What is a pinworm infection?

 What is a pinworm infection?

Pinworms are an intestinal infection caused by tiny parasitic worms. It is a common infection that affects millions of people per year, especially school-age children.

If your child has a pinworm infection, try not to worry. Pinworms are harmless - they just itch and disrupt sleep - and getting rid of them will not take long.

How are pinworm infections spread?

Pinworm infections are contagious.

Pinworms enter the body when a person ingests or breathes their microscopic eggs. These eggs can be present on contaminated hands or surfaces, such as the following:

• bed sheets
• towels
• clothing (especially underwear and pajamas)
• toilets
• bathroom elements
• foods
• glasses
• cutlery
• toys
• kitchen countertops
• desks or dining tables in a school
• sandboxes

The eggs pass into the digestive system and hatch in the small intestine. From the small intestine, pinworm larvae pass into the large intestine, where they live as parasites (with their heads attached to the inner wall of the intestine).

About 1 to 2 months later, adult female pinworms travel through the large intestine to the area around the rectum. There, they lay eggs and this can cause itching around the anus.

When a person scratches that itchy area, microscopic eggs pass onto the fingers. Contaminated fingers can carry pinworm eggs to the mouth, where they re-enter the body, or they can remain on various surfaces, where they can live for 2 to 3 weeks.

If you are thinking that your pet could infect your child with pinworms, forget it. Pinworms do not come from animals.

What are the signs and symptoms of pinworm infection?

The most common signs of a pinworm infection are itching around the rectum and interrupted sleep. The itching is usually worse at night because the worms go to the area around the rectum to lay their eggs. In girls, pinworm infection can affect the vagina and cause vaginal discharge. If the skin is injured due to itching, a bacterial infection may also appear.

If your child has a pinworm infection, you can see the worms in the anal region, especially if you look within 2 to 3 hours after the child has fallen asleep. You may also see the worms in the toilet after your child goes to the bathroom. They look like little pieces of white thread and they are actually very small (they are about the length of a paper staple). You may also see them in your child's underwear in the morning.

Abdominal pain and nausea are less common symptoms, but they can appear if there are many pinworms in the intestines.

How are pinworm infections diagnosed?

Your doctor may ask you to help diagnose pinworms by placing a piece of tape against your child's rectum. The pinworm eggs will stick to the tape and can be viewed under a microscope in a laboratory.

The best time to collect an egg sample with a tape is at night or in the morning before taking a bath, because this is the time when pinworms are most active around the rectum. The doctor may also take samples from under your child's nails to check for eggs.

How are pinworm infections treated?

If your child has a pinworm infection, the doctor will recommend a prescription or over-the-counter medicine for the worms. This medicine is given in one dose and is repeated after two weeks. The doctor may decide to treat the whole family, especially if your child has already had a pinworm infection.

While the medications solve the problem of pinworm infection, the itching can continue for about a week. For this reason, the doctor may give your child a cream or other medicine to stop the itching.

The Handwashing frequent and routine cleaning of the house (including the frequent change of underwear and washing pajamas, towels and sheets for the whole family) will also help prevent the spread of infection pinworms in the family.

Can pinworm infections be prevented?

Here are some ways to prevent pinworm infections in your family:

• Remind your children to wash their hands often, especially after using the bathroom, after playing outside, and before eating.
• Make sure your children bathe every day and change their underwear and bathing suits every day.
• Keep your children's nails short and clean.
• Tell children not to scratch near the rectum and not to bite their nails.
• Wash your children's pajamas every few days.

When should I call the doctor?

Call the doctor if your child complains of itchy skin or always seems to be scratching in the anal or vaginal area.

If your child is having trouble sleeping or has started to wet the bed , ask the doctor if it could be due to pinworms. (Pinworms can irritate the urethra, which is the channel through which urine leaves the bladder and out of the body. This could cause your child to wet the bed.)

Remember that pinworms are quite common in children and are not harmful. If you take the medications and follow some preventive tips, you will get rid of them quickly.

Basic recommendations to treat your clothes and protect yourself from the coronavirus

 Basic recommendations to treat your clothes and protect yourself from the coronavirus

Since the coronavirus came into our lives, many of us have experienced unusual situations that we never thought we would experience, such as confinement in our homes. The expansion of the virus has left all kinds of situations but, above all, questions from the population, because the virus can maintain its infectious capacity for days raises concerns and many doubts. Above all, for those who try or are forced to lead a more or less normal life, coming into contact with all kinds of materials. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) does not consider contaminated surfaces to be as important a vector of transmission as person-to-person contagion , they insist that they be disinfectedThe surfaces are fine. There are many doubts , but if something that worries, is if the virus remains on our clothes when we come from the street or if we are in contact with someone at risk.

