Morning habits are taught in children from an early age. Every home is unique. Nonetheless, parents or guardians in many households encourage their children to make their beds when they get up.
If you follow that routine, you should stop what you’re doing now.
It’s finally time for the ultimate myth-buster. Making your bed in the morning is not ideal, and it is healthier to leave it unmade, at least for a short time.
If you enjoy cleaning (yes, there are such people), you may have seen Mrs. D’s cleaning reviews. Her Instagram account contains helpful cleaning tips and tactics for various household items.
She teaches her 108 thousand followers how to keep their homes clean and healthy and debunks ancient cleaning myths and wives’ tales. One was whether making the bed when you wake up is a good or harmful habit.
Contrary to popular perception, making your bed in the morning is a harmful habit. You’re probably wondering how that’s possible. Is my entire life a lie? Hey, not to seem dramatic, but Mrs. D says we should let our bed breathe.
“Many individuals get up and make the bed right away. “This is something you should quit doing,” Mrs. D commented on Instagram. “Get out of bed, throw back the duvet, and let your bed breathe.”
This is because we sweat and lose dead skin during the night. “During the night, we not only sweat but also shed skin, which attracts dust mites and bed bugs,” Mrs. D explains. “But this isn’t correct. When the central heating is turned on in the winter, it might attract dust mites and bed bugs just as much as in the summer.
According to BBC news, Dr. Steven Pretlove, a researcher, did a study on making beds. He agrees with Mrs. D’s cleaning suggestions and claims that making your bed in the morning attracts dust mites.
“We know that mites can only survive by absorbing water from the environment through microscopic glands outside their bodies,” he explained. “Leaving a bed unmade during the day might eliminate moisture from the sheets and mattress, causing the mites to dehydrate and eventually die.”
Dust mites flourish in dark, damp environments. That lends new meaning to the phrase “freshly made bed” because up to 1.5 million dust mites could enjoy their cozy home within your clean bed.
According to Dr. Matt Hallsworth, dust mites have an effect on people who have asthma. “House-dust mite allergens can be a significant trigger for many people with asthma, but they are notoriously difficult to prevent,” he noted.
Making your bed a healthy, secure haven could be as simple as not making it or delaying making it. If you must have a shabby-looking bed, consider folding your blankets so that the underside of the duvet is exposed to sunlight and fresh air. This will help to dry out your sweat and kill the dust mites.
Finally, we should allow our beds dry for one hour each morning before making them. Mrs. D detailed what you should do when making and cleaning your bed.
“Wash your linens once a week with a hot wash cycle and a laundry cleanser to destroy any bacteria on your bedding,” she said. “Every month, deep clean your mattress by vacuuming it first and then using a steam cleaner to remove all bacteria and dust mites.
Every six months, wash your duvets and pillows. Take them to the laundromat if you can’t fit them in your washer. Most laundromats provide duvet cleaning.”
