The passion which binds the French to their bed generally lasts for many years. For this happiness to remain cloudless, it is imperative to regularly clean your bedding, from the mattress to the box spring, including the duvet and pillows. Advice.
We spend between 6 and 8 hours a day there, sometimes more on weekends with late mornings, breakfasts in bed or simply to read. Even if we are careful, spilled coffee, crumbs and other dirt can get stuck in your bedding. Without forgetting dust, mites and other germs which are inviting daily to prevent you from sleeping and, which can also, in the long term, impact your health.
To avoid problems of all kinds (allergies, eczema, etc.), it is essential to maintain your bedding regularly. Here are some tips for cleaning and taking care of your mattress, but also your duvet or even your pillows, which we tend to neglect.
Dust mites, the pet peeve of your bedding!
Dust mites are the bane of our homes and our bedding. While it is difficult to see them with the naked eye, these little beasts live in dust and are present in fabrics, rugs, curtains, carpets, and of course in beds: there would be up to 10,000 mites per speck of dust, or about 2 million in our bed! And if they only live six weeks, they proliferate at high speed.
They particularly like heat and humidity, which is why we find them in numbers in our bed, where they thrive the heat of our body. Autumn and winter are thus favorable seasons for their development because of the humidity and heat due to heating, but summer is just as favorable to them. To get rid of them, or at least limit their invasion, it is therefore imperative to adopt some elementary gestures.
Ademe advises toventilate morning and evening for at least 5 to 10 minutes, and allow a minimum of air circulation in the room. Make sure, for example, to leave a space of 2 cm under your doors, especially that of your bedroom, especially if you close it at night, or slightly ajar the window during the night to evacuate the humidity. If you have a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, open your window as soon as you take a shower, and of course don’t forget to air out when you vacuum or dust.
Ademe’s advice: even during a pollution peak, it is important to continue to ventilate your home. If it is ozone pollution, it is better to do so in the middle and late afternoon. In the case of particle pollution, prefer late morning and mid-afternoon.
Bedding: impeccable hygiene
Airing your bedroom and bedding is not enough to ensure good hygiene of your mattress. To clean it thoroughly, vacuum it. Vacuum the surface of your mattress at least once a month, making sure of course that the brush is clean.
Tips: Sprinkle baking soda on your mattress, tap lightly to disperse the powder, and leave to act for at least 30 minutes before vacuuming. The baking soda goes neutralize bad odors present in tissues. Also remember to turn it over each season and reverse the direction. Certain essential oils such as eucalyptus, tea tree, mint oils … have an action against dust mites. You can pour a few drops into your bedding.
Also remember to vacuum the box spring, but also under the bed, real dust nests. Preferably here to invest in a slatted base rather than a box spring.
Also, don’t forget a duvet, bolster and pillows. It is advisable to pat them every morning to air them out. Better, if you can, do not hesitate to make them take the air at the window or on your balcony. Also remember to wash them regularly, dry or machine (at 30 ° C for feather or down duvets, between 40 and 60 ° C for synthetic fillings) and make sure to dry them well.
Finally, remember to change your sheets regularly, but also the mattress protector, and here prefer natural fibers, such as cotton or linen, which are more pleasant to the touch but also more breathable.
It is the great scourge of recent years. Bed bugs invade our interiors. In 2020, it was estimated that more than 400,000 homes were infested in the country. Interventions by professionals increased by 76% in 2020. The government has also launched a prevention and control plan against these pests.
How do you know if you are affected? The first visible sign is of course the traces of bites that you have on the body. They are often numerous and concentrate on the areas in contact with the bed. If this is the case, carefully inspect your bedding, and look for traces of blood on the sheets, but also small black dots on the mattress and / or on the wood of the bed. Be aware that bed bugs avoid daylight and only come out at night to “eat” you. They are indeed attracted to your body heat.
How to get rid of it? It is imperative treat your room, even your accommodation in its entirety. To be sure to eradicate them completely, it is best to rely on a professional, equipped to deal with them, and only radical methods will be effective. You will probably need to get rid of the contaminated furniture. You will also need to wash your bed linen, duvets, pillows and other throws … at over 60 ° C. Find more tips here.
To avoid being infested again, you can also use anti-bug covers for mattresses and pillows. These covers are completely airtight and prevent pests from getting out or entering them. Choose a breathable cover to wick away moisture, and hypoallergenic. There are also anti-bedbug pads to slide between the mattress and the box spring. For fans of more natural solutions, fill containers with diatomaceous earth and place them at the foot of the bed.
Among bedding specialists, there are practical and equally effective solutions. For example, Le Sommier Français® is launching a patented barrier device, which can be installed at every possible access point (that is to say at the base of the base and at the back of the headboard). Composed of three parts (a ring, a crown and a head), this preventive and curative system traps all crawling insects. Dodo also offers the Multi-Protect solution. All the items in this range are treated with eucalyptus citriodora oils, which are naturally insect repellent.
Additional Tips: Never put your bags, suitcases or travel clothes on your bed, they could contaminate it. Also check the second-hand furniture that you buy in flea markets or in discount stores before installing it in your home.
Mattress, box spring, duvet, pillow …: how to clean your bedding?