In recent days all kinds of tests have been done to see how the virus behaves in different materials, including tissues. The good news is that it seems that, both on clothing and on paper, being porous surfaces , the virus would be "hijacked". Now, the fact that the virus remains attached and cannot be recovered (therefore, you cannot be contaminated), does not mean that it is totally inactive . Like any other pathogen, it could stay on the surface for up to three days . Therefore, it is recommended to follow some recommendations to avoid risks.

1. Use long programs and hot water in the washes, avoiding washing with very large loads.

2. Use liquid detergent , preferably, since it penetrates the fabrics better and retains the dirt in suspension better, eliminating it better.

3 . In cases of extreme dirt or contact with chemical products, use a special disinfectant product for clothes (bleach).

4. If there is a sick person at home, remember also to ignore those messages that circulate around that say that “you have to wash your clothes at more than 90º and dry them in the sun to“ kill ”the virus because with the washing machine it is not enough ”: they are false. Following hygiene rules with infected people is very important (and those who have been in contact with them), but they do not require washing programs or special actions. Try to have the patient occupy a room separate from the rest of the family. If it can be your own bathroom, the better; If not, it is convenient to take extreme hygiene and disinfection (with bleach and using gloves and a mask if possible) of your clothing and what that person touches.

5. Do not take exceptional measures with  zapa cough . IRTA-CReSA advises you to leave them at the entrance when you get home and, if you want, to wipe them with a damp cloth with a dilution of household bleach.

The key is in ourselves, and experts never tire of insisting on the same thing: the most effective thing is for people to stay at home as much as possible and, above all,  to wash their hands .

How to care for a person with COVID-19 at home?

 How to care for a person with COVID-19 at home?

If you or someone in your family tested positive for COVID-19 and they recommended isolation at home, it is important that the necessary preventive measures are taken to reduce the risk of contagion to the rest of the family or those who live in it House.

For this reason, we present the following steps to assist cases with this condition.

Who can get care at home?

Caring for patients with COVID-19 at home can be an alternative for those who have mild symptoms and do not have chronic diseases such as: hypertension, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, heart or immunocompromise, among others.

However, even if this was the indication, you should maintain daily contact with your doctor or specialist to monitor your health, either through videoconference or with devices that allow interaction with audio and video.

What are the conditions that must be met?

Experts recommend that household members (contacts) who live with the person with this condition, should be very scrupulous with personal hygiene; in the same way, they must have knowledge about the basic prevention of infections and control measures, this includes extreme cleaning of hands with soap and water for 40 to 60 seconds, or use antibacterial gel based on 70% alcohol; and, when coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow.

In addition, it is recommended that the whole family avoid nonessential outings and visits home during this period of isolation.

Finally, it is recommended to designate a person (without risk factors) who is in charge of going to the supermarket every two weeks or making essential purchases for the home.

How should the isolation space be?

It is recommended to keep the person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 isolated in a single room with its own bathroom and adequate ventilation.

On many occasions this is complicated, so it is suggested to sleep in separate beds and / or keep a minimum distance of 1.5 meters and make sure to constantly ventilate this space.

If our home does not have a space for the exclusive use of the person with the condition, movement should be limited to other areas of the house (dining room, kitchen room).

Who can care for the person diagnosed with COVID-19?

To prevent contagion within the home, a person must be designated as a “caregiver” and this person must meet the requirement of being healthy and without risk conditions (older adults or underlying diseases), who is the person in charge of bringing food or whatever the sick person needs during their isolation.

Both the sick person in isolation and the "caregiver" should wear a medical mask when in close contact. It should not be touched or handled during use, if it becomes wet or dirty with secretions, it should be changed immediately and after disposal, hand hygiene should be performed.

Also, strict hand hygiene should be maintained in the following situations:

• Being in contact with the infected person
• When preparing food
• When consuming food
• After using the bathroom

If it is not possible to designate a caregiver and the person diagnosed with COVID-19 must leave their room, the distance of at least 1.5 meters must be strictly practiced, but it is recommended that it be greater. It is also recommended that this person wear a medical mask and wash their hands before moving around the house.

How should cleaning be?

The person in charge or "caregiver" should consider thorough cleaning, as they must constantly clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with the patient, such as tables, beds, devices, among others.

