13 March 2024 , 10:41
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Mattresses can stain easily and can be a pain to clean - and you can't exactly put the whole thing in the wash.
While it's routine to wash bedding on a regular basis, our mattresses can often be neglected - but they can get just as dirty, whether through spillages, sweat, dead skin, and even fake tan. Cleaning your mattress is important for hygiene and your health; dust mites and bacteria other that might be living in your mattress can release harmful substances into the air, potentially leading to respiratory issues and other health problems.
A doctor has shared his expert advice on how to keep your mattress clean and why it is so important - but his gross admission has left many not wanting to sleep in their beds. Dr Karan Raj, author of This Book May Save Your Life and TikTok content creator, says that your vacuum cleaner could get rid of the "forbidden cocktail" hiding in your mattress.
Dr Raj reacted to a video where a man was seen hoovering his mattress. His reaction TikTok via his account @dr.karanr raked in over 1.9million views. The health expert said: "What you're looking at isn't just dust - unfortunately it's a forbidden cocktail of dead skin cells, dust mites and their excrement."
He added: "Every night you share your bed with a few million dust mites - they love to take dumps on your bed and sadly dust might faeces contain that's a major trigger for asthma and other allergies. You see these microscopic fiends are attracted to filthy environments as well as that 1.5 grams of skin cells you shed on a daily basis to feed them."
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Speaking about if vacuuming your mattress is a good idea, the doctor commented: "If you vacuum your mattress on a daily basis you reduce the allergen load. This reduces the risk of the allergens causing itchy eyes, a runny nose, or sneezing, and less chance of these exacerbating skin allergies - asthma, skin breakouts and other respiratory issues."
Dr Raj said not only will you get a better sleep if you clean your mattress, you protect your health as well as the lifetime of your mattress. He also advised investing in a mattress protector.
Reacting to the video, after Raj asked "how often do you do this?", one said they have "never done it once in my life". Others said they regularly wash their sheets and have a mattress protector but are yet to try hoovering their bed.
"Never just change sheets every week and pillow case every few days," said one. Another admitted: "Me laying in bed with my two huskies knowing in my 35 years of living I've never vacuumed a bed."
One individual said: "I have a mattress hoover and I hoover my bed every single day. Only because I suffer with eczema." One who tried the trick added: "I have been doing this and it is crazy the amount of dust that comes out of my bed."
Some could not help but be freaked out by the doctor's admission about what lives in our beds. "I just light my mattress on fire, good as new," one joked. "This is a bad time to be a germaphobe," said another.
"I'll sleep standing," another wrote. "Thanks now I don't want to sleep ever again," added one other.
How do you keep your bed clean? Share your thoughts in the comments below.