluid in perspiration overnight – so let it escape.

Let Your Bed Breathe

In the morning roll back the sheets or duvet and leave the window open. If you have modern windows they usually have a “second” level opening allowing you to still lock the window but still allow fresh air in.

Weekly Hot Wash

Wash your sheets, mattress covers, pillow case etc., in 60 degrees every week. No need to use bleach (dust mite are unaffected by it) simply wash at a high temperature to kill them. If you can’t wash at such high temperatures you can use special treatments such as – Fabricleanse (~£12  for a 300ml bottle)- to remove allergens and denature the mites themselves.

Always Use a HEPA Vacuum Cleaner

If you dont have a HEPA filtered vacuum, consider upgrading as onlyt HEPA filters will stop the mites and their feaces escaping the vacuum and getting into the air and back into your home. If you use a cleaning company insist they use HEPA filtered vacuums, or move to one that does. Many good cleaning companies provide this as standard. We at HomeMaid changed ours about two years ago and without any price increase too!

You may also want to start with “a clean sheet” – forgive the pun – by calling in a specialist mattress cleaning company to cleanse your mattress first, then adopt the aforementioned strategies for control. You’ll need to repeat the process annually or more frequently if you have a severe allergy problem.

Always Seek Medical Advice

And finally, we’re not doctors nor are we qualified to advise on individual allergy issues, so if you’re having problems seek a qualified medical practitioner in the first instance. We can help you maintain healthier home and reduce your allergens only as part of complete control process.

Sleep well!