• Dr. Philip Tierno, noted New York University microbiology professor and author of The Secret Life of Germs, writes, “There is no single place that challenges a person more immunologically than the mattress and pillow combination. Given that people are in close proximity to their beds for many hours each night, proper mattress hygiene is an important component to healthy sleep. Many products exist to clean living areas and the bathroom, but very few products effectively address the bedroom, the second germiest place in one’s home following the kitchen.” 

The Problem… 

• We devote lots of time, care and money to maintaining our high standards of personal hygiene… but we overlook the importance of maintaining our mattress hygiene. 
• Would we ever wear the same clothes for one-third of our lives and never remove them for a thorough washing?   
• Imagine how filthy and grimy, how full of bacteria and disease, our clothes would be after only months of constant wear’n’tear!
• But we wear our mattresses and pillows for about one-third of our lives… and what are we doing to keep them fresh’n’clean?
• Bacteria, insects, harmful diseases and much more… lurk deep inside… and create hazardous sleeping conditions for infants, children, guests and ourselves.
• Kids at weekend sleepovers, visits to out-of-town relatives, teenagers in university dorms… do we ever think about their mattress hygiene?
• Undesirable creatures are reproducing right underneath us, night in, night out… turning our mattresses in breeding grounds for bed bugs and allergens, such as dust mites – all factors that contribute to startling increases in respiratory diseases, including asthma as well as rhinitis, eczema and bed bug bites. 

Some everyday mattress scenarios…

• While enjoying our delicious breakfast in bed… we accidentally spill our coffee and create a pool of moisture on the mattress. As the wetness seeps through our sheets and into our mattress… we have unwittingly provided a new home for mildew and bacteria.  
• While infants and toddlers snuggle in bed with their parents… and when household pets jump onto beds depositing mud, fleas and exterior dirt… more wet mementos are usually the result.

Some body’n’mattress scenarios…

• Fluids from normal bodily functions leak through our sheets… escape into our mattress where they remain… and become a contributing cause of respiratory and other ailments.
• Fluids from nursing mothers experiencing leakage, pregnant women breaking water, intimate physical contact, menstruating women, menopausal women with excessive perspiration or sudden bleeding, adolescent boys, men and women experiencing urinary and bowel incontinence.
• Halo rings on our pillows – from the saliva released during sleep – invite allergens, such as dust mites and more.
• Normal perspiration released during sleep at regular room temperature, as well as excessive perspiration in non-air conditioned rooms during very hot weather, contribute to mattress deterioration… and can eventually affect our overall health.
• Urine easily saturates mattresses well beyond the surface area… and cleaning urine from a mattress is very difficult, especially if the urine has penetrated deep into the cloth materials. Along with very unpleasant, persistent odours… this seepage creates ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria.  

Help! What’s the Protect-A-Bed^® Solution?

The most effective way to protect us from life’s spills and thrills… and ensure consistent mattress hygiene for every bed in the house – from cribs to kings – is to use a Protect-A-Bed^® mattress protector.

Click Here To learn about Aller-Zip™ and other Protect-A-Bed^® mattress protection solutions. 
Protect-A-Bed^® products assist in the management of allergens, such as dust mites, as well as incontinence, bed bugs, accidental spills and bodily fluids – all factors that affect mattress hygiene.
Protect-A-Bed^® products are not cures for these situations and cannot bring about their elimination.  

And here’s even more information about mattress hygiene…

• Body moisture is the number one cause of mattress and pillow degradation… and this loss of resiliency in foam and fiber makes the sleeper sink into the mattress, often leaving body impressions. 
• Because of dust mite infestation and their waste particles, after 10 years, the average unprotected mattress doubles in weight… and after only one year, the average pillow increases 10% in weight!
• To enhance our personal hygiene... we want our sheets, pillow cases, blankets and duvets to be fresh’n’clean, with an appealing scent that heightens the sleep experience…
• And to maintain a healthy lifestyle… our mattress hygiene must be as immaculate as our personal hygiene.