Here’s a quick, gross mattress fact: Mattresses gain a small amount of weight over time, and it isn’t from the foam expanding. Your mattress absorbs dead skin, dust, skin oils and moisture. Then there are the dust mites that are lurking inside it. Cleaning your mattress around twice a year can help keep dust mites and dead skin at bay, although your bed won’t last forever. The average lifespan of a bed is around eight years. Going too far past that might greatly impact your sleep quality. Read on to find out what’s in your bed, how to clean it and why you might want to replace your old bed sooner than you thought. For more, here’s how to best wash your mattress cover and tips to make your mattress last longer. Your mattress is kind of like a sponge: When something comes in contact with it, the mattress will absorb it. All the sweat, blood, saliva and other body fluids that touch your mattress leave traces that collect over time. Fluids and moisture in your mattress give way to fungus and bacteria. Amerisleep conducted a study that investigated bacteria levels in mattresses of varying ages: less than a year old, two years old, five years old and seven years old. Results showed that all mattresses tested positive for bacteria. Only the seven-year-old mattress swabs tested positive for bacilli bacteria. Most rod-shaped bacteria fall under the bacteria class of bacilli. Some bacteria under this category can be harmful, like bacillus cereus, which can cause illnesses like vomiting and diarrhea. Other bacteria in the class bacillus can cause urinary tract infections, sinus infections and pneumonia. You lose millions of skin cells every hour. That continues when you sleep and roll around on your mattress. The skin cells don’t rest on top of the bed; they make their way into the mattress. The accumulation of skin cells isn’t inherently a problem, but they are the main food source for… Gross: Dust mites and mite feces are living in most people’s mattresses. An estimated 4 out of 5 American homes have dust mites. Dust mites are different from bed bugs. They’re microscopic bugs that aren’t visible to the naked eye. They live by eating the dead skin cells collected in the mattress and thrive thanks to the humidity our bodies produce at night. Essentially, mattresses are dust mite heaven; there is no place they would rather be. The good news is that dust mites don’t bite and typically don’t impact you, unless you’re allergic to them. Dust mite allergies are common: Around 20 million people are estimated to be allergic to dust mites. Allergy symptoms of dust mites include a runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat or asthma symptoms. If you’re not ready to replace your mattress, you can take steps to get control of dust mites. Regularly cleaning your mattress can help it last longer. Whether you’re getting a new bed or not, it’s essential to know how to properly clean it. Cleaning your bed can help keep dead skin cells and dust mites from building up. It’s something you should do roughly twice a year. Use your vacuum cleaner’s wand or upholstery attachment and do an initial pass-through that collects all the things on the surface. Make sure you pay close attention to all the creases and seams.
Once you’ve cleaned your mattress, it’s a good idea to add a fabric waterproof mattress cover that protects from dust mites. This will make cleaning your mattress easier in the future. Cleaning your old mattress after years of use won’t resolve the accumulation of skin cells and dust mites. It will help, but cleaning your mattress is something you want to do throughout the lifetime of your bed. Mattresses have a shelf life. While the differing materials influence how long a bed will last, they typically have a lifespan of about eight years. Most people don’t run off to buy a new mattress the second they hit eight years old, because mattresses are expensive. The truth is you might not need to buy one yet. How quickly your mattress wears out depends on how often it’s used, your body type and how well you take care of it. If you’re ready to buy a new bed, make sure you’re strategic about when you buy it. Mattresses are always on sale, so you shouldn’t have to pay full price if you can help it. Big shopping holidays like Memorial Day, Presidents Day and Black Friday will save you significant chunks of the price tag of your next bed. If your mattress is no longer comfy, it’s time for a new one. Sleeping on an old mattress can significantly affect your sleep quality and overall health. Use these common signs to determine if you should invest in a new mattress: Understandably, buying a new mattress can be pretty overwhelming. There are a lot of mattresses to choose from, all of which vary in price, material and feel. When looking for your next mattress, ask a few important questions, including how much money do you want to spend. Determining important factors like your body type and firmness preference can easily help you narrow down your options until you find your dream bed. Mattresses don’t last forever. In addition to possibly keeping you up at night, your mattress may be triggering allergies or impacting your overall health. The average mattress is filled with body fluids, dead skin cells and millions of dust mites. Don’t forget about the potential fungus and bacteria multiplying beneath the surface. Once you’re approaching around a decade with your mattress, it’s time to replace it. For more tips, check out these tricks to help you fall asleep at night and six habits to practice for better sleep.