The Gross Reason Scientists Say You SHOULDN'T Make Your Bed in the Morning
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As the bedding-obsessed editors of House Beautiful will tell you, the way you make your bed is essential. We’re picky about our combinations of soft sheets and pillows, and making the bed with your particular blend can be such a calming morning ritual. It might make you feel refreshed—and it can certainly make your room look cleaner and more organized.
Which is why we were horrified to learn that making your bed may not be an unmitigated good thing. We stumbled across a study that suggests the act of smoothing, tucking, and fluffing your sheets can invite unwanted guests: dust mites. A 2005 study in the Building Services Engineering Research & Technology Journal found that when a bed is left unmade, the environmental conditions of the mattress revert to a place where dust mites have more trouble multiplying, according to The Washington Post.
“You can therefore say there is evidence that suggests by not making your bed in the morning this will have a positive impact on reducing dust mite populations, however small,” Stephen Pretlove, director of sustainable engineering at the University of Roehampton in London, told The Washington Post.
If you take Dr. Tania Elliott’s word for it, leaving your bed unmade can help your bedroom feel cleaner. Rather than make her bed first thing in the morning, the board-certified allergist waits a few hours to let her sheets air out, and makes up the bed later in the day. Not only does it deter that folded environment that dust mites love to thrive in, but it avoids locking in moisture or grime from the night before—especially for anyone who sweats at night.
So what now? We’re not saying never make your bed again. Whether you decide to let your unmade bed air out in the morning or stick to your regimen of hospital corners, there are still measures you can take to keep your bedroom cleaner. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has some suggestions on how to keep dust mites from running rampant in your sheets. Among them:
Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to keep humidity levels at, or below, 50 percent.
Cover your mattress and pillows in dust-proof or allergen-proof covers.
Wash all bedding and blankets once a week in hot water, 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, to kill dust mites.
Use a double-layered microfilter bag or a HEPA filter in your vacuum cleaner.
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