Mattress News

Mattress cleaning services are ''not best'' for dust mite treatment

Mattress sanitising services which tout their abilities to kill dust mites with their cleaning abilities may not be as good for the bed in the long run as they say, it has been explained.

Laura Johannes of the Wall Street Journal addressed companies that promote these services, saying that while they may be effective, they are not as cheap as traditional - and arguably more effective - ways of keeping the mattress and bedding clean.

She explained that techniques to combat mites vary by company, though most involve using ultraviolet-C light or a dry-steam method to kill their target, while high-powered vacuums are used to remove the insect bodies and their waste products.

Peyton Eggleston of Johns Hopkins Children''s Hospital in Baltimore asserted that traditional methods are much better to employ, using zippered covers to encase the mattress, pillows and box spring.

He argued that while these will not immediately kill dust mites, it reduces exposure to them and their debris.

Bed bugs, meanwhile, may be best fought with irons or hair dryers, according to advice from the Bed Bug Support Dept, which advised a no-mercy tactic in combating them.

Posted by Elizabeth Mewes