If you're reading this, you've likely had a scroll through our blog or found this searching online and are now here wondering if you have mattress related allergies, and if getting your mattress sanitised is a good idea. Perhaps you already know of some mattress cleaning benefits and are looking for more information on an eco-friendly cleaning service. Whichever camp you fall into, let's start with some reality about mattress allergies, dust mites, bad sleep, rashes and how mattress sanitisation can address these problems.
First, think about your cleaning routine. Imagine going weeks, or months without washing the dishes, or perhaps your everyday clothes. How about years of using unwashed towels, or your kids bed sheets? I think it’s safe to say that the mere thought would fill you with anxiety or at least an inner dialogue that resembles a passionate ‘no thank you!’, we agree, it’s not a nice thought.
Washing things like sheets, dishes, clothing etc are a given part of our routine and while you may consider it an annoying home task, it's certainly easy enough to do compared with trying to fit a whole mattress in the washing machine! Even our quilt covers can be popped into the washing machine; but here's the extra yuck part - forget weeks or months without washing these everyday items, imagine going YEARS without cleaning things that we use every single day. Mattress sanitisation is one of the most overlooked components of a bed cleaning routine, despite us spending at least 1/3 of our lives on it, or 8 hours every single night (if we’re lucky). Over that huge amount of time, a lot of not so nice things will call your mattress home; dust mites and bed bugs amongst them. Adds a whole new meaning to 'sharing your bed', and how do you get rid of dust mites? If you’re following this to it's logical conclusion then you’ve probably already realised that mattress sanitisation is probably different to general home mattress cleaning, and is definitely something that should be done, but if you can't pop it in the washing machine, and a vacuum won't do the trick, then how?
Thankfully, it's not as hard to address as you may assume, I’ll detail the why and eco-friendly how below:
What would you expect to be the dirtiest or most contaminated place in your home? While your kitchen, bathroom and dining room may be taken care of, when’s the last time you cleaned your mattress? Probably never! It’s certainly easy enough to wash our clothes, sheets, our dishware and cutlery, even our doonas and bed sheets, but imagine going months or even years without cleaning these items that we use every single day.
Allergies from Mattress and Bedding
Wondering why your allergies are worse in your bedroom at night?
Mattress Allergy Causes and Symptoms
1- Mites & Nasties: The average mattress contains between 1.5-2 million dust mites along with a wonderful range of bacteria, viruses, mould, sweat and skin. Sorry, it's not a nice things to hear but has to be said and the overwhelming "yuck" response response you just had is incredibly justified.
2- Bed Bugs and Dead Bugs:
After 10 years, a typical mattress will double in weight with living/dead nasties, dust mites and bed bugs.
3- Allergens:
Dust mite poo is an allergy trigger and regarded one of the leading causes of asthma and respiratory diseases worldwide.
4- Health Issues:
Unfortunately, allergic reactions triggered from dust, dust mites and mould include but are certainly not limited to: Asthma, Hay Fever, Eczema, Allergic Rhinitis, Psoriasis, Sinus Issues, Poor Sleep, Headaches, Itchy/Watery Eyes, Hives, Depression, Sneezing, Fatigue.
All this in our own bed.
An important note: while it's most likely that nasties such as dust-mites and bed bugs originate from the mattress, they aren't limited to this area. They can very easily make their way into the stuffing and surfaces of couches, fabric chairs and blinds, and thrive in the same manner. Thankfully, they are mostly restricted to fabric based areas, so a whole home sanitisation is entirely unneeded and would be an unnecessary venture, you just need to target the areas of issue. You can see more on zero-tox furniture sanitsation here.
Can Dust Allergies Be Cured?
I must admit that prior to having acquired the years of experience and knowledge around all the above detailed health issues, I never really thought about cleaning my mattress. Second to that, if I eventually did decide to have my mattress sanitised, surely mattress cleaning prices would be ridiculously expensive (thankfully, they're not) or I'd have to use a bunch of yuck chemicals and toxins (absolutely not!)
