Dust mites reign even during the rainy season

MANILA, Philippines - If you think that dust mites are present only during warm weather, think again. They also thrive during the rainy season, and now that the country’s rainy climate is at its strongest, you’d better be prepared.

But don’t worry, dust mites’ reign even during the rainy season will end, thanks to the new Raycop UVC Anti-Allergy Cleaner.

Dust mites are those creamy-white, often globe-shaped microscopic animals in the arachnid (species commonly with eight legs) category. While they love warm weather, they also flourish in the rain, particularly after a prolonged one, which is what Metro Manila experienced recently that lasted more than two weeks.

Aside from widespread flooding that destroyed houses and other properties, followed by cases of the fearsome leptospirosis that affected thousands of people, incessant rains increased the possibility of more dust mites.

Why is it so? During the rainy season, it is likely that the house will be warmer inside. After long periods of rain, warm or humid conditions naturally follow.

Above 50 percent humidity level is a great magnet for the proliferation of dust mites and other allergens, making people with various forms of allergies suffer the most through wheezing, itching, rhinitis, or even asthma. The more humid the environment is, the more they proliferate.

Where would dust mites commonly stay and wreak havoc on humans? These are areas that are usually humid such as carpets, curtains, even clothes, bed covers and of course, the bed, where people spend close to one-third of their lifetime.

Beds are such a prime habitat for dust mites where typically, a used mattress would contain around 100,000 to more than 10 million dust mites. Some studies have even shown that around 10 percent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow may be composed of these dust mites.

Exposure to dust mites, through direct contact with their bodies or “droppings” or “feces,” can cause various respiratory ailments, particularly asthma, especially with children.

Laying on a carpet or bed infested with dust mites may help develop red, itchy lumps on the skin that can be so irritating, aside from the unsightly rash it leaves on the skin, further disrupting rest time.

The most effective way to counter the threat of dust mites is to clean our homes, especially those areas frequented not just by dust mites but other allergens as well.

The carpet, if your house has one, should be regularly cleaned at least every three months. Curtains should be changed at least once a week or perhaps after two weeks. Replace your pillow cases as well with fresh and clean ones after a week or so depending on usage, and also your bed covers, blankets and linens.

As for the mattresses, it is not really enough to bring them out of your house and place them under the sun, a traditional practice by Filipinos, or even shake them in the hope that dust mites will fall, which rarely happens.

The Tokyo Allergy Research Center, in one of its studies, indicated that direct exposure to sunlight, even for as long as six hours, is not enough to remove dust mites.

A further suggestion for an anti-dust mite countermeasure is to invest in an effective device such as the Raycop UVC Anti-Allergy Cleaner, which kills 99 percent of bacteria and almost 94 percent of dust mites, and even the fearsome H1N1 Influenza A virus, through its effective and patented three-step allergy care system: vibrating, sterilizing, and double-filtering.

The Raycop UVC Anti-Allergy Cleaner, a new and innovative UVC-based (ultra-violet “C” rays, which is less harmful to humans) home companion, has a vibrating pad that shakes particles and dust mites away from mattresses, pillows and other fabrics and linens at a speed of 3,600 times per minute, making sure that even the most stubborn dust mites are removed.

The UVC sterilization lamp, on the other hand, helps kill bacteria for germ-free surfaces using 253.7-nanometer wavelength, the same germicidal ultraviolet wavelength used in hospitals, clinics and laboratories for more than 60 years now.

Plus, a cartridge filter helps capture larger particles and traps them so they cannot go back to the room and helps extend the life of the Micro Allergy Filter, which is the one that traps the smaller particles to make sure they do not escape as well.

There are two models of Raycop now available in the Philippines that homemakers can choose from: the Raycop “Smart” and Raycop “Hera,” both from the award-winning Raycop product lines that have made cleaner environments and households around the world.

The Raycop UVC Anti-Allergy Cleaner is distributed in the Philippines by Zinven International Corp. For more information about the Raycop product line and its outstanding features, visit www.raycop.com.