Duvets and Pillows.

Did you realise that a new pillow will double its weight in two years, this is a combination of both dust mite and dust mite excrement. This can aggravate eczemer, asthma and even hay fever, the pillow contents are easily inhaled whilst your face is resting on the pillow. If you find that you often suffer from a stuffy nose (rhinitis) it could be down to the mite droppings. What can you do? Washing you pillow every two months at a sixty degree temperature is a must or even purchase pillows made from foam which are often marketed as Hypoallergenic pillows. The same process can be applied to duvets, up to 20,000 live dust mites along with fungal spores and bacteria can be found in the average duvet after only two years.  If you own a deep freeze unit, wrap your duvet up in a plastic bag and leave in the freezer overnight, mites simply cant tolerate very low temperatures.

Innocent looking Wooden spoons.

Because wood is porous it is more likely to be carrying germs or bacteria than metal or plastic cutlery. E coli is particularly prevalent in the kitchen, which can often be traced back to raw meat contact, which in turn can lead to severe food poisoning. Its best not to put wooden spoons in the dishwasher as this leads to cracking, which is a perfect place for bacteria to live, avoid this situation by washing in boiling soapy water, replace after five years.

Toothbruhes

A whole range of nasty health problems can be traced back to ‘unhygienic’ toothbrushes, including strokes, heart disease, arthritis and serious infections, we thought this was staggering! A recent study at Manchester University revealed that the average toothbrush contained about ten million germs, including the following ~

Streptococcus   ~  Candida  ~ E Coli  ~  Staphylococci

Bath Towels

Bath towels are often mentioned when I am talking to customers about carpet or rug cleaning, even though your bath towel looks clean, you know that it needs a wash, a little bit like carpets, even though they may look very clean on the surface, allergens, bacteria and soil will be waiting in the fibres. Wash your bath towels at 90 degrees every week. Staphylococcus aureus can be transferred from your towel to your skin when drying and then into an open wound, this can then generate into an infection.

Hair Brushes

A hair follicle is capable of holding an incredible 45000 germs which in turn can be held in your hair brush, along with chemical hair products such as waxed, dyes and detergents, which are very sticky and as with detergent cleaning of carpets, can attract dirt and dust. Impetigo is a nasty skin infection that can easily be spread by hairbrush sharing, this produces facial blisters and sores. Brushes should be cleaned in hot soapy water every week, replace brushes every three years.

I hope some of this information will be useful.

Spencer Davies

Natural Carpet Care

Results from a recent eight year study have shown that babies born by Caesarean section a far more likely to develop asthma than children delivered naturally. Over the last thirty years, asthma cases have risen in industrialised countries, bacterial exposure in the vagina during birth is considered to play an important part in priming the human immune sytem, giving a natural defence against future allergies. This study involved 3000 children in Holland, reports and information was collated until they were eight years old. Children born via Caesarean section were eighty percent more likely to have developed asthma.

Caesarian births were 5% in the 1970′s with some countries now up to 30%, in the UK the figure is 22%. Caesarean births are popular with young mothers, with busy work schedules and marital demands C section births will still be popular in the future, although mothers should be made aware of risks for her child,particularly if either parent has a history of asthma.

More information than ever is now available on the subject of Dust Mites, here are some interesting facts:

Mites feed on human skin flakes, which consist of Keratin Protein.

Dust mites are translucent and don’t like sunlight, therefore like dark places with a temperature of around 25 0c.

Up to ten million dust mites can be found in ONE double mattress.

Dust mites are not a problem……their secretions are! the proteins (polypeptides) which are found in the form of protein chains.

Carpets are far more beneficial for Asthma sufferers than hard floors, they act as a large filter, holding in dust and allergens.

We can offer specialist treatments that eliminate and neutralise dust mites and their excrement, breaking down protein structure.

Our comprehensive cleaning system can restore your carpets appearance as well as leaving is hygienically clean, your indoor air quality will be considerably improved, breathe the difference!

Call Spencer Davies on Brighton 634177 if you need any further information relating Allergy treatments in Sussex.