Ugh it turns out there’s another chore which, if you’re like me, you didn’t even know existed until now.
Over on Instagram, The Kwendy Home (@thekwendyhome) had the devastating realisation that she had no idea she was supposed to hoover her mattress – and when she did it, it was “disgusting”.
She claimed: “We shed 1.5 pounds of skin a year and guess what eats dead skill cells? Dust mites.”
Showing a brief but scarring image of all the dust (and potentially the mites) she collected from her mattress, she urged all viewers to add vacuuming “to your spring cleaning list ASAP”.
And, apparently, this is something we should already be doing, even if you don’t eat breakfast in bed or share your sheets with a pet.
Hoovering giant Dyson even have a page on it on their website, pointed out that we spend around a third of our lives in bed, which is why there’s “dust mites, their faeces, bacteria, viruses, pollen and other allergens” building up on there...
In fact, according to Dyson, there could be millions of dust mites in a single mattress.
They’re not just gross either – they could be inducing your allergies.
There’s n need to panic though. Apparently, lots of us have been skipping this part of the spring clean.
The American Cleaning Institute found in 2020 that only 25% of those surveyed focus their deep cleaning on their bedrooms, with 19% admitting their bed sheet were the dirtiest items in their homes – and mattresses rarely make it onto the “desperately need a clean” list.
So, make sure you remove and wash your bedding, before hoovering your mattress gently (but with strong suction, according to the hoovering experts).
Dyson explained: “Dust mites might be small, but they’re tenacious. Their claws help them cling on to the fibres deep in your mattress, which can make them difficult to remove.”
Also, make sure you don’t, er, end up with a face full of dust.
Dyson recommends using a vacuum with a “fully sealed filtration system to avoid allergens being expelled back into your face as you clean” – the more you know, hey!
Finally, don’t cut corners (literally). Make sure you hoover on both sides of the mattress and pay attention to crevices or folds, as dust mites just love to hide in dark, warm and humid areas...
FYI, dust mite breeding season is from May through to October – so time is of the essence.
Sweet dreams!