Who are you sharing your bed with?

Here is just a sample of the kind of things found in the average mattress:

• •  2 million dust mites
• •  Dead skin flakes
• •  Dried perspiration
• •  Urine & blood
• •  Semen & vaginal fluids
• •  Bacteria
• •  Mould

If you had any of the above items on your clothing, you would certainly wash then straight away, but we spend a third of our lives in our mattresses and they NEVER GET CLEANED!

Dust mites

The house dust mite is about half the size of a full-stop. It has no sight, no respiratory system and is unable to drink, but lives by absorbing moisture and oxygen from the atmosphere. Mite droppings, which contain digestive enzymes, are a major cause of allergy worldwide.

Powerful enzymes in their tiny droppings break down hard-to-digest food for later nourishment, and it is these enzymes that have negative impact on our health and well-being.

The mite can produce up to twenty droppings a day, which means approximately 2000 during its active lifetime of up to 3 to 4 months. Most modern conventional beds provide perfect breeding conditions for dust mites.

Some interesting facts

•  There are 2 million dust mites in an average double mattress
•  10% of the weight of a 2 year old pillow is made up of dead dust mites and their droppings
•  Dust mitesact as a trigger for 85% of asthmatics
•  Enzymes in dust mite droppings actually weaken the lungs natural defenses
•  The ideal environment for the dust mite is a household mattress
•  The majority of people report a better nights sleep after having their mattress steam cleaned

Dust mite timeline

1978 The mite is recognised as the major trigger for childhood asthma in the UK

1983 Mite avoidance studies demonstrate health improvements in children and adults with asthma

1987 Thirty-five doctors, supported by the World Health Organization, describe the house dust mite as a major cause of allergic disease worldwide.

1990 Doctors describe a link between mite exposure, childhood asthma and a specific gene. Scientists warn that mite enzymes (allergens) may breach lung defences by dissolving delicate tissue.

1997 New asthma guidelines recommend mite allergen avoidance in asthma management.

1998 Scientists explain how mite allergens can cause and trigger allergic asthma.

2000 Medical confirmation that sensitization to house dust mites in childhood is dose-dependent, and in children with mite-related asthma further exposure can make their asthma worse. Allergens found in mite droppings are also found in the fluid surrounding unborn babies

2001 A clinical paper describes how mite allergens can cause itchy, red or watery eyes by breaching the protective barriers of the eye to cause conjunctivitis

2003 The major mite allergen (Der p1) can downgrade a natural lung defence against common and harmful bacteria.

2004 Scientists publish papers on how mite allergens can cause and trigger allergic asthma.