6 Most Common And Popular Dust Mite Myths Debunked

Accumulated dust inside your office is a mixture of different waste materials, such as animal dander, bacteria, mould, fabric fibre, food particles, cockroach parts, and dust mites. Among all the allergens that get mixed up in dust, dust mites are the number one contributor to asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic eczema, and other significant health risks for you and your employees.

What are dust mites?

Dust mites are insects with eight legs and can grow up to 0.3 mm long. They belong to the spide and tick family and are barely visible without a microscope.

One of the primary reasons for hiring professional office cleaning specialists is that these microscopic bugs can cause allergic reactions, such as itching, wheezing, and sneezing. They are called “skin eaters” because they feed on animal materials that contain protein, especially dead human skin cells. They accumulate quickly by laying up to 80 eggs over five weeks, which means female dust mites will produce around 2,000 faecal pellets in their 10-week life span. If left untreated, it can cost your business a lot of money because illnesses can affect your employees’ morale and productivity.

There are several misconceptions about dust mites. This article will set the record straight.

1. Dust mites bite

No, dust mites cannot bite because they don’t have a mouth with teeth. They have an opening that scoops up bits of dead skin cells. They also do not chew on the food but instead secrete an enzyme that breaks and digests the food. The itchy feeling you get is an allergic reaction to the proteins found in their waste products.

2. Dust mites crawl on you

Because dust mites are microscopic, you can’t see them or feel them walking around your skin. They usually stick to your clothing but do not live on you.

3. Dust mites can escape your vacuum

While dust mites have eight legs, they are not mobile enough to be able to crawl out of your vacuum cleaner. The only way they can come out is for their skin or faeces to escape your vacuum cleaner through the exhaust.

4. Dust mites are flying around the office/house

That’s not even possible since dust mites do not have wings, which means they cannot fly around your home or office.

5. You can eradicate dust mites by vacuuming alone

The number one reason offices need to hire professional cleaning services is that vacuuming alone does not entirely remove dust mites. Research revealed that vacuuming could hardly lift dust mite allergens from worn carpets. What’s worse is that doing so can even redistribute them.

To effectively eliminate dust mites, you will need to use HEPA filters to remove 99.97% of particles. Hiring expert office disinfection services in Singapore is your best bet to successfully eliminate the allergens that can make you and your employees sick.

6. Dust mites cause allergic reactions

Evidence shows that people cannot be allergic to dust mites themselves. What causes allergic reactions is their faeces. A single dust mite can produce up to 200 times its body weight in faeces, which causes allergies in millions of people worldwide. These include runny noses, watery eyes, itchy throats, and asthma.

Conclusion

Electronics and hardware used by your employees are some of the most common things that can collect dust in your office. These include computers, printers, and other machines used for business productivity. This is due to the static electricity from the appliances in your office, which attracts the negative or positive charge from the dust mites. Aside from that, electronic devices use a cooling system, such as fans, to cool the internal parts, bringing in dust particles.

Since dust gathers dust mites, you must hire office cleaning experts to ensure that you effectively get rid of these microorganisms. As a specialist in office disinfection service in Singapore, Abba is the go-to company to keep your place of business clean and safe.

Give us a call now or send in an enquiry for a free quote!