Take that, mom and dad.
Never mind your nagging parents, or those so-called experts who insist that a shipshape boudoir is the key to a happy life — one housekeeping influencer is insisting that everything we’ve been told about making the bed first thing in the morning is wrong.
The anonymous domestic diva behind Mrs D’s Cleaning Reviews, a popular Instagram page, surely surprised at least a few of her 135,000 followers by publishing a pro-messy missive — revealing the gag reflex-inducing reason why rushing to tidy up “is something you need to stop doing.”
“During the night we not only sweat but we also shed skin, and this is a magnet for dust mites & bed bugs,” she wrote.
By being in a hurry to make your bed, you run the risk of trapping damp air under the covers, which helps the nasty creepy-crawlies to breed, the cleaning product expert said.
According to Mrs. D, the best bet — which could end up protecting your health — is to “let your bed breathe” by keeping the covers down as long as possible.
The advice has become popular on social media in recent years, in part thanks to a mid-aughts study conducted at Kingston University in London that continues to be widely circulated, supporting the idea that making the bed too quickly leaves sleepers susceptible to health problems that can be triggered by the presence of dust mites, such as allergies and asthma.
Mrs. D. recommends leaving bedding to air out for at least an hour each day. If you don’t have that much time before heading to work, don’t sweat it, she said. “Leave it till you get home, and make the bed then. At least you know it’s had a good airing.”
And make sure to continue the practice year-round — not just during the steamier months.
“Some people only let their bed breathe in the summer, and think that you don’t need to do this in the winter because of the cold weather,” Mrs. D. said. “With central heating being on in the winter it can attract dust mites/bed bugs just as much.”
The helpful housewife also recommends a weekly sheet wash on a high cycle with a laundry cleanser to kill off bacteria. The actual bed should be deep cleaned with a vacuum and steam cleaner monthly to rid it of germs and bugs. It’s also imperative to wash duvets and pillows every six months, she said.
“If you can[‘t] fit them in your own washing machine then take them to the [laundromat]. Most offer a duvet cleaning service,” she wrote.
“All of these things will help reduce dust mites and prolong your mattress life too.”
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