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Dr Stephen Pretlove and researchers at Kingston University suggest that while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites. While the mites thrive in the warm, damp conditions created in an occupied bed (an average bed could be home to up to 1.5 million mites) they cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed. The scientists developed a computer model to track how changes in humidity can reduce numbers of dust mites in beds. Just leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die. In the next stage of their research, the scientists are putting mite pockets into beds in 36 houses around the United Kingdom to test their computer model and will investigate how people's daily routines affect mite populations. Building features such as heating, ventilation and insulation will also be altered to monitor how the mites cope. It is hoped that their findings could help building designers create healthier houses.
Click here for more research on dustmites First Published in Febuary 2010 |
