Skip to content
Next Episodes
Mon: 7:30pm
Tues: 7:30pm
Classic Episodes
Mon: 1:30pm
Tues: 1:30pm
Disgusting reason why you should regularly vacuum your mattress Credits: Social Media
By Ellissa Bain

Disgusting reason why you should regularly vacuum your mattress

By Ellissa Bain

How often do you change your bed sheets? Once a week? Every fortnight? Once a month? It’s one of the most widely debated topics – but a more important question is how often do you vacuum your mattress?

If your answer is never, you’re definitely going to change your cleaning habits after reading this. A doctor has gone viral on TikTok after revealing the reason why you should always vacuum your mattress, and it’s so disgusting.

Duvet, and pillows on a bed without cover in a bedroom
Clean white bedding in a room, on an unmade bed. Conceptual with space for copy. Preparing hotel room for guests, changing duvet covers. Credit: Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derman (Getty Images)

Why you should vacuum your mattress

Dr. Karan Raj responded to a video in which a guy vacuumed his mattress for the first time and showed the huge amount of dust that gathered inside the vacuum cleaner.

“What you’re looking at isn’t just dust, unfortunately, it’s a forbidden cocktail of dead skin cells, dust mites and their excrement,” he said. Gross!

The doctor revealed that every night, we share our bed with “a few million” dust mites, who love to “take dumps” where we sleep.

Dust mites are microscopic, insect-like pests that commonly live in house dust, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences explains.

They feed on flakes of dead skin that are shed by people and pets and can live in mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, carpets, and curtains in your home.

Raj explained that dust mite faeces contain a protein that’s a major trigger for asthma and other allergies, but vacuuming your mattress regularly reduces this allergen load.

You can vacuum away a significant amount of the dust, mites, dead skin cells and pet dander (flakes of skin in an animal’s fur), which will stop any symptoms like itchy eyes or sneezing.

Plus, even if you don’t experience any of these reactions, the thought of sleeping with millions of dust mites every night is just pretty gross – so vacuum your mattress!

@dr.karanr

Vacuum your mattress! @Dave Chen | Movies/TV

♬ original sound – Dr Karan Rajan

How to prevent dust mites

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences explains that no matter how clean a home is, dust mites cannot be completely eliminated. However, as well as vacuuming your mattress, there are a number of things you can do to reduce them:

  • Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to maintain humidity levels at, or below, 50%.
  • Encase your mattress and pillows in dust-proof or allergen-impermeable covers.
  • Wash all bedding and blankets once a week in hot water, 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, to kill dust mites.
  • Replace wool or feathered bedding products with synthetic materials, and traditional stuffed animals with washable ones.
  • In bedrooms, replace wall-to-wall carpeting with bare floors, and remove fabric curtains and upholstered furniture, whenever possible.
  • Use a damp mop or rag to remove dust. Never use a dry cloth, as it stirs up allergens.
  • Use a double-layered microfilter bag or a HEPA filter in your vacuum cleaner.

The doctor also recommends getting a mattress cover and washing it every time you clean your sheets.