To wonder why some MNetters need their bed to be sterile.

[Lookingforbargains]

Inspired by another thread (and by the general madness that is part and parcel of anything cleanliness-related on MN)…

Why are some people so determined that no (shudder) outdoor germs/nastiness gets anywhere near their bed? I mean, I can understand a basic level of care - not putting your outdoor shoes on the duvet, or your handbag on your pillow - but some people seemingly have to put on a full hazmat suit before sitting on the end of their own bed.

Now I understand wanting to keep it fresh, but why the fear of supposed germs that MNetters seem to think will be transferred to the bed? Why are these germs not scary on the sofa? Do people lick their beds, or perhaps want to keep open the option of performing surgery therein?

It’s pretty clear from other threads that it is mumsnet law to shower in the morning, so how much can it really matter if your bed isn’t totally sterile?!

Mental health issues can affect such things. It's not exclusive to Mumsnet.

Nothing in your home can be sterile. People shudder at the thought of sitting on their own beds in their outdoor clothes!!
To quote a MN saying it's batshittery at it's finest.

Some people are germ phobic and I think some are just bullshitters.

When I read an MNetter going on and on about cleanliness too much, I imagine them sitting in a grubby little flat trying to make themselves feel better by pretending their home is spotless.

There are definite MH issues at play.

Didn't know they did want a 'sterile' bed, but I'd not want a dog or cat on my bed (or settee or carpets for that matter). I don't have animals so thats sorted.Can't imagine anybody putting shoes on a bed, but then all our outdoor shoes live in a utility room downstairs.

Personally, I don't want shoes anywhere near it (for obvious reasons!). I also don't like outdoor clothes being on the actual duvet / pillows. I'm spending 8 hours a night with my freshly cleansed face on that pillow, I don't want any lingering dirt from outdoor clothes on the pillow. It's probably partly anxiety related, but my bedroom is a total zone of peace and calm to me - mentally any part of bringing in the outside world (including clothes!) is a no no.

No issue with sitting on the bed 🤷‍♀️

I don't get this either. I wash my bedding every two weeks and sleep with my cat. According to MN we are pretty gross.

Depends on where my clothes have been. Working from home, then I'll sit away. When I commuted 1.5 hours on a grotty bus seat, I did not sit on my bed with those clothes. Nothing bad would happen, it's just ick.

Nothing worse than going to sleep in a grotty bed. I want to keep it fresh for as long as possible, so tend to be protective of that space more than any other space in my house. Not a germaphobe- the rest of my house would definitely not pass muster.

I also think it is gross to go to bed without a bath or shower first, though. My bed is probably the one consistently clean place in my house, and I like that no matter how chaotic everything else is, I sleep in a peaceful clean space.

I don't expect sterile but it gets changed every week, the cat sleeps elsewhere and I leave my shoes at the front door.

Especially as sex is not necessarily the most sterile of activities

Just a load of competitive crap along with 'massive salad' and the chicken that can feed a family of 4 for 10 days.

God knows why though, none of us know each other!

They might have OCD.

There are no shoes upstairs in the house.... but that doesn't stop Mistress Mucky Paws (the cat) from marching all over the beds....

I would fail on all mn hygiene tests though.

My bed is my comfy, warm safe haven so I like it to be clean. I can't imagine anything more gross than wearing shoes or outside clothes on the bed or in the house for that matter. I always change into comfy leggings and a t-shirt/jumper that's just for home.

MIL was helping us move a few weeks ago and first she dumped a load of dusty boxes on top of my bedcovers then she offered to read DD a bedtime story (who was in our bed at the time) and got straight under the covers with her dirty clothes on. I nearly bust a vein in my forehead trying to keep quiet.

So a bit of dust makes you want to bust a vein? What a way to live

I think this was a thing in the first half of the 20th century ( and earlier) when cities were really dirty ( steam trains, smog, industry) and there was a real risk of transferring dirt onto nice white sheets. Laundry was also more difficult and detergents less effective so you really didn't want to get your whites grubby.
This then gets taught down the generations and some families have never changed their attitude.

I'm currently in a tent by a muddy lake. In a bed that is covered in mud.. its possibly the least sterile place I've ever slept and I would love to be at home right now... its poured down all bloody day.

I have a cat with absolutely no boundaries, he sleeps on my pillow every night, I have given up all notions of having a perfectly clean bed but the covers get changed very regularly.

Do the sterile bed people leap up and change the sheets as soon as they have had sex? Or maybe they have a special sex towel to shag on?

No idea. I take my shoes off indoors and don't have any pets but I only change the sheets maybe every six weeks. That's with sex twice a week so it's a bit crusty. I don't really care.

I don't get it either. My bed is comfy and warm. Change the sheets once or twice a month. Will happily sit on it with outdoor clothes on. We don't wear shoes in the house though but that's more because we all hate shoes.

Have you ever seen an episode of Dexter?

Haha I've thought this too. I read a thread yesterday about wearing PJs to breakfast in a hotel and someone saying they wouldn't do that because they wouldn't want their bed clothing being in a public place. I can think of other reasons not to wear PJs in public, but that one wouldn’t have even crossed my mind.

I'm a minger though as I don't mind either my dog or cat sleeping on my bed and regularly have sex in it too, which is the biggest cause of needing to change the sheets.