The mattress can be a jungle of dust mites and bedbugs, milling around among dried remnants of blood, saliva, sweat and basically all the other bodily fluids you can think of.

Bedbugs have become minor celebrities this year with a report from the National Pest Management Association showing that the problem is on the rise. Bedbug calls have gone up by 81 percent since 2000, the study said, and 67 percent of surveyed pest management companies have treated bedbug infestations in hotels or motels.

These insects are about a quarter-inch long and eat at night, said Howard Russell, an entomologist with diagnostic services at Michigan State University. Impressively, while humans can live only a matter of weeks without food, bedbugs can live up to one year without eating — and their meals consist of blood and skin shed by humans.

“They’re well-adapted to being a parasite,” Russell said. “It’s really hard to starve them out.”

Bedbugs, which leave behind itchy bite marks and can even lead to an allergic reaction in some people, aren’t the only pests that could be lurking beneath your pillow.

As if the presence of microscopic eight-legged vermin weren’t gross enough, consider that it’s not the mites that cause some people to cough and sneeze. It’s their excrement.

Good vacuuming of the mattress itself and regular professional cleaning is a key line of defense against allergy-causing mites, said Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist, assistant professor in the department of medicine at Emory University. “I don’t think people give a lot of thought and energy into proper mattress care. “Professional mattress cleaning can improve not only the quality of people’s sleep but also reduce their chances of having mites and infestations of bedbugs,” she said. “It can go a long way.”

For a good night’s sleep, Tru-Clean Surface Care can safely and effectively clean and sanitize your mattress thereby eliminating allergens, dust mites, pollen, bodily fluids and odor. Our technicians are certified by the world’s most respected certification body for textile professionals and our mattress cleaning services are relied upon by nursing homes, allergen sufferers and homeowners throughout SW Florida.

Tru-Clean Surface Care is a family-owned environmentally responsible carpet, tile and upholstery cleaning company serving all of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee, Charlotte, and Collier County. Our family has cleaned and sanitized hundreds of mattresses so we know what it takes to deliver a good night’s sleep.

For more information on our company and the services we offer, please visit us online at https://www.trucleansurfacecare.com/ or “call us on the carpet” anytime at 239-541-4888.

You can also visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TruCleanSurfaceCareFL/

mattress cleaning | dust mites |fort myers | cape coral