Is your bed making you sick? Know when it’s time to wash the doona and change your mattress to avoid turning your sleeping sanctuary into a hotbed for pests!
More time under the doona in winter means dust mites, pollen and moulds are parking their slippers under our beds, with the 50 per cent of people who don’t wash their doonas enough (real study) most likely to have micro mates. Before you call pest control, serve these eviction notices:
MATTRESSES:
Change every eight to 10 years; vacuum monthly; turn every six months.
Why: Dust mites consider the 450g of skin scales we shed annually a delicacy. The average bed contains more than 10,000 house dust mites, which can spark allergic reactions triggering asthma and eczema.
PILLOWS:
Wash every three months or replace every six to 12 months; choose feather, rather than synthetic pillows.
Why: After six months, 10 per cent of your pillow is made up of dust mites and sweat. After 12 months, synthetic pillows have been shown to harbour higher concentrations of mite allergens than feather pillows.
DOONAS AND SHEETS:
Wash doonas every six months; launder bed linen weekly.
Why: Studies show that some doonas harbour dead and live dust mites, skin scales, eggs, pollen grains and stains – including body fluids – and all contain traces of house dust mite allergen, bacteria and fungal spores. These can cause symptoms of asthma and rhinitis, worsen eczema and cause conjunctivitis.
A clean bed will promote better sleep and better health. For more ideas on how to optimise your health, make sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