In our experience, while the most common request for mattress cleaning is to prevent development of, or assist those with allergies (or perhaps those with a general disgust of knowing what goes on in a bed uncleaned for so many years!), in actuality the most convincing need comes from those simply having consistently rough sleep.
Being a rough sleeper is one of those things where we simply think “that’s how it is, I just have bad sleep” without thinking there’s a reason beyond bad luck, or being busy or stressed. We've always been busy, and stress is a part of life, however much like with other more commonly experienced allergies like sneezing, rashes or hayfever, bad sleep is a very common yet understated symptom of an allergic response to something that your body does not like, and it affects an absurdly significant proportion of the population. These symptoms can have a health-based solution implemented in attempt to address the cause, thankfully there are zero tox and eco-friendly chemical free mattress cleaning services, and these issues do not need to be accepted as permanent.
How to Reduce Allergens in Your Bedroom, Naturally
Some calming, ‘breath of fresh air’ truths for indoor allergy treatment
You'll be relieved to know that if bed bugs and/or mould spores in your home are causing you trouble, then all of these issues can be addressed, or better still, avoided! Prevention is always the best medicine, as we get older, we're really starting to appreciate the truth of that statement, not to mention the prevention of devloped health issues for our kids and even our pets. While mattress cleaning isn't usually something you can do yourself, you don’t need to be able to. Most reputable cleaners will have a high-grade steam sanitiser that can address these ills. Steam sanitisation works by killing all nasties in their tracks and has your bed ready for use in less than an hour or two of service.
The effective standard is using a steam sanitiser with decent pressure to heat ratio. An 8-Bar commercial unit provides 180 Degrees of instantly evaporative steam (dry heat) that kills 99.99% of nasties, refreshes your mattress and sanitises your place of rest. It will kill mould, bed bugs, dust mites and any other yuck trespassers causing your rash, your bad sleep or general allergies. A solution with no perfumes, no chemicals, no "low-tox" green-washing that isn't ever really low-tox. Just actual, zero chemical, zero toxin good old H20 applied as (very hot!) dry heat to thoroughly sanitise the whole area.
Even if you don’t have allergies, I think it’s a given that none of us want that stuff in our own beds and thankfully it's easily addressable. Better yet, in addition to being the only effective way to sanitise and clean such a large part of your bedding ensemble, steam sanitisation goes beyond just simple cleaning of your sheets and bedding—it helps maintain your overall well-being. It's also the healthiest, most eco-friendly AND most effective method available.
Mattress Cleaning Benefits:
- Effective allergy management - Sanitisation of bed bugs and nasties
- Increased chance of restful sleep
- Reduced risk of itching and rashes
- Increased bedroom air quality
- Prolonged lifespan of mattress
- Mould spore sanitisation - General bedroom hygiene
How can I organise an chemical free mattress sanitisation in Melbourne? I need this done!
While steam sanitisation machines are not cheap, and quality commercial units can cost you a few thousand dollars at minimum, thankfully a reputable cleaner with consideration for home health will have a sanitsation machine and it should not cost any more than about a hundred per item. Better still, the item should not require re-sanitisation for a couple of years on average, making it unbelievably cost effective. Wherever you are based, ask around or search for mattress cleaning and you should find a solution. Otherwise, if you're based in Melbourne and would like mattress sanitisation, get in touch and we can organise a mattress cleaning for you at your convenience. To save time and effort as well as attempting to eradicate the problem in one go, also remember that your couches, fabric blinds and other material based furniture can be sanitised on the same day too.
You will thank yourself, your mind and your body for years to come.
Low Tox Lifestyle Series ✨
Ready to make smarter choices for a healthier home? Our Low-Tox Lifestyle Series is here to help you reduce and remove harmful chemicals from your everyday life. From cleaning tips to product swaps, each article is packed with practical advice to create healthier, baby safe, pet safe, toxin-free spaces 🌿
Looking for more low-tox tips? Check out the latest installments from our series below!
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