Mattress, Beds – Done and Dusted

We dust our tables, shelves and mantle pieces but many of us don't consider keeping our mattress and beds clean of dust.

Dusting, hoovering and washing may seem like trivial jobs, but in fact, cleaning is an essential part of your weaponry in the fight against dust mites. And dust mites are more prone to gather in our mattress and beds. Cleaning can be very much about keeping up appearances. It might seem unimportant to some to even bother cleaning their mattress or beds – after all, your mother-in-law won't be running a judgemental finger over the mattress to check for dust. But it isn't just about appearances. It's crucial to keep your mattress and beds clean because house dust, dust mites and the faeces they leave behind are estimated to be responsible for up to 80% of allergic conditions, including asthma, eczema and hay fever.

Mattress Matters – The Devil is in the Detail

There are preventative measures you can take to reduce the risks of dust mites. You may feel too tired at the end of a working day to do anything but see your bed as a place to collapse – but taking some time to consider the condition of your mattress and beds is important. If your mattress is over ten years old, you should really be considering investing in a new mattress. Beds have a lifespan, and if you don't regularly buy a new mattress at least every ten years, you're not only risking the chance of sleeping with hundreds of thousands of dust mites every night, you're risking back pain, neck pain and poor quality sleep. And it isn't just the creepiness of dust mites that should be enough to take action – it's the fact that they can trigger respiratory problems.

Infants and Dust Mites

If you have young children, it's especially important you invest in a new mattress – beds are prime habitats for dust mites, and studies have said that exposure to dust mites in early life can trigger a lifelong allergy. When you consider that a mattress can contain up to 10 million mites, investing in beds isn't something you should take lightly. The reason our mattress and beds are such hot spots for the critters is because they prefer warm and moist environments – something a mattress and human bodies are perfect at generating. They also eat human skin, so mites tend to gather in upholstery, carpets and mattresses.

Keep Beds Clean

And don't be fooled, just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not loitering in your mattress. Dust mites are tiny, invisible to us without magnification. But they are very real – with eight hairy legs, a mouth and translucent shell. Cleanliness is the best tool against the bugs. Hoover regularly, including your mattress, wash your sheets and pillow cases, as well as any other throws you keep on your beds, regularly at a high temperature. Keep your bedrooms at a lower temperature and keep your bed unmade to ensure humidity levels are kept down.

Find a new mattress and beds at Snug

Snug memory foam mattresses will ensure you get the good night's sleep that you deserve. All of our mattresses are available to buy online, delivered direct to your door. Whether you need a mattress that is hypo-allergenic to battle dust mites, temperature sensitive or with a 15 year guarantee, Snug can help. Call us if you need any further assistance on: 0800 0277017.