Living areas: Health24: Healthy home

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Living areas

Bedrooms and living rooms carry constant traffic. Most people spend up to a third of their lives in their bedrooms. Dust and dust mites pose the biggest dangers here. This section explores how you can keep these areas dust and dust mite free and a pleasure to live in. According to the latest research data, carpets are actually good news for asthma sufferers.

Click on the item on the left to find out why this could be a problem area and what you could do to sort it out.

Mattresses - problems & solutions

Most used mattresses contain dust mites, which live off the flakes of skin shed on mattresses. The moist, warm conditions in mattresses contribute to this accumulation.

The ambience - problems & solutions

Think about your lounge for a minute. Does it look like the kind of place you would like to spend a lot of time in?

The air - problems & solutions

There is nothing worse than that musty odour of dark, confined spaces. Except perhaps if the aroma of old and unwashed dog or cigarette smoke is added to it.

Carpets - problems & solutions

Carpets accumulate dust, trapping it until it can be removed by vacuuming. Carpets do not cause dust. In fact, new research proves the health and safety benefits of carpeting.

Curtains - problems & solutions

Curtains are exposed to both indoor and outdoor dust and debris. For this reason the list of living organisms that may use your curtains as their breeding ground is almost endless.

Surfaces - problems & solutions

Tabletops serve many purposes - from storing books, magazines and the TV remote, to a place to do homework, place your plate of food or a drink, or do present wrapping.