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![Dry clothing indoors](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/117-5-pollen_230.jpg?fit=350%2C260)
Dry clothing indoors
If you put your washing out on the line, then your clothes will be covered in pollen.
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![Dust mites eat our dead skin flakes](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/117-2-dustmites2_230.jpg?fit=350%2C260)
Dust mites eat our dead skin flakes
- Dust mites eat our dead skin flakes and we lose up to 28 grams of skin cells a week, the equivalent of a small bag of chips.
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![Don't make your bed](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/117-3-dustmites3_230.jpg?fit=350%2C260)
Don’t make your bed
(Really!) It keeps the bed warm and keeps the humidity in, which the dust mites like.
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![more than a million bacteria](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/117-4-mold2_230.jpg?fit=350%2C260)
more than a million bacteria
- One gram of house dust can contain more than a million bacteria and hundreds of thousands of mold spores.
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![Make sure your vacuum doesn't leak the dust it collects](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/117-6-skinflakes_230.jpg?fit=350%2C260)
Make sure your vacuum doesn’t leak the dust it collects
Look for one with the Asthma Society of Canada certification mark or a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter, or you could be re-depositing allergens, like these skin flakes, all over your home.
Originally Published: January 18, 2011