Cleaning the surfaces with common household detergents is recommended. It is suggested to consult the products pre-approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA for its acronym in English) that can be used for cleaning against the outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19.

Alcohol or bleach can also be used for surfaces that are dirty. To make a bleach solution at home, mix: 5 tablespoons or 1/3 cup of bleach per gallon of water or 4 teaspoons of bleach per liter of water.

In the same way, you should avoid having direct skin contact with sheets or clothing contaminated with urine or feces, if this situation occurs you should use gloves and wash your hands when disposing of them.

The person diagnosed with coronavirus must use kitchen utensils exclusively for him, such as: plates, glasses, cutlery and these must be washed with soap and water and can be reusable.

In the case of clothes, towels and sheets it is recommended to wash them in the washing machine with detergent and water at a temperature between 60 and 90 °.

Personal hygiene of both the sick person and the caregiver are very important.

How to dispose of sick patient's garbage?

Materials used to cover the mouth or nose such as tissues should be thrown away or discarded. If they can be reused, they should be washed with soap and water.

Gloves, handkerchiefs and masks of sick people should be placed in a trash can with a bag that should be closed before taking it out of the sick person's room.

Later, you can go to the conventional trash can outside the home, ensuring that the bag is tightly closed.

What to do if a household member has symptoms of COVID-19?

Household members must be kept at home under constant monitoring for 14 days from the last contact, and in case of presenting symptoms of acute respiratory infection (see attached image), they should immediately contact their family doctor, who will assess if you should get tested for COVID-19.

When should the sick person be taken to the hospital? What signs tell us that the case is getting worse?
It is important to be in contact with your GP remotely (call or video call) so that the sick person's health status can be followed up.

If the symptoms worsen, or if you have any of the warning signs or symptoms described at the end, you should go to a hospital emergency room for medical evaluation.

It is also important to mention that, if a family member or the person who is sick goes to the hospital, it is recommended to use mouth covers and avoid traveling by public transport, to avoid crowds of people. In addition to hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.

Warning signs and symptoms

If you have any of the following, go to the nearest hospital emergency room:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Persistent chest pain or tightness
• Confusion or loss of alertness
• Bluish lips or face

What happens when you don't wash your bed sheets in a week

 What happens when you don't wash your bed sheets in a week

Face it: you're terribly lazy to change your bedding. A habit that you will now internalize after reading everything that can happen to it when it is not clean

One of the things you like least in life is changing the sheets . You usually do it on Sundays, when you are serious about sprucing up your house. However, some weekend you happen to change them. "I just don't have the washing machine full enough", "I don't have time", "they're not dirty" or "I'm lazy" are usually your powerful reasons for sleeping seven more days on the same surface.

- What happens when you don't wash your bed sheets in a week and Bed Sheets Product

Well, friend, we have to tell you that you make a big mistake . When you sleep, bedding comes into contact with your body, filtering your body fluids into each layer of the fabric. These fluids include sweat and other much more unpleasant substances, as Mary Marlowe Leverette , an expert on the subject, details in ' About' .

"It is common to find saliva, urine , genital fluids and even fecal matter between the sheets . The absence of cleaning allows these substances to seep into pillows and mattresses, and these are much more difficult to clean," he says.

Your body comes into contact with bedding, leaking bodily fluids such as sweat, saliva, urine, genital fluids, and even fecal matter.

"Your skin cells, dust mites and microscopic insects" also seep into your sheets, says Leverette, who points out that millions of these bugs "live in your bed, eat your dead skin and can cause respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies. " . In addition, you run the risk of infecting small wounds or scratches that you have on your body.

New York Medical University microbiologist and pathologist Philip Tierno , author of 'The Secret Life of Germs. Observations and Lessons from a Microbe Hunter '(Atria Books), follows Leverette's line: "Human skin is food for dust mites", he recalled in a report published in' The Wall Street Journal '. "A person can perspire a liter of sweat in one night , even more if you sleep under a lot of sheets ”.

Solution: wash the sheets in hot water

The ideal for proper hygiene is to wash the bedding once a week with hot water, something essential to "maintain a clean and healthy space, help prevent allergies and maintain good body hygiene ." If you live in a city with a very hot climate, the expert warns, it is best to do more frequent washing, because it increases your night perspiration. The microbiologist, for his part, also recommends washing the sheets once a week at a temperature between 55 and 65 degrees , and then drying them with a hot water program. We should also pay attention to the mattress and pillows . Here is a short summary:

• Sheets: once a week

Many families change the sheets every two weeks, some even every month, a time that is clearly excessive. Ideally, change the sheets every week and wash them at least 60 degrees, to effectively kill bacteria . It is also advisable to dry them in the open, since sunlight is the most effective in eliminating microorganisms.

