Armed with a vacuum and microscope, Lisa Guerrero goes looking for creatures that may be living in even the cleanest of homes.
Most people have no idea their homes are harboring a hidden microscopic world of creepy-crawly creatures.
Armed with a vacuum cleaner and a microscope, Inside Edition's Chief Investigative Correspondent Lisa Guerrero set off on a mission to see if she could capture some of the creatures that live in all our homes.
Lara Alcantara and her little girls live in a luxury three-bedroom apartment on New York City’s Upper East Side. It appears impeccably clean, but there is more than meets the eye.
“I don't think you're going to find any creepy crawlers in my house,” Alcantara told Guerrero.
However, it didn't take Guerrero long to find flea larva crawling underneath Alcantara’s bed when samples were put under a microscope.
"It looks like it's kind of eating something. It's super gross,” Alcantara said.
Most people have no idea their homes are a literal breeding ground of invisible little roommates like dust mites that nest and multiply in dark, humid environments, feeding on flakes of dead human skin.
Aspiring actress Evyn Whiteley lives in a cute one-bedroom apartment.
"I deep clean this house like once a week, and my boyfriend and I keep a very neat house, I don't think you're going to find anything,” she told Guerrero.
After collecting samples from the apartment, Guerrero shocked Whiteley with the results.
"We found what appear to be dust mites, creepy-crawly creatures, on your bed, on your couch, the rug and the blanket,” Guerrero told her.
"Oh my God! I never thought you'd find anything! We keep such a clean home!” Whiteley said. “We clean all the time and I was not expecting this."
At Lauren Hoyte's house in New Jersey, Guerrero not only found dust mites in her living room, but also in her bedroom and under her sheets.
Guerrero also found booklice crawling under her bed.
"It was, like, tiny but it had a million little legs and it was just crawling,” Hoyte said after examining it under a microscope.
But don't be too freaked out. Most of the critters living in your home are harmless unless you have a heavy infestation, which can lead to wheezing and conjunctivitis.
If you're squirming, there are simple tips to avoid these microscopic critters. Wash your sheets and blankets at least once a week with hot water, which is key. Use a humidifier to keep your home's humidity below 50%. Use a dust- and allergy-free mattress protector and make sure to vacuum as often as possible.
RELATED STORIES
