As the most common chronic disease, asthma affects more than 35 million people, including 6 million children. Each year, the prevalent disease causes more than 2 million emergency room visits and 500,000 hospitalizations. To help minimize asthma complications, the IICRC announced in a press release its top cleaning tips to help minimize asthma triggers for Asthma Awareness Month this May.

 “It is often misunderstood that a primary triggers of asthma is found in dust mite droppings—something that can be significantly reduced through cleaning practices,” said Scott Armour, an environmental health science specialist. “Dust mites survive on skin cells. The skin cells are shed by the people in the house and simply land everywhere – in the carpet, on shelves, everywhere you see dust. It’s really amazing how many times we find lots of skin cells on samples when we test the indoor air quality of homes and offices.