By Kami Nguyen

Town Crier Editorial Intern

Most people are concerned with what they eat and drink and even the quality of air they breathe.

But how many are concerned about the air they breathe when they’re sleeping?

For those who don’t get enough sleep because of allergy symptoms and asthma attacks, the answer may be located right in the bedroom.

Dust mites, according to the Mitex company, thrive in dusty mattresses and live off a person’s “bacteria-infected flakes of dry skin.”

When Roy Menchavez went on the Internet, he was looking for ways to help relieve his wife and son of their asthma attacks. He found the Web site for Mitex that discussed dust mites and health-related problems.

Menchavez was so impressed with the outcome for his wife and son, he decided earlier this year to join Mitex and start his own part-time mattress cleaning service in Mountain View, Mattress Allergenx.

“Mitex sounded interesting so I talked to a few people who were supportive of the system,” he said.

“Canada, the main (distributors) showed a demo and I got into the dealership.”

He said many people who suffer from allergies and asthma do not know that the cause of their problem lies in dust mites, located deep inside old, dusty mattresses.

“When people are sleeping … every time they move, the springs move up and down, and that generates dust particles (from the mattress),” he said. “They get all over you and you inhale them.”

He said most of those particles are made up of dust mite excrement and the exoskeletons of the dead mites.

The cleaning process includes generating high frequency waves, which shake the bed to get dust and dust mites that may be embedded deep inside the fabric of the mattress.

Those particles are then collected by a high-powered vacuum, while UVC rays are used to kill the remaining live dust mites and bacteria, viruses and spores.

Menchavez said he recommends that people with allergies or asthma get their mattresses cleaned every three to four months; while those concerned with their health but with no asthma problems, should get it done twice a year.

“It’s not an all-out fix for the problem, but a lot of the problem is from the dust and dust mites,” he said.

He said those without allergy symptoms can develop them over time if mattresses are not well kept.

“You clean your bathrooms every week,” he said, “but you spend eight to nine hours a day in your bed every day without proper cleaning. That can lead to respiratory problems.”

The cost for the service starts at $20 and can go up to as high as $79.50.

This includes a dust screening before the actual cleaning.

Menchavez said he first collects samples from the bed. The sample is placed on a dish, mixed with a testing liquid and tested with litmus paper.

There are four levels to identify the quantity of dust mites found in the sample based on the color of the litmus paper.

Red indicates a high level of protein found in the excrement of the mites; pink is a low-level finding.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 303-0860.