Allergies? Eliminate Dust Mites from your Carpets

House dust mites are mostly found in carpets and mattresses; their numbers are increasing because we provide perfect conditions - humid warm environments - in our centrally-heated, thermally-insulated, double glazed homes. They feed on dead skin that has been shed and forms part of general household dust.

They are a significant source of allergies, including: asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis and dermatitis.

There are a couple of ways to eliminate dust mites.

• Subject dust mites to extreme heat (60'C) or cold (0'C) for about an hour -  therefore hot washes or putting a pillow in a large chest freezer would be quite successful;
• Sofas, mattresses and carpets can be vacuumed with a high suction cleaner. Treat first with a mite powder.

And no, we are not going to use a magnified image of a mite, just for sensationalism. Nor are we going to use a boring photograph of a vacum cleaner. Here is a beautiful carpet of flowers instead.

Would you notice if your Carpets Smell?

Food smells from cooking, particularly oily fish, frying and roasting are easily noticeable and dealt with by washing pans and regularly cleaning the oven. Similarly, fridges are regularly emptied and cleaned. But what about the gradual build-up of general household smells?

We get used to odours in our own homes and summer is usually a great time to 'air' carpets as windows and doors are open most days - except when the British summertime is wet! In fact, wet dogs and muddy shoes leave marks, cats stay in and drop hairs, we may even have resorted to bringing barbecue food and drink inside, adding to the spills and smells.

Time to think about a freshen-up! Professional carpet cleaners are usually very busy in the first week of September when children return to school, as well as the end of July before customers set off for their annual holidays. If you want to clean your own carpets, you need to ban children and pets for a good few hours!

When we have pleasant weather, the best way to bring the fresh outdoors inside is to open windows and patio doors. Beware of dirty shoes though!

Buying a Carpet and Caring for it.

A good quality carpet in
neutral tones is an ideal
background for most
colour schemes.

 

 

When choosing a carpet, consider how much wear it will get – a bedroom has less wear than a hallway - and how long it should last - a few months until someone buys your house? Or years with a growing family, pets and muddy boots? Poor quality carpets will become flattened or discoloured soon after fitting.

If carpets are not fitted properly, joins and gaps not only look ugly but can trap dirt. Improperly laid, un-stretched carpets may have lumps, bumps and wrinkles, causing doors to scrape and catch each time they are opened or closed. Additionally, a loop pile (e.g. Berber) must be cut correctly - if a loose cut is caught in a vacuum cleaner, it will unravel along the whole seam. The same is true of loose threads from hessian carpet backing.

At the time of writing, the carpet industry’s trade body, the Carpet Foundation, suggests that £20 per square metre should buy a good quality carpet. A quality underlay and fitting will cost extra.

Your carpet, however good its quality and however clean your home, will eventually attract and trap dirt - particles in the air from open doors and windows, minute dead skin cells, etc. Dirt and dust should be regularly removed with a vacuum cleaner and deep-cleaned every few months to remove dirt and mites.