There you go re-arranging your sofa cushions, and suddenly your eyes start to water and sting. You start sneezing and your nose runs. Your throat needs clearing all of a sudden, and you cough. Yes, that's it. The message is that you're allergic to dust mites or bacteria.
Eternity 12 Collection (sofa and pouffe) - Eternity 01 · Eternity 12 · Eternity 14 (cushions) from Visual Textures Fashion Book 15 by Aquaclean
Although this is by no means fatal, it so happens that it's quite unpleasant and annoying. So today, let's look at some tricks to keep those nasty little dust mites at bay.
First, you should know that these dust mites are microscopic little things related to the spider family, and they love to live in dusty environments. Their size ranges from 0.2 to 0.5 mm, so you can hardly ever see them with the naked eye. And, not surprisingly, it's not the bugs themselves that produce your allergy, but their tiny little faeces – yes, their poop.
These bugs like to live in the dust that accumulates in furniture, curtains, carpets, fabrics or upholstery, so it is important for us to clean these items properly. And although we can’t get rid of 100% of all household mites, we can keep them at bay and prevent them from becoming too much of a bother.
These intruders love warm, humid conditions, so if you notice an allergy coming on, you should program your home for a temperature of around 20ºC, and keep humidity as low as possible. This will make it harder for them to survive.
Another good way to control them is to air the house properly on a daily basis, and best in the sunniest hours, because this also helps to get rid of them.
You can also try to minimise furniture and decorative objects, since it's easier for dust, and therefore mites, to accumulate if you have dust traps around the house. Pay special attention to this rule in bedrooms and the living room, which are the two places where we spend the most time, and where things tend to accumulate: cushions, plaids, carpets, blankets and other stuff.
Don't strew carpets around the home as far as possible, or go for rugs that can be washed regularly in a washing machine. Since these items are at ground level, they're good habitats for an army of little mites.
As for house cleaning, try to use a mask, since it will protect you when vacuuming or dusting. Also remember to open windows so that dust will get airborne and fly out the window. And use damp dusters or cloths as far as possible, since dust will stick to the duster, with less tendency to fly around the room.
For bed covers and sofa slipcovers, you might want to buy breathable synthetic fabrics that control mite propagation. And for upholstery, such as curtains, armchairs or chairs, choose fabrics that use Safe Front® Technology, which provides protection against dust mites and bacteria through their natural barrier, helping to achieve totally hygienic upholstery.
Lugano 06 Collection (sofa) - Marina 128 · Lugano 12 · Aitana 05 (cushions) in Book 16-17 from Rustika by Aquaclean
Last but not least, we recommend sofa upholstery that's made from specially designed fabrics to keep allergies against dust, moisture, pet hair and mites to the bare minimum.
For this, Aquaclean Technology® is the perfect choice to make your life easier, since these fabrics are protected against the presence of mites and bacteria – a must for everyone suffering the unpleasant consequences of an allergy.
As you can see, coping with your allergy will be much easier as long as you take a series of precautions like the ones we've just suggested. We hope you find these tips useful, and that from now on, you will live a much better and allergy-free life.
