With spring just around the corner, it’s time to don the rubber gloves, fling open the windows and get the house in tip-top shape, but is your mattress on your spring clean list?
For 1 in 3, apparently not – but it should be!
After months of hibernation, getting cosy in your bed on cold winter nights, it will be no surprise that your mattress may need a little TLC.
But did you know that your bed is home to a whole host of unwelcome guests?
With 1 in 3 people* admitting they never vacuum their mattress, and 11%* simply sweeping its surface to ‘clear food crumbs’, we thought it was time to highlight what’s lurking under the sheets.
Sweat
Even if you don’t feel particularly hot as you snuggle down in bed, it’s likely you’ll lose around half a pint of fluid each night through sweat.
One pint of that sweat per person, per week, is soaked up by your mattress!
Skin
Sweat isn’t the only thing that is absorbed by your mattress while you sleep; you also shed approximately a pound of dead skin cells each year .
A 10-year-old mattress could be holding up to 4.5kg of dead skin.
It’s no wonder the The Sleep Council recommends that you replace your mattress every seven years.
And it doesn’t stop there. Is your pillow feeling a little heavier than it used to? A third of your pillow weight is due to dead skin.
But that’s not all that is lurking in your mattress and bedding...
Dust mites
Do you know you’re also sharing your bed with up to 1.5 million dust mites ?
The presence of dust mites, and other allergens found in an unprotected mattress, has been linked to health problems such as asthma, rhinitis and eczema. But, fear not, there are steps you can take to help avoid this.
How can I protect myself and my mattress?
Firstly, don’t limit yourself to a spring clean! Follow the example set by 35%* of people who vacuum their mattress once every three months.
This can help reduce dust mites and therefore decrease the risk of allergens and the impact on your health.
Replacing your mattress every seven years, as mentioned, can also help to ensure you have the comfort and support needed for a good night’s sleep, and it also helps maintain a hygienic sleeping environment.
Once you have purchased a new bed and mattress, why not safeguard your investment with a mattress protector?
There is a common misconception that mattress protectors simply reduce the risk of staining, but they offer so much more.
Mattress protectors, such as those in the MATTRESSGARDTM mattress protector range, are hypo-allergenic, breathable, waterproof, machine washable and have an anti-dust mite barrier.
Not only that, they are created with thermo-regulating microcapsules to regulate body temperature, which can help you sleep better – bonus!
Whether you get the vacuum out or decide it’s time to invest in a new bed and mattress altogether, your mattress needs some protection against those unwanted guests under the bedsheets.
So, spring into action this season; ensure you have a hygienic sleeping environment, so you can sleep easy all year round.
*When 165 people were surveyed.
Sources
https://www.bedfed.org.uk/bed-buyers-guide/4-sleep-on-this/
https://sleepcouncil.org.uk/time-new-mattress/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4181629.stm
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