OTR friend, Lauren Brown of Maid Brigade, is back with tips on how to deal with dust mites.
I’ll admit, it’s pretty gross. Dust mites feed off of dead skin cells and as long as there are humans and their furry friends in the mix, there will be an abundant and constant food supply for dust mites. They can create allergic reactions and trigger asthma attacks, but, fortunately, there are things you can do to get rid of them.
Key Problem Areas in Your Home
Dust mites will congregate close to the feast, i.e., where already-shed skin cells are concentrated. Textiles trap dead skin cells. Mattresses, pillows, linens, carpet and rugs, drapes, upholstered furniture, towels and plush toys can harbor dust mites. Your bed is the perfect environment for dust mites. Your mattress may house between one million and ten million of them. It is estimated that one ounce of dust can house 42,000 dust mites.
What You Can Do
- Bedding
Vacuum mattresses on 5 sides as often as you can but at least monthly for the allergy sufferer.- Use a specialized HEPA filter closed-canister vacuum to remove 99.9% of all particles 1 micron or greater.
- Flip mattresses every 3 months and vacuum all 6 sides when you flip.
- Launder linens and covers in water that is 130° F or hotter to kill dust mites.
- Vacuum the pillows as often as weekly, and launder in water that is 130° F or hotter every 3 months (organic) or replace every 6 months (synthetic).
- Direct sunlight kills dust mites. On sunny days (winter and summer), hang blankets and covers outside on the clothes line. Leave the beds unmade and open the window dressings during the day.
- Carpet & Rugs
- Vacuum your carpet and rugs with a specialized HEPA filter closed-canister vacuum at least weekly, or every few days in the rooms where an asthma or allergy sufferer spends most of his or her time.
- Drapes
- Vacuum your curtains with a specialized HEPA filter closed-canister vacuum at least monthly, but more often in the bedroom of an asthma/allergy sufferer.
- Beneath the Bed
- Dust mites like dark places. Be sure to vacuum under the bed frequently. Doing so will also reduce an abundant food source for moths.
About the Author
Lauren Brown is the Grass Roots Marketing Specialist with Maid Brigade. Lauren has been with Maid Brigade for three years, educating the community on the importance of going green for the health of the environment and our families. She emphasizes the value of using safer alternatives and how easy and affordable it can be to go green!
Maid Brigade is a residential cleaning service that uses only Green Seal certified cleaning solutions and green methods to clean homes. This ensures a safer work environment for their employees and a safer, healthier home for their clients.
I’m taking a bit of a break from writing. I’ll be re-sharing some of my favorite OTR articles and re-introducing you to some awesome OTR guest bloggers, like Lauren Brown. Check out her green cleaning tips and share a few of your own.
A common misconception about green cleaning is that if you can’t smell cleaning products then your home isn’t really clean. Artificial fragrance is a major contributor to poor indoor air quality.
Air fresheners and cleaning products that have fragrances in them have chemicals that actually suspend artificial odor in the air. These chemical additives can trigger asthma and allergy attacks. Even though there is little to no fragrance in green cleaning solutions, most are just as effective as traditional cleaning products.
The exception to having fragrance in cleaning solutions is when you make your own. Using natural cleaning agents such as lemon juice or lavender oil give your rooms a light fresh scent with no artificial or harmful additives. Check out these recipes to make your own everyday cleaning products!
• To clean the microwave, heat a bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave for about 45 seconds, then wipe. Stains will be easier to remove and old food odors will be neutralized.
• A teaspoon of lemon juice added to your dishwashing detergent can help boost grease cutting power.
• Hot lemon juice and baking soda makes a good drain cleaner that’s safe for septic systems.
• Rub lemon juice into your wooden chopping board, leave overnight and then rinse. Wood chopping boards appear to have anti-bacterial properties anyway, but the lemon will help kill off any remaining germs plus neutralize odors.
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• Clean stainless steel sinks with a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Mix it up and apply with a sponge. Don’t let the foaming scare you – it works great!
• Spray fresh lemon juice on hard water scale build-up around faucets, wait 10 minutes and rinse.
• Use a scrub paste made from baking soda and a tiny bit of water to scrub soap scum in tubs and showers.
• Antibacterial spray can be made from water and pure essential lavender oil. Mix 1 C. water and 1 tsp lavender oil in a spray bottle and shake to mix. Spray and wait 15 minutes before wiping or don’t rinse at all.
NOTE: Label all home concoctions and date them so you can be sure of what you’re using. Vinegar and baking soda cannot be used on all surfaces. Do some research first!
Whether you’re making your own cleaning products or purchasing eco-friendly ones, enjoy a clean home with clean air!
About the Author
Lauren Brown is the Grass Roots Marketing Specialist with Maid Brigade. Lauren has been with Maid Brigade for three years, educating the community on the importance of going green for the health of the environment and our families. She emphasizes the value of using safer alternatives and how easy and affordable it can be to go green!
Maid Brigade is a residential cleaning service that uses only Green Seal certified cleaning solutions and green methods to clean homes. This ensures a safer work environment for their employees and a safer, healthier home for their clients.
Connect With Lauren: Twitter | E-Mail | 703.823.1726
Connect With Maid Brigade: Facebook (DC Metro) | Web
Lauren Brown of Maid Brigade shares a few ways you can make the jump to green cleaning.
