Bed hygiene in summer: what lives in your mattress
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Every summer, your bed silently transforms into the least hygienic place in the house. And almost no one does anything about it.
In summer, the body sweats about half a liter per night. This sweat, plus the heat and humidity, create the perfect environment for what no one wants to hear: dust mites, bacteria, and fungi absolutely love this climate. The mattress and, especially, the pillow — which absorb sweat, oil, and skin every night — become their preferred habitat.
Sheets are just the top layer
Most people wash their sheets and think they've taken care of hygiene. But underneath, the pillow you haven't changed in four years and the mattress that has never aired out accumulate months of everything your body sheds during the night. This is what you breathe, resting next to your face, eight hours a night.
And the heat further accelerates wear and tear: cheap foams soften and lose support faster with sweat and temperature. What should last ten years only lasts five.
Serious summer sleep hygiene
It's much more than just making the bed:
- Wash bedding more often and at 60 degrees Celsius — lower temperatures don't kill dust mites.
- Air the mattress in the morning instead of immediately covering it with the duvet. Let the night's humidity escape.
- Use a washable protector. It's the barrier between sweat and the mattress, and it's machine washable. See mattress protectors.
- Change the pillow when it expires. Yes, it has an expiry date — typically 2 to 3 years. See the range of pillows.
It's not just the heat
What spoils your sleep in summer is not just the temperature — it's also what lives in your bed because of it. Changing your pillow and protecting your mattress is half the job; the other half is keeping everything cool, and I talk about that in the guide on how to sleep when it's hot.
See also