• Pillows: every three months

After two years, 10% of the weight of a pillow that has not passed through the washing machine corresponds to dead mites or their droppings. It sucks, right? Unfortunately, it is not the only dirt that accumulates on our pillow: if we have not washed it, up to a third corresponds to mites, bacteria, dead skin and up to 16 species of fungi . Pillows should be washed every three months. The feathers you have to take to the dry cleaner, but if they are synthetic you can put them without fear in the washing machine, at 60 degrees you will kill all the bacteria. It is also very important to dry them well, otherwise mold will appear. Centrifuge the pillows well (if your washing machine is not any wonder, do it twice) and hang them in the sun.

• Mattress: every six months

Like sheets and pillows, the mattress accumulates dust, bacteria and mold that can lead to infections and allergic reactions of all kinds. To thoroughly wash a mattress, you have to take it to the dry cleaner, but it is not necessary to bundle so much. It is enough to vacuum the mattress and air it well every half year. If it has any stains, rub the surface with a cloth dampened in cold water and upholstery soap. Again, it is very important that you dry it well after the operation.

• Pajamas: every other day

The eternal doubt about when we should wash pajamas has even starred in a joke book , but we should not take the matter as a joke. Especially in summer, we sweat a lot, so we would do well to put our pajamas in the washing machine every other night, as we would any other garment. But we don't.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COTTON OR POLYESTER BED SHEETS

 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COTTON OR POLYESTER BED SHEETS

100% COTTON SHEETS

Cotton is a natural fiber and is one of the most respectful with the skin . It is perfect for the delicate skin of babies and also for all those who have skin allergies. In fact, it is recommended that young children sleep exclusively on 100% cotton sheets.

- DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COTTON OR POLYESTER BED SHEETS and Bed Sheets Product

One of the advantages of cotton is that it is very breathable. Therefore, it is a perfect fabric for summer, especially for people who sweat a lot , as it prevents them from getting wet all night. Furthermore, the feel of cotton can be imitated, but never matched. Its softness is unique and for many people there is nothing comparable.

Cotton sheets last for an extremely long time and do not pill or shed, so they stay impeccable for many years . The time they last will also depend on the quality of the cotton and the sheet.

Cotton is also very positive from a thermal point of view, since it is very cool in summer and very warm in winter, so the temperature of the bed will always be perfect. We must not forget that the original flannel is 100% cotton.

100% cotton also has certain disadvantages, one of which is that it can fade in the first few washes and also tends to shrink. Manufacturers already take this into account, so they usually make the sheets a little larger so that when they shrink they are perfect on the bed.

Another problem with cotton is that it wrinkles a lot , especially if the clothes are not laid out immediately after the wash cycle has finished. Even doing so, we will not get rid of the iron and on some occasions it can be laborious since the edges of the sheets tend to become uneven when shrinking, which makes it necessary to try to stretch them when ironing so that they are well once folded. bed sheets.

100% POLYESTER SHEETS

Polyester is a totally synthetic fabric , that is, it is created by man. Over the years it has undergone a great evolution , so the polyester that we currently have on the market has nothing to do with what was marketed ten years ago, for example. Among the main advantages of this fabric is, to begin with, its price, since it is much cheaper than cotton .

We also have to highlight its finishes , for example in satin sheets that imitate silk and that cannot be achieved with other types of fabrics. Or the intense colors that are achieved when dyeing polyester. As for its daily use, it is very practical since it hardly wrinkles and it is very easy to wash and iron.

Of course, they also have drawbacks. Today's polyester has greatly improved in its moisture wicking power, but it falls short of that of cotton. Also, some polyester sheets have a tendency to accumulate static electricity .

In general, they are sheets that are not usually too pleasant in summer because being less breathable they can cause sweat to accumulate, but they work very well during winter.

50% COTTON AND 50% POLYESTER SHEETS

Surely, it is the option that is most used in homes because it achieves practically all the advantages of cotton and also those of polyester . They are durable sheets if they are of quality and do not shrink . They accept a wide variety of colors and patterns, are soft and breathable and do not wrinkle too much in the wash.


In fact, many people don't even wash their irons every time and only do it once in a while to keep them well. As for the time of year, these sheets are perfect for the whole year as they are very neutral . They are not excessively cool in summer and not too warm in winter, so they fit very well with heated homes or areas that do not have very extreme temperatures .

