marilyn at gte.net asked me <<  Can you actually see dust mites?  I always
thought they were so small
 they could not be detected. >>  Right, you need to magnify them in order to
see them.

<< Where do they come from and if you get
 rid of them how do you keep them from returning? >>  You can't get rid of
them.  They eat the tiniest bits of sloughed off skin, cooking oil that has
evaporated and stuck to items in the house, flakes of dried milk floating in
the air, dead flea particles, you name it.  And I understand it is their
disgusting little feces that make us so sick, not their horrible little
selves.

If you are allergic to them, dusting and vacuuming will make you sneezy,
dusty blankets on your bed will bother you, etc.

To control them, several things help a lot.  (1) wash all bed covering in HOT
water each week -- blankets & bedspreads included.  It takes about a week for
them to start being a problem again.  Cover your mattress, springs and
pillows with plastic so the critters can't crawl out and bother you.  As I
say, I save wear and tear on my favorite quilts by whooshing them in the hot
dryer and not washing them so often.

(2)  Keep furnishings simple - washable scatter rugs, lightweight washable
curtains; avoid carpeting and deep cushioning if at all possible.

(3)  Use a HEPA filter bag on your vacuum cleaner -- they catch 99.9 percent
of the trash that enters the cleaner.  Vacuuming will make you feel better
instead of worse.  You can also get HEPA-filtered air filters in many
different sizes.  See "Consumer Reports" magazine online to investigate the
facts on those.

Love to all,

Patty in San Francisco (feeling better today!)