'Airing the bed'

[WellTidy]

My parents come and stay with us for a few nights every six weeks or so. They sleep in the spare room - the bed is rarely slept in between those visits. Every time they come, they want the bed to be 'aired' in advance, which basically involves turning the electric blanket on for maybe four or so hours on the day that they come. Not so that it is warm when they get into it, just so that the bed is 'aired' in readiness. The room is heated, radiators in there that heat the room just like the rest of the house.

Its no hardship, and I always do it so that they have peace of mind, but I've never heard anyone else ever talk about airing a bed. Anyone else?

Yes we do this but dont put the leccy blanket on. Mattresses get damp and a bit musty and retain moisture so pulling back the covers seems to freshen them up a bit.

I think it's a generational thing. My mum was obsessed with airing things - everything from bedlinen to towels and pants had to spend at least 24 hours in the airing cupboard after it had been dried and ironed. We didn't have electric blankets but the bedclothes were turned down to air the beds every morning before they were made. Any and every illness I developed after I'd left home was blamed on failure to air things.

That sounds completely mad to me. Surely four hours is excessive!!

I don't think I would even have trusted my electric blanket to be on for that long continuously without burning the house down, but in fairness I'm sure they've improved since then.

I dont see what turning the electric blanket on is going to do, it wont be introducing any air to the bed. I would think airing the bed means shaking out the duvets and leaving them folded down for a few hours to let the mattress breathe a bit. Although I wouldnt bother doing that personally!

I'd say that airing the bed would be pulling back the covers and leaving the window open for a bit. I do that in all our bedrooms every morning. Leaving an electric blanket on doesn't actually bring any fresh air in?! Doesn't make sense to me.

I'd cut it down to two hours and see if they spot the difference. Then one hour and half an hour if they don't notice each time.

I'm 55 and remember everything being 'aired' as a child. But I didn't notice it being a problem when I left home and neglected my parent's levels of domesticity!! I do like to leave the duvet pulled back in the morning. However it stays that way until I get back to it in the evening after work.

My airing the bed is turning the duvet down so exposing the clean sheet and cracking the window open to air the room.
I don't own a electric blanket so heating the bed up seems completely alien to me?

This is interesting! Maybe she has something else in mind when she asks if the bed has been aired, and we are talking a cross purposes!

I agree about the airing cupboard comment. When I viewed my first flat and was ever so excited about it, I was telling my mum about everything it had. My mum's first comment "Does it have an airing cupboard?"! No, actually it doesn't mum.

Airing the bed to me means pulling the top sheet and duvet back to allow air into the bottom sheet where you’ve been sleeping. With windows open to “air the room” it able. I do this most days and assumed most people did to freshen bed. Half and hour then can make again though if I’m honest my beds stay that way whole day

Turning an electric blanket on could take the cold/damp off the bed I guess but isn’t “airing it”. I’d only do if room had been very cold with little heating.

We always had an airing cupboard when I was young which was a double wardrobe wi so boiler in so got very cosy. Things dried on line outside or stands inside then into cupboard to air. Nowadays my parents still have one but don’t really use often and I don’t have one. I tumble dry to finish drying clothes off after line or stand drying. I think air cupboards are a dying breed.

You have to remember, back in the day there was no central heating and things did get damp and felt damp too. Airing the bed was (still is for some) common practice. I still air my bed, as above, by pulling the duvet back. You sweat through the night, it’s good to let it evaporate. Your mattress and sheets/duvet will thank you (by lasting longer).

I’ve known OH to ‘air’ the bed, which is just an excuse not to make it..

I’m not sure I get the purpose of airing it with a electric blanket on though.

I would be inclined to pretend I’ve had the electric blanket on though and see if they notice the difference

I often pull back the duvet and open the window in the morning, its just so much nicer to get back into an aired bed. In the cold weather I also tend to turn it back up and put on the electric blanket about an forty minutes or so before bed.

LOL at the airing cupboard question. I've lived in several places in my adult life and you can bet that my DM will ask "does it have an airing cupboard"

I always opeN the window and fold the duvet back every day, it just lets any moisture dry from the sheets. My mum always did it as I do now .

Airing the bed is a very normal thing surely but it doesn't mean putting the electric blanket on. It's as the word suggests, you turn down the covers to let the air circulate. It freshener it up and clears any smells

Same as airing a room is opening the windows for fresh air, I'm surprised you havent heard the term th.

I have an airing cupboard. Not had one in any previous property. It is bloody marvellous and when move a house with one will gain preference over a similar one without.

Sad, I know

To me airing the bed is pulling the duvet down so the sheet is exposed and opening the window, so the bed and room gets an airing. Do this evening morning

Surely electric blanket beings turned on is the opposite of airing.....

Just reply ”don't you think I know how to run a household?” and not answer the question.

And yes, airing the bed is just pulling it open so air can get to the bottom sheet/mattress. I do ours daily.

Just reply ”don't you think I know how to run a household?”

Clearly the answer is yes

I don’t understand how switching an electric sheet on is airing the bed...surely, it just heats up dormant bacteria?

I air my bed every morning. But like others have said, it means folding back the duvet and letting the air get to the sheet. I hardly ever close my window so don't need to open it.
Not sure how heating the bed would be airing it

Umm airing a bed does not mean warming up all the hibernating bacteria in it! (that’s the opposite of airing- that’s making it cosy for the bugs!)

It means throwing back the duvet and top sheet, exposing the fitted sheet on the mattress and opening the window and door wide so a good breeze blows through clearing out any bacteria that’s in it.

@PleasantVille
Just reply ”don't you think I know how to run a household?”

Clearly the answer is yes

Harsh, but I likes your style

I think ‘airing the bed’ with an electric blanket/hot water bottle tended to be when there was no central heating and the room had been unused for some time so could be very cold and the bedsheets slightly damp. It’s the same use of airing as in the airing cupboard - heat used to completely dry out the clothes. With no central heating in bigger houses there is a tendency for the air to feel slightly damp so ‘airing’ a bed that hadn’t been used for a while was to make sure that you weren’t getting into a cold damp bed (because obv you would no doubt catch a cold or whatever ). Besides you’d want to be warm in bed because the room would be bloody freezing with no heating and most likely the window having been open all day ‘airing out’ the room...

I think it's partly a hang on from previous eras. I remember seeing a Lucy Worsley documentary about the home, the Victorians had to strip their beds and 'air' them every day or the would go mouldy. Something to do with the old fashioned fabrics etc.