Beijing is grimy, dusty place, but perhaps the dustiest place of all is right under your nose. A few years ago I posted this blog about about how dust mites living in your bed can cause allergies:
These nasty little eight-legged buggers thrive in humidity and love to munch on the dead skin cells that collect in your bed sheets and furniture. Fortunately there are ways to counter these microscopic menaces through the use of air purifiers, encasements, sprays and special vacuum cleaners …
After writing that blog my intention was to buy a bed vacuum and see if it would make any difference. Being the procrastinator that I am, it took me a while to get around to it. So now, after three years, many allergy attacks and another baby later, I have finally done so and care share some initial results.
At the recommendation of a colleague, I went on Jingdong and bought this LG Model bed vac.
Here is what the filter looked like before I used it for the first time:
And here is what it looked like after I vacuumed by sheets, pillowcases, headboard and bedspread:
And I didn’t even touch the mattress (my next target). Bear in mind that the gunk in the photo above doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s been wriggling around where I lay my head – according to this article, only 5% of dust mites are on the surface of your bed:
Vacuuming your mattress, however, may not do as much to relieve a dust mite problem as you may hope. As it turns out, mites are hearty — not only can they survive a trip through the wash if the water isn’t hot enough, they can also survive your attempts at vacuuming them up. As many as 95 percent of dust mites continue to lead their lives after you’ve tried to vacuum them from your mattress [source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America]. How can this be? Because they don’t live on the surface; rather, they live deep within the stuffing of the mattress.
So unless I tear apart my mattress and go all in, it seems that my vacuuming can only go so far. Nevertheless I’m still impressed – if not merely for the psychological and superficial reassurance that at least my sheets and pillowcases will be ever-so-slightly cleaner.
What are your experiences with bed vacs?