THE BRAND IS ESSENTIAL

Today, with all that has been invested in obtaining high-quality polyester, it is not so much the material that you have to look at to know if you are looking at quality sheets like the brand. When the customer knows that a brand responds and that it always offers the best quality products, they have no doubt and it will not matter so much what they are made with as the design, as long as they have the brand's guarantee.

How to choose the bed sheets for your room?

 How to choose the bed sheets for your room?

We tell you everything you want to know about OUR SHEETS, so that when choosing yours, you do it according to the way you sleep and live.

When choosing sheets there are different factors to take into account. It does not depend exclusively on comfort when sleeping, if they warm us or are cooler, although this is a key factor, there are also those who choose them according to how much care they require, if they need ironing or are easy to clean.

- How to choose the bed sheets for your room and Bed Sheets Product

The information you need to choose the set of sheets that goes with you

Choose the sheets according to the composition of the fabric: The sheets can be made entirely of one fiber (cotton, linen, silk, etc.) or have combinations of natural and synthetic fibers (polyester, nylon, rayon, etc.).
Choosing sheets by thread count: Refers to the number of threads, both vertical and horizontal, woven into one square inch of fabric. The more threads, the softer the sheets will be.
Find the measurements of the sheets that fit your mattress: The 1-square sheets are used for a mattress up to 0.90 m wide x 1.90 m long, the Twin Size are for a mattress up to 1 m wide x 2 m long; those known as Queen Size serve up to 1.50 m wide x 1.90 m long; the Extra Queen serve up to 1.60 m wide x 2 m long and finally, the King Size, up to 2 m wide x 2 m long.
How to choose sheets according to their functionality: Each one will determine what they are looking for in their bedding. Do you prefer them to be warm or rather fresh? Convenience and easy washing?

Types of sheets

What are the characteristics of cotton and polyester sheets?

Our cotton and polyester sheets are the perfect combination of softness and practicality. If you live in an apartment or have little space to hang your sheets and you don't have time to iron them either, but you like them to be soft, these sheets are for you. Its fabric is made up of cotton, which gives it breathability and a pleasant texture, and polyester which gives it resistance, low tendency to wrinkle and fast drying.

What characteristics do extra soft sheets have?

If for you the softness and silkiness of the sheets is more important, but also that they are light. Our extra soft sheets are what you are looking for, they go through a treatment called “Stone-washed”, from which they obtain their silkiness, their characteristic wrinkled effect and the lightness of their fabric, resulting in a super soft sheet, without the need for ironing and fast drying.

What are the characteristics of 210 thread count sheets?

For those who are hot and do not like sheets that contain body heat there are our 210 thread count sheets. Due to their composition of 100% cotton, they quickly absorb moisture and allow it to evaporate into the air, generating a feeling of freshness, which makes them comfortable in hot climates, while in winter they can absorb and retain the heat of the Body.

What are the characteristics of 100% cotton sheets?

Our 100% cotton sheets are an intermediate option between those of polyester and cotton and those of 210 threads, since their fabric gives them breathability, softness to the touch and an intermediate weight.

You already know the qualities of our sheets, we invite you to use this information when making your purchase so that you can choose the ones that best suit your comfort and daily routine.

Bed Sheets: an invitation to rest

 Bed Sheets: an invitation to rest

If we consider the large number of hours we spend sleeping, it is very necessary to dedicate time to the choice of sheets. At Sodimac.com we advise you to correctly choose the sheets for your bed.

- Bed Sheets: an invitation to rest and Bed Sheets Product

How to choose your sheets ?

Number of threads

One of the keys to choosing bedding is the amount of vertical and horizontal threads that a square inch of fabric contains, that is, in a 2.5 cm square. Threads are very important to understanding the difference in softness and lifespan between sheets. The higher the thread count, the softer the sheet will be. Sheets over 200 threads per inch have a strong, smooth, and lustrous finish, giving them a long-lasting, velvety texture.

Fabrics and textures

Ideally breathable to prevent moisture build-up, lightweight to dry quickly, and durable to withstand wear and tear.

Color and design

Regardless of whether they are printed or plain colored sheets, it is important that you prefer those with quality dyes, so that you can enjoy the original design for longer.

Size

The size of the sheets should be chosen according to the size of the mattress. It has to fit the right size, because if it is large it will have wrinkles due to excess fabric, or on the contrary, if it is very small, it will come out of the corners. There are 1 square, 1 ½ square, 2 seater and King sheets.