Bedding maintenance for a better sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is a big challenge nowadays, with our busy workdays and hectic routines. We spend so much time leading our lives and drowning in responsibilities that we often forget about the quality and quantity of our sleep. The average human spends around 8 hours a day sleeping (if lucky), and many assert that they don’t feel rested in the morning.

By introducing better bedding maintenance and adding a few general rules to your household routine, you will find that you can make the most of your downtime and get a longer, deeper sleep. Read on to find out how.

Create a comfort zone in your bedroom

The bed is the most important piece of furniture in the room. The mattress needs to feel comfortable, not too firm, but also not too soft. The bed linens need to be properly washed with hypoallergenic detergents and should smell nice but not too strong because it will keep your senses alert. Everything in your bedroom needs to be calming and predisposing to sleep. The colours of the bedding and the bedroom, in general, are also very important – aim for calming colours like blue, soft white or silver. Vivid colours like red or pink can keep you awake at night. Make your bedroom as cozy as possible – it will do miracles for your sleep quality.

Bedding washing frequency

It’s a personal choice how often you wash your bedding, but it’s a fact that not washing it often enough can lead to allergies, skin irritations, infestations with dust mites, bed bugs and a lot more. Common household dust may seem harmless, but it contains all kinds of unsavoury ingredients, like dead skin cells, hair, dead bug parts, mites, and other nasty things. So, laundering your bed linen at least once a week is recommended. It will remove the dirt and dust accumulation, and the smell of the fresh sheets will help you nod off. Wash the pillowcases inside out to protect the colours or prints, and use warm water rather than hot because most sheets and cases are made from shrinkable fabrics.

Drying and storing your bedding

Tumble-drying is fine with most types of sheets and covers, but read the label instructions to find out for sure. The dryer can tarnish some gentle fabrics, so be careful. If you want to minimise wrinkles, you can remove the sheets from the dryer before they dry completely. However, to avoid mould and mildew, make sure the sheets are fully dry before storing them. Ironing them will help with that – the high temperature will remove all the moisture from the fabric and kill any remaining germs. As for the storing itself, it’s best to keep your sheets neatly folded and in a dry, cool drawer or closet. Avoid plastic containers because they trap moisture and encourage mould growth. To prevent yellowing of the fabric, you can line the surface with some acid-free tissue paper.