Why is it that the bedroom seems to harbour more dust than anywhere else in the home? Well, it’s more than likely because for most of us busy people, the bedroom gets a swerve on the more regular housecleaning days. Instead, the bedroom gets an infrequent quick tidy and change of sheets. Before you know it, tumbleweeds of dust are building momentum and cobwebs are appearing on light shades and in corners.
The truth is, just as it doesn’t take much to let your bedroom get into a filthy mess, it doesn’t actually take much to keep it clean and tidy either. Here are 6 easy to implement tips to help keep your bedroom squeaky clean.
1. Don’t skip a regular cleaning routine
Don’t give the bedroom a swerve when you are hoovering the rest of the house. The easiest way to prevent dust building in the bedroom is to hoover and dust the bedroom when doing the other housework chores. Make it a part of your routine and don’t be tempted to skip it.
Make your bedroom a weekly priority just as you would the bathroom, or other rooms in the house. And make it a part of your routine to clean under your bed as well as around it.
2. Make your bed every morning
You may be thinking, why bother making your bed, if no one can see it, and you are just going to get back in it again? But, there is plenty of evidence to suggest making your bed sets the tone for the rest of the day. Making your bed counts as your first achievement and can have a significant impact on your productivity for the rest of the day.
When you come home at the end of the day, you are less likely to throw clothes in a pile if your bed is made. It’s true! If your bedroom looks tidy, you are more likely to put things away. A messy bed encourages messy habits.
3. Take care of your mattress
Just because a sheet covers your mattress, it doesn’t mean that it won’t get dirty. Old, uncared for mattresses are a breeding ground for bacteria and pests. Did you know that there are around two million dust mites in the average mattress? Ergh!
To take proper care of your mattress, you should turn it over and rotate it end-to-end every 3 months (unless you have a mattress type that shouldn’t be turned). Air your mattress regularly. When you change sheets let the mattress air for 20 minutes before dressing the bed with clean sheets. Hoover your mattress every 3-4 months with an upholstery attachment.
The Sleep Council recommends replacing your bed mattress every seven years. It’s a good idea to invest in a decent mattress and keeping it clean will help maintain its condition for longer. Always seek expert advice when buying a new mattress. See this great mattress buying guide from Snug Interiors.
4. Change and wash your bed linen weekly
No one can argue that clean bed sheets look, smell and feel good. Now there’s compelling evidence that not changing your sheets weekly could be affecting your health and your sleep. Experts recommend you wash sheets weekly on a minimum 60 °C wash to destroy bacteria.
Ensure you have at least two sets of good quality bed linen; one in the wash, and one in use.
5. It’s not just bed linen that needs washing
Maintaining a clean bed isn’t just about changing and washing the bed linen. Your duvet and pillows need regular washing too. Wash your duvet at least twice a year and pillows every other month.
Why? Pillows and duvets are harbours for dust mites, which can aggravate allergies and asthma. We shed millions of skin cells every night in bed and don’t forget we sweat too. Frequent washing of all bedding will control and prevent build up. It’s our dead skin cells that dust mites feed off.
Check washing instructions for your duvet and pillows. Some feather and down bedding may need to be dry cleaned instead. You may need to take your duvet to a launderette if it’s too big to fit in your washing machine at home. Consider that downtime for reading that book you’ve been meaning to get stuck into.
6. Keep clothes put away and clutter at bay
When the bedroom starts to look messy, it’s easy to give up on the cleaning routine. What was a quick dust and hoover becomes a full-scale clear up job. Keeping clothes put away is the quickest and surest way to keep on top of the mess. Don’t allow clutter to build in the bedroom. The more clutter there is, the harder it is to clean the room.
(Images courtesy of Pixabay)
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Base says
Regular cleaning routine is the key for he clean house. Seems to be so easy, but so many people has the problem with that. 🙂
Thea Wood says
The notes are gross! It would be nice if there was a fabric undercoat that prevented them from entering!
Kim B Smith says
I hoover my mattress about every three months with baking soda and essential oils. Now the spring has sprung, everything, pillows, duvet and such get laundered. So important
Evelyn, PathofPresence says
Love these tips & learned a few too!! I’ll need to integrate mattress care into my routine. Such a simply thing to do to maintain optimal use! Thank You ❤️
Paul Albert says
I’m a bit embarrassed to be really honest here. The bedsheets are washed weekly but my mattress and pillow care leaves a bit to be desired. We’re buying a new bed at the moment so will have a shiny new mattress too.
Totally agree about making the bed, I’m always more focussed and get more done when it’s made first thing.