..to let the bed "air"

[AnythingConsidered]

Help settle an argument between my DH & I...

We strip the beds every Saturday (I know some MN'erst will think this is disgusting, but this is not the AIBU!).

I like to strip the beds and leave the bed to "Air" for the day. DH thinks this is a ridiculous notion and likes to get the bed stripped and re-made at the same time.

He gets irrationally annoyed when we come up to bed & rather than collapsing straight in, we have to make it. Whereas I love making it after the 'air-ing' and then collapsing into soft, beautifully smelling bed.

So, who is being unreasonable?

Yes mrsjay (if your question was meant for me!)

Hang out when I get up, take in when I get home from work (around 4pm).

Easier for me as bedroom is attached to a summer house thingy that's open on one side, so outside air but dry. We have a clothes line that lives out there for that purpose.

But most Norwegians just flop it out their bedroom window. Remember when we first moved to this neighbourhood wondering what the deal was, then discovered how good it is!

Kirsty I like the idea in theory, do you do that with the Kids duvets too?

I don't have kids but would deffo do with theirs too. In fact, it would be easier as they are smaller!

You've just reminded me I need to make my bed up after stripping it this AM. I also have a super kingsize, and just me, so some wrestling with the duvet cover to make up. :(

I do hang duvets out a couple of times in the summer but wouldn't every day we have no cover those Norwegian s kept that a secret

Yes good point. I might give it a go in the spring.. I bet I'd I get many questions from neighbours.

i love and despise my superking duvet in equal measure.

I also love a nice crisp breezy day and often run down and throw the duvet, cover and all over the line for a blow through.
I put everyone on the house onto HIGH ALERT though, in case the weather turns, for fear the duvet gets rained on.

I will help you OP!
The main reason to air the bed is to remove moisture and get fresh air.
Why? Because all the tiny microfauna that live in our beds love moisture and warmth.
So by airing it properly you are making their lives a lot harder and minimising population growth.
From a biologist married to someone with respiratory problems perspective,

We air our bed daily

I have never aired my bed

DD has a dust mite allergy. In all the stuff I've been given by the NHS about tackling it, nothing has ever mentioned that airing a bed will kill dust mites. Where is that info from?

This. Why is everyone airing their beds? And if you are not allergic to dust mites it makes even less sense to me.

Sorry first paragraph should have been in bold, can't work out how to do that...

This is what my entire village looks like on a dry weekend day (although many do every day like me!)

you have to air the bed to let the sleep stink out!

As Evergreen says, I don't think airing kills them, but not airing provides them with an environment where they are more likely to thrive and multiply, like many other micro-organisms, i.e. warm and damp. None of us is allergic to them, but I'd still rather minimise their presence and in any case, an aired bed feels and smells fresher.

I like the idea - and when I get rich enough to employ a housekeeper I shall insist on airing for a few hours but for so long as I have to do it myself I'll continue to do it striaght away otherwise I'd forget and be really pee'd off at bedtime when I had to make the bed!
I'm also grungy and only do it weekly.Also Saturdays.

We have a waterbed so no dust mites. Airing it also makes it go cold too.

But other beds we air.

I read somewhere years ago that Orthodox Jew housewives are expected to strip and air all the beds everyday. I remember thinking that only women with home help would have time to be in paid employment (though they are probably discouraged from that, anyway). Does anyone know anything more about this custom?
I'm all for keeping life as simple and labour free as possible. Daresay in the future we'll be able to plug our beds in to the power to zap all bugs and bacteria and dry any moisture.

The Norwegian thing - I think the outside air may well be purer than UK city air!

Aren't you scared of little spiders and cobwebs sticking to the duvets as you hang them out the window frames (all sorts of spiders underneath our windows) and against the outside walls?

Possibly Assassin!

Not too worried about spiders, no - for that very reason I do keep the windowsills (in and out!) cobweb-free. But also pulling a duvet in/out every day discourages them from setting up camp there. Had to shoo a robin off my duvet last week though, cheeky thing. felt like a Disney princess

Always give a good shake too

benedikte

Idk about the bedairing. But Orthodox Jews are certainly allowed to have domestic help.

Orthodox Jewish couples often sleep in separate beds next to each other, btw.

I have a super king bed and it's easy to change the bedding single handed.

When I lived in Germany approx 25 yrs ago, they also hung duvets out of the window every day.
Here I pull the duvet and over-sheet back and (on a non-work day) open the window for a bit.
Aim to change both beds weekly and always leave a few hours with a naked mattress.
DH is quite good at helping remake ours if we haven't done it by bedtime, takes us 5 mins together.

Oh yes. Air the bed.. flap everything liberally and multi fluff- even on a non sheet change day.

And iron everything. The last vestiges of a sophisticated woman.
I am being serious.

Air bed every morning, but usually sleep with window open anyway - can't stand fuggy bedrooms. Air mattress when changing linen, 1-2 times pw. Great to hang duvets and pillows out on a sunny weekend day too.