Nov
11

How to Keep Your Bed Clean and Cozy During Quarantine

Can you keep your bed clean and comfortable during the COVID-19 quarantines? Life has been a rollercoaster ride for me, but I have to admit the past year of the pandemic has been a truly unique experience. When you’re under quarantine, it can make day-to-day life really challenging but taking basic steps like trying to choose the right mattress for your sleep can make a big difference.

This can be tougher than it seems because when you have cabin fever, you can lose motivation to maintain your home, including the bed and bedroom. However, this is the time when such details are more important than ever to help you maintain peace of mind.

COVID-19: A brief history

The history of the pandemic dates back to late December 2019 when several pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan City in Central China. Then during January 2020, several cases were reported in neighboring countries like Japan and South Korea.

From Virus to Pandemic

In early 2020 the new virus was classified as a type of coronavirus known as COVID-19. Since then, respiratory syndrome has become a global pandemic, with over 1 million deaths attributed to the virus.

COVID, Quarantines, and Lockdowns

The COVID-19 virus has triggered over 44 million cases worldwide. Various countries throughout the world have implemented lockdowns and quarantines to contain the contagious virus.

Since the coronavirus has developed from an epidemic to pandemic, this has resulted in countries and regions dealing with the situation in different ways. While some countries have implemented hard lockdowns, others have enforced other measures like self-quarantines and facial masks.

Sweat and Bacteria

This is nasty stuff but is certainly worth discussing in terms of bed sanitation. When you sleep during warm months and especially during summer, this can trigger sweat glands and cause you to sleep in your own sweat and bacteria.

While that sounds gross, it’s just the start! The dirt and bacteria can also attract dust mites, which worsen the situation. Besides that, bacteria buildup can also worsen various skin conditions like eczema, which is something you’ll want to avoid.

One option is to wait for a while to make your bed in the morning. This allows the sheet to dry, which reduces bacteria-producing moisture.

What You Need to Know about Dust Mite Allergy (video)

Quarantines and Cleanliness

The COVID-19 pandemic has required many people to stay home due to imposed quarantines. This has resulted in people spending more time in bed watching TV, using mobile devices, and eating in bed.

When staying at home and in bed more, it’s important to keep your living space as clean and comfy as possible. This can include taking different steps like making sure to pick the right mattress.

Reasons to maintain a clean bed

During the past year, many people have stayed home due to government and self-imposed quarantines. This resulted in more people staying in bed during the day. While this is a practical option when you have to stay home from work or school, it is important to keep your bed clean and sanitary. Here are some of the main reasons:

Dust Mites

While the bugs are too small for the human eye to see, they feed on skin flakes, which itself is one of the main reasons to keep your bed as dust-free as possible.

For example, a person can shed up to 1.5g of skin daily, which can feed up to one million dust mites, according to Land of Sleep. You should consider that this is just one day’s worth of mites, so your skin could be feeding a million mites every day!

Dust mites’ bodies and waste can trigger allergic reactions among asthma and allergy sufferers. So it’s important to make sure to keep your bed as dust-free as possible during quarantines. They can trigger different reactions like sneezing, itching, and breathing problems.

It’s recommended that people wash bedding at temperatures of at least 130 degrees every week. Using a dyer’s hot cycle can also help to zap the tiny bugs.

Washing Other Beddings

It’s advisable to change bed sheets once a week or so. Other beddings including pillows, can be changed less frequently. That’s a big plus since it can be tough to clean a thick comforter every week, for example.

Washing Pillows and Comforters

You can wash other beddings less frequently than every week like sheets. However, it is important to wash them regularly. A good guideline is once every 6 weeks to keep the beddings as clean and sanitary as possible.

The main exception is when you allow cats or dogs to sleep on your bed. In that case, you should consider washing the beddings more often. This can help to reduce the chance of the animals transmitting diseases to their owners.

Theoretically, you should actually prevent your pets from sleeping on the bed. They can track mud and dirt onto the bed, which might trigger various health risks you’ll want to avoid during quarantines.

Top tips for maintaining clean quarantine beds

Refresh the Mattress

In terms of bed cleanliness, the mattress is often overlooked in the process of maintaining clean beds and beddings. You can refresh it by taking some basic steps:

• Vacuum the top of the mattress using a vacuum attachment
• Sprinkle baking soda on the mattress, let sit for 10 minutes, and vacuum
• Wash mattress pad in a washing machine if this is allowed

How to Refresh Your Bed (video)

Deep-clean Pillow Covers & Duvets

You should take this step because the duvet is likely dirtier than you might expect. Make sure to read and follow the care instructions. When possible, add bleach to get the best results.

Use White Sheets

This is a good option during pandemics, for example, since you can bleach them. It can help to keep the sheets free of dirt, bacteria, and viruses. Make sure to use detergent and chlorine bleach to get the best results.

Clean Pillows and Duvet Inserts

Clean these items also since they are often overlooked. Make sure to verify if you can machine-wash these items. You can also keep the inserts fluffy by adding dryer balls (wool) to the dryer.

Before removing the duvet and pillows from the dryer, make sure they are fully dry to prevent mold buildup.

Conclusion

The past year has required many people to stay home during COVID-19 quarantines. In order to keep your bed clean and cozy, it is important to take the right steps, so the sheets, covers, and pillows are all as clean and sanitary as possible.

You can also choose the right mattress for your sleep. This can help to provide the comfort, support, and airflow you need to catch more Zs at night. It is all about staying safe and cozy as you stay at home.

By Brett Armstron
Brett is a writer at ID-MAG. An enthusiast and expert when it comes to sleep products, Brett dedicates a lot of his time reading, researching, and reviewing about both traditional and emerging sleep brands that manufacture varied types of sleep products.