No matter where you are on the path to going green, or if you haven’t even started, there are several ways you can implement eco-friendly practices in everyday cleaning tasks. Here are some examples:
Easiest
• Use a high quality entrance mat to keep out dirt, allergens, and other contaminated particles
• Or make your home shoes-free
• Get good quality micro fiber cloths to clean better with fewer (maybe no) chemicals
• Use these cloths in a color-coded fashion, using separate cloths for the kitchen, bathroom, etc. to prevent cross-contamination of germs throughout the home
• Use micro fiber mops, not brooms, to remove daily traffic dirt and pet hair without stirring up more allergens
• Use the mildest cleaning solution possible for the job
• Watch the Signal Words on the product labels, avoiding anything stronger than a Caution! label
• Spray cleaners on the cleaning cloth, not the surface to be cleaned; overspray is a leading cause of unnoticed residues and airborne chemicals
• Wear rubber gloves to prevent absorption of chemical solutions and vapors through the skin
Medium
• Select products designed to work in cold water
• Select products with low or no VOC content
• Find products with a moderate pH, from 4 to 11
• Purchase products that come in recyclable containers
• Purchase green cleaning solutions in concentrated form and dilute into re-useable spray bottles
• Avoid products containing pesticides, organochlorines, formaldehyde, or APEs
• Avoid products containing known or suspected carcinogens, neurotoxins, reproductive toxins, developmental toxins or endocrine disruptors
Hardest
• Get a high filtration vacuum (preferably a HEPA filter) with a closed canister system to trap and remove 99.7% of particles 1 micron or larger (including dust, dirt, pollen, dust mites, pet dander, hair and mold – really tiny stuff)
• Go to a chemical-free dry steam vapor system to clean, deodorize, disinfect and kill mold, mildew and dust mites using water alone
• Purchase a water-ionizing system for a chemical-free portable device that effectively tackles just about everything (you may need something stronger on heavy grease and soap scum)
• Make your own natural cleaning products – like baking soda, lemons, vinegar, borax and vegetable-based oil soaps for ultimate knowledge and control of what is in your home
• De-clutter your home to make a more enjoyable environment for recharging and to make routine cleaning easier and faster
Take baby steps! Choose a few items here and there that seem doable and see and feel the difference.
About The Author
Lauren Brown is the Grass Roots Marketing Specialist with Maid Brigade. Lauren has been with Maid Brigade for three years, educating the community on the importance of going green for the health of the environment and our families. She emphasizes the value of using safer alternatives and how easy and affordable it can be to go green!
Maid Brigade is a residential cleaning service that uses only Green Seal certified cleaning solutions and green methods to clean homes. This ensures a safer work environment for their employees and a safer, healthier home for their clients.
Connect With Lauren: Facebook | Twitter | E-Mail | 703.823.1726
Connect With Maid Brigade: Facebook (DC Metro) | Web
If you haven’t had a peek under your sink in a while, you might want to after reading today’s post by guest author, Lauren Brown, of Maid Brigade.
Over the years, we accumulate all sorts of cleaning products. You probably have the staples that your mother and grandmother used, with a few infomercial miracle solutions thrown in, and maybe you also grabbed the newest thing on the shelf.
Before you know it, you have quite the collection of products that you may or may not use or know the harmful effects of! “Going green” isn’t just a cool T-shirt slogan anymore; it is about protecting your family.
Some of the most important toxins to avoid are:
• Endocrine Disruptors: These toxins imitate human hormones, which confuses your body and can lead to a disturbing number of health problems such as reproductive, developmental, and behavioral problems, premature puberty, miscarriage, challenged immune systems, certain cancers, and many more.
• Neurotoxins: These affect your brain activity and can cause headaches, memory loss, and even loss of intellect.
• Carcinogens: These cause cancer and can promote cancer’s growth.
If you are unsure about the presence of these toxins in your products and don’t know what to dispose of or keep, use these tips:
Take a look under the sink…
• Take out all of your cleaning products and separate them into groups based on their purpose (sanitizing, glass/windows, grease, etc). Do this when no children or pets are around.
• Do you need multiples of products that have the same purpose? Probably not. So which ones do you keep and which ones are harmful to you and your family’s health?
A guide to harmful cleaning products:
• Household products are required to have a “signal word” indicating the level of toxicity.
• NOTE: These levels are based on a 180-pound male, so imagine the effects on more vulnerable bodies such as children or pets!
• Given these toxicity signal words, try to eliminate any product stronger than a Caution! from your home.
• Use up the products that you have (with the exception of the very dangerous ones) and then replace them with healthier choices for the long-term.
About The Author
Lauren Brown is the Grass Roots Marketing Specialist with Maid Brigade. Lauren has been with Maid Brigade for three years, educating the community on the importance of going green for the health of the environment and our families. She emphasizes the value of using safer alternatives and how easy and affordable it can be to go green! Maid Brigade is a residential cleaning service that uses only Green Seal certified cleaning solutions and green methods to clean homes. This ensures a safer work environment for their employees and a safer, healthier home for their clients.
Connect With Lauren: Facebook | Twitter | E-Mail | 703.823.1726
Connect With Maid Brigade: Facebook (DC Metro) | Web
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