Over half of us (52%) know that we should be making the effort to change the bed weekly as recommended yet shockingly almost 70% don’t do this.
Research undertaken by Dreams dishes the dirt on our bed changing habits and what this breeds (yes literally!).
Over two-thirds of people questioned didn’t know that dirty bedding could cause allergic reactions, illness, infections and spread viruses (68%). This makes sense given that it’s less than a third of us who religiously take a shower every night before turning in (29%) and a quarter opt to sleep naked (26%) at night.
And hands up those who have the munchies and make a mess in their bed – all 57% of you! Chocolate is the preferred bedtime snack with a quarter admitting to sneaking a bar of chocolate or two in bed and a fifth will also leave a trail of toast crumbs regularly (19%).
But we’re not the only cause of bacteria in the bed – almost three-fifths let their pets sleep on their bed, adding to the dangers of what could be lurking in the bedding (57%), with over a quarter of us letting our furry friend in every night! (26%)
Even though we are lying in our beds every night, 68% clean surfaces and their kitchen more often than their bedding whilst 62% do their loo, with the same again doing the bathroom and another 62% the hoovering more often than changing the bed!
With 60 degrees being the optimum temperature at which to kill dangerous bacteria, it’s surprising that over two thirds (67%) don’t wash at this temperature. In fact, over half load up the machine for a 30 or 40degree wash which is considered the norm (57%). Washing at any other lower temperature means that bacteria can still be present.
Yet quite a few of us have never thoroughly washed their bedding with 37% never cleaning their mattress, 30% failing to freshen up their pillows and 24% declining to dry clean the duvet. In fact, a quarter (27%) owned up to not replacing pillows after three years whilst 22% admitted to not buying a new mattress after the recommended eight years with a fifth (20%) failing to swap their duvets.
Lisa Bond, Marketing Director at Dreams comments, “ Whilst it’s important to wash bedding weekly at 60 degrees to kill the bacteria and germs that can grow, there is still a great deal of dirt which gets embedded in the mattress. Most people would be rather surprised by the things you can find on an old mattress. Mould spores and bacteria build up over the years and although invisible, you could be breathing in these harmful spores at night. With 37% of people admitting to never cleaning their mattress, we recommend you replace your mattress every eight years to ensure it remains in top condition.”
If you’re wondering who is the cleanest or dirtiest when it comes to our beds, then those in Yorkshire/Humber and Northern Ireland need to take heed as they changed their sheets the least often and singletons are clearly happy in their own skin as 28% of them change their sheets every week as opposed to 34% of marrieds and 30% of those living with partners. And despite calls for equality, it seems that washing the sheets is still a woman’s domain with over 3 quarters of women either initiating or deciding when to change the bed.
According to Dreams’ research, 71% of Brits have never recycled a mattress in the past with 12% never having disposed of one at all! Dreams’ recycling service makes recycling your old mattress as simple and hassle-free as possible so you don’t need to worry about the time and effort of disposal. Dreams can pick up your old bed or mattress directly from your home upon delivery of your new one, and recycle your item at their own specialised bed and mattress recycling centre.