When last did you clean your mattress?

Jou kombers en My matras en Daar lê die ding

No we are not marching to Pretoria to impeach the President but this interesting new service has recently started up in St Francis which considering the fact that so many properties are rented out to holidaymakers over the holiday seaons one would think this would be an essential service.

A mattress is considered old if it has been in use for two years. In six months there may be two million dust mites and their faeces.  A six month-old pillow can harbour up to a third of its weight in mites, their faeces, dead skin and other bugs.

A really scary thought so maybe it is something every household in St Francis should think about, especially those are regularly rented out as well the many bed & breakfasts and other accommodation facilities. Maybe it is something the hospitality grading council needs to consider when awarding star gradings to accommodation establishmnents and would certainly be a marketing benefit to those who regularly have their beds and beddings treated.

The following is adverotrial but certainly makes a lot of sense.

House dust mites

House dust mites are scavengers that have lived on earth for 23 million years. They live in colonies in nest sites of warm blooded animals such as rats, birds, and humans. Adult house dust mites are so tiny they can sit on top of a pin and they lay eggs at an alarming rate. To help the colony survive the mite has evolved a clever way to recycle hard-to-digest food. Powerful enzymes, placed in mite droppings, act to break down leftover scraps, dead skin cells, animal hair, mould, bacteria and fungi turning them into nourishment. The mite considers its dropping as food. These digestive enzymes play a role in causing allergies and disease in many of us, in that they have the ability to kill delicate defence cells, enter the body and continue the journey using the bloodstream. House dust mites do not bite, what they do is far more sinister.

Children are recognised as the most vulnerable group to suffer from mite related allergic diseases. Not only because they spend more time in bed asleep (a favourite mite home) but because they are unable to identify allergy symptoms nor can they understand the need for solutions.

An important part of managing allergies from house dust mite like allergic asthma, rhinitis and eczema is education. Sufferers can use simple remedies such as eliminating bed dust mites from their sleeping area to vastly improve their condition.  Commonly 95% of  mites are found within 1.5 cm of the top of the mattress.

UV-C Light

It has been known by scientists for years, that one of the most effective air purifiers is natural sunlight’s ultra violet (UV) rays. Not the light we see when we look out the window, but the invisible “C” band, ultraviolet rays that make up part of the sun’s light spectrum. The sun’s UV-C rays act as a natural outdoor air purification system, inhibiting the growth and reproduction of dust mites, bacteria, viruses, fungi & moulds. However, this natural process does not occur indoors. The fresh UV concentrated cleaner uses UV-C rays to bring the power of the sun indoors, specifically to the mattress, a natural home to the mite. The UV-C light’s germicidal power replicates the natural outdoor purification system of the sun by destroying the allergy- and disease-causing microbes living and multiplying on and below the surface of your mattress. Used in combination with a powerful, HEPA filtered extraction device, it is the most effective way to eliminate the health risks the dust mite and bacteria represent.

UV disinfection has been determined to be adequate for inactivating bacteria and viruses. The germicidal effects of UV light cause photochemical damage to DNA and RNA within microorganisms. UVC disinfection is used worldwide and there are thousands of references to its efficacy and actual application in the literature.

The fresh UV concentrated cleaner system is 100% dry and 100% free of harmful chemicals. Our sanitising process on mattresses and pillows takes around 5 minutes to eliminate all germs, bacteria, dust mites and bed bugs. The deep cleaning process takes around 20 minutes per mattress and base. You will have peace of mind with a sanitised, hygienic and allergen-free sleep space.