Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman. by Louis D. Brandeis
I used to help Mother airing the comforters, particularly during a sunny winter day. Back then, our comforters were universally cotton filled. I loved going to the comforter maker’s shop. There would be a large flat surface laid with cotton. The master carried a big bow that arched over to the other end of the surface, probably 10 feet over. With the tout string hovering right above the cotton bed, he would strike the string with a wooden hammer. Each strike produced a sound, like a poorly harmonized harp. The vibration loosened the cotton to become puffier. This went on until the cotton bed looked like nothing other than clouds on earth. The master then pressed it down, packed it with a thin cover, and finished a new comforter core.
The puffiness gradually faded and the comforter became damp, heavy, and moldy. Sunny day would finally come. Mom would call out and every kids held up their comforters like a body-sized stuffed toy. We would spread them for maximal exposure to the sun. We would have beat up the comforters with sticks, flipped them over, and repeated. At the end, they would have smelled like sun and felt warm and puffy all over again.
A friend’s face always displayed rashes like a pumpkin, particularly around the eyes and mouth. For decades, he searched for the causes and remedies which included a vast dietary regimes: to no avail. Several months ago, with excitement, he established strong link between his rash episodes with dust mites.
Then he found a device that rid dust mites — a multi-hundred dollar wand-shaped apparatus promised to kill dust mites instantaneously. Weekly, he religeously worked his pillows, linens, and blankets. The effects was miraculous. His face became normal.
It was a ultra-violet light wand. It turned out dust mites cannot survive the exposure to ultra-violet light for just a few seconds. My friend now travels with this device and does his routine for every new beds before he lies on it.
Hmm, guess Mom knew better. Those sun shone comforters were not only puffy, they were also clean. Sunshine was the best dis-infestant. Free too.