A Good Reason to Vacuum Under The Bed

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In last week's Parade insert in the Sunday newspaper, Dr. Oz shared some advice about getting a good night's sleep. One of the main ways to get allergies at bay is to minimize dust in the home and particularly, in and under the bed. Did you know that dust mites are "microscopic arachnids that feed on human skin"? Yuck, yuck, yuck! They are a major trigger for asthma and allergies. He writes that these bugs "like to make their home in beds because of the steady supply of food." So the older the mattress, the more likely that mites are spending the night under the covers with you, feasting on your flesh.

This information was enough to give me a good reason to vacuum thoroughly under the bed this weekend. I think I took out an entire arachnid colony. At least, I sure hope I did! It's also a good reason to wash sheets weekly (or biweekly for pretty clean kids) in hot water.

I'm normally quite laid-back about things and a little dust doesn't bother me, but under and around the bed...let's just say my attack on the flesh-eating arachnids is on!

(By the way, Dr. Oz recommends replacing mattresses that are older than five to seven years, and buying mite-resistant casings for mattresses newer than that).