Stupid question, why do we air beds?

[Easterchuck]

You know in the morning, throw back the duvet, remove pillows etc.
Why?

[KillmeNow]

Do we? I dont .

[MrsHathaway]

To get them dry after sweating in them all night. I'm sure it's half a pint each or something

[NorksEnormous]

We do?

[Pipbin]

Do we?
Is this the same people who wash their curtains fortnightly?

[ilovepowerhoop]

I don't

[Easterchuck]

Gosh, for the first time MN has made me feel house proud.
I did wash my curtains once after a chocolate eating in bed occasion and they shrank. That's a lesson learned.

If you tell me airing a bed is a waste of time I shall believe you.

[suze28]

I do but I don't really know why now I've had a think about it. Thought it was just something you did!

[PigeonPie]

I do. Duvet flung back every morning and then I make the bed before doing the morning school run. Makes sense to get as much moisture out of the bed as possible.

[Minorchristmascrisis]

Adds airing of beds to ever increasing to do list...

[GoodKingQuintless]

Because bedbugs love hot and sweaty conditions, so by airing the bed, you prevent them from multiplying so much.

[MrsMargoLeadbetter]

Easterchuck - how did you get chocolate on the curtains from the bed !

I have seen threads about this. As others have said, gets rid of the sweat and smells I believe.

[calzone]

Something else I dont do then

[Leviticus]

But if you've got bedbugs you've got bedbugs surely.

A bit of fresh air is not going to send them packing, you'll need Rentokil.

[ClartyYakker]

We air our beds all day


thats what I tell myself every night when I come upstairs and the duvet is still where I flung it in the morning.

[KoalaDownUnder]

'Cos we sweat into them at night. Airing them gives them a chance to dry out.

Also, I believe dust-mitey things hate sunlight, so probably kills off a few of those too.

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

This of course presumes that we make beds

Our bed "airs" all day by virtue of the duvet being crumpled up at the bottom and half on the floor. Sometimes DH gives it a shake.

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

X-post with Clarty

[Pipbin]

You don't get bedbugs living in memory foam mattresses or pillows.
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, I've never known anyone who airs their bed and I've never known anyone with bedbugs.

[HermioneGrangerHair]

I think quintless means dust mites, no? They are bugs that live in beds, so bed bugs, but not bedbugs, which are hoofing great crawling fuckers.

Anyway, I also air beds, because humans do exude a lot of moisture as they sleep... Expose the mattress to the air, make sure the room is well ventilated. But it's not something I do actively, really... We just push the duvets off us in the morning, to the side, or the bottom or whatever, then don't make our beds till we get home in the eve, if at all. So really, it's one less thing to do, rather than one more.

[Bunbaker]

Airing beds help enormously with eczema and asthma as dust mites prefer warm, damp conditions. Apparently there has been an increase in dust mites because they aren't killed off at low temperatures, so I always wash bedding at 60 degrees.

When you sleep you perspire about half a pint of moisture. If you don't air your bed with the windows open this moisture stays in your bedding and mattress which makes for an environment in pillows and mattress in which dust mites, moulds, and other microbial life have more of an opportunity to multiply.

I think not airing beds is skanky. I just tidy the bed by straightening the sheet and pillows and folding the duvet back neatly to air all day.

[GoodKingQuintless]

Everybody's got bedbugs (unless perhaps they live in a memory foam world)

They are tiny. You cant see them. They feast on our dead skin and other shit we shed. So, part of our human bodily waste management team.

[Bunbaker]

GoodKing You are referring to dust mites not bed bugs which are an entirely different thing.

Explanation here

[GoodKingQuintless]

Yes, indeed I am. Thanks for the link!

[Purpleflamingos]

Throw the duvet back and open the windows for half an hour or so. I believe it clears the smells and prevents bedbugs.