Once you’ve located the ideal mattress, it will have the ideal firmness and breathability to support you in all the correct places. It’s easy to want to hold onto it indefinitely. However, experts on home toxicity warn against doing so.
Learn why it’s crucial to change your mattress every few years and how to tell when it’s turned from a comfortable haven to a steamy wasteland.
How often should you get a new mattress?
Although the lifespan of each mattress will vary, it’s still a good idea to consult the manufacturer’s recommendations. Experts concur that a mattress should only be kept for five to ten years on average after nightly use.
According to toxicology experts, mattresses have the tendency to gather an extremely large volume of dead skin cells throughout that period.
We lose an estimated 500 million skin cells every day since our skin is always renewing itself (1). Most of these cells are lost while we roll around in bed at night. Even though it’s disgusting to consider, these dead skin cells are harmless on their own.
But once they begin to draw dust mites, they pose a possible health risk. These microscopic creatures thrive on dead skin cells and burrow into supple surfaces to survive, procreate, and carry out their other activities (2). Comfortable mattresses offer the perfect place for them to do so.
Researchers in northern Norway discovered mite feces in more than 40% of types of mattresses polled when they examined the bedding of 152 students in a 2002 study (2). Compared to stronger spring mattresses, soft foam mattresses were typically more of a mite hub.
Dust mites are quite common, and their droppings is thought to cause allergies in 20 million Americans, and the number is continually rising (3). A dust mite allergy manifests as congestion, itchy skin, and sneezing. Additionally, mites can worsen asthmatic symptoms and impair everyone else’s ability to sleep (4,5).
If you’ve owned your mattress for a while and wake up with any of these symptoms, it’s probably time to replace it.
The existence of dead skin and mites is reason enough to reevaluate your sleeping environment, even if they don’t make you wake up with the sniffles. Because of this buildup, most mattresses weigh a lot more when we discard them.
It might also be time to get a new mattress if your old one is sinking in some areas, uncomfortable to sleep on, or clinging to odors.
How to extend the life of yours.
Here’s the information that will save you from having unending dreams about mites: You can eliminate most allergens from your mattress. You can prolong its life into the later years of its five- to ten-year lifespan with the right maintenance and cleaning.
Getting into the routine of routinely vacuuming and washing your mattress is the easiest method to achieve this. To get rid of bacteria and mites, strip the bed and wash all your linens, pillowcases, and duvet covers on high heat—at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit—every one to two weeks. Before placing them back on the bed, make sure they are totally dry over high heat.
Vacuum the tops and sides of your mattress with a HEPA filter while the laundry is being done. By doing this, you can prevent dead skin cells from entering the mattress and provide food for dust mites that are looking for them.
Make use of a tool designed just for your mattress. Use a different one on your bed than you use on the floor. You’re set to go once you’ve finished cleaning your mattress and pillows.
Together with giving your mattress a weekly tidy up, you can extend the life of its freshness by rotating your mattress every six to twelve months and using an antimicrobial protector to cover the area where you lay your head.
Lastly, you may prevent dust and other allergens from entering your peaceful sleeping space by keeping the remainder of your bedroom tidy.
Five to ten years of intensive use is usually enough time to replace most mattresses. It could be time to get a new one if you frequently wake up with aches and pains, itchy skin, or sniffles.
Sources |
- The skinny on how shed skin reduces indoor air pollution | ScienceDaily
- House-dust mites and mattresses – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Dust Mite Allergy – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Dust Mite Allergy – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
- Poor sleep is highly associated with house dust mite allergic rhinitis in adults and children – PMC (nih.gov)
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