Our top five tips to keeping your bed smelling fresh

Maybe you're sick of washing your bedding as often as you are. Maybe you're noticing that only a few days after changing your sheets, your bed is getting excessively dusty or isn't smelling as fresh as it was. Either way, keeping your bed smelling and feeling fresh for as long as you possibly can is a great trick to master, and will make you enjoy being in and around your bed.

First things first: are you buying products that work for you? If you suffer from excessive sleep sweats or are prone to drooling (hey, no judgement from us - it's a normal occurrence that happens when you sleep on your front or side and breathe through your mouth), you'll need to be equipped with the right items.

Firstly, bamboo-cotton sheets sets and 100% linen sheets are incredible at wicking away moisture from you whilst you sleep, keeping you feeling dry. Bamboo-cotton sheets are also naturally anti-bacterial and odour resistant and can prevent your bed from leaving its state of freshness as quickly as other sheets might. For accidental spills or otherwise, investing in a good set of bedding protectors is worth the investment. A pillow protector will extend the life of your pillow by a few years, and the same goes for mattress protectors and quilt protectors. Grab one of each to protect your core bedding essentials and keep them fresh for as long as you want them!

How often should you wash your bedlinen?

Now that we have some basics sorted, let's look at wash cycles for your bedding. We recommend the following general guidelines for all your various bedding types, depending on your setup:

• Bed sheets should be washed either once or twice a fortnight. Factors that can help you determine what will work better for you are things like:
• whether or not you shower at night as opposed to in the morning
• how much you tend to sweat throughout the night
• how much time you physically spend in bed
• whether or not you eat in bed (crumbs are basically like tiny flags for bacteria colonies to establish)
• Pillowcase should be washed once a week ideally. Think about it - you breathe out bacteria from your mouth every time you exhale, which lands immediately on your pillowcase. That bacteria can then slowly build up all on its own. In addition, your skin will be producing its natural oils, which will transfer onto the pillow and add to the bacteria growth. Then dirt particles that have clung to your hair throughout the day can also transfer if you don't wash your hair every day, and it goes on and forth. To help prevent an acne breakout as well as maintain freshness, grab an extra set of pillowcases with your next sheet set for peace of mind. We recommend bamboo-cotton or silk pillowcases, as both fabrics are naturally bacteria-resistant.
• For protectors, we recommend washing approximately once a month - unless they have had to protect your essentials against an accidental spill, in which case we recommend washing directly after the spill.
• Quilts & pillows depend on what fill type they are - for example, feather and down pillows should never be washed, as water exposure can actually damage the integrity of the item. In cases where the care label indicates you may wash them, we recommend washing once every couple of months, but airing quilts and pillows out every 5 weeks or so.
• The same goes for mattresses - they are rarely washable, but this doesn't mean you can't clean them. Vacuuming your mattress once every month will prevent dirt and dust buildup, and airing it out will give it the chance to breathe. You can also sprinkle some baking soda over the surface before vacuuming, allowing it to absorb any odours for 30 minutes and give it an extra boost of freshness.
• For any other topical bedding, like filled cushions and throws, we recommend washing as you see fit and according to use! If your throw is only there for decorative purposes, it likely doesn't need as much washing as one that is used to also snuggle up on the couch.

Maintaining clean and fresh bedding

Now that your washing cycle is sorted, let's look at keeping the bed as clean as you can. Here are our best tips:

• Showering just before going to bed is a big one. Showering at the end of the day means that all the pollution, dust, grime, sweat and whatever else you may have brushed up against doesn't have the chance to end up in your bed. Even if you're a morning shower person, just a quick cleanse in the evening can make all the difference in prolonging the freshness of your bed.
• If you have an extreme nighttime skincare routine, great, but try and do it at least 30 minutes before you get into bed. Products need time to get properly absorbed into your skin - whether it's a moisturiser, oil-based serum or tanning lotion, and getting right into bed after applying them means that some (if not most) of the product is just going to end up in your sheets. Product buildup can also contribute to a funky odour that you'll want to avoid, so keep the creams on your skin well before your sleep alarm goes off!
• Use a sanitising and/or fragranced linen spray when you make your bed each morning. We recommend something with sage or lavender in it to create a soft, subtle scent in your bedding that will encourage sleep.
• Air out and sun your house as much as possible! Open the windows (not just in your bedroom, because airflow requires an entry and exit point) all way, push up the blinds and draw back the curtains. UV light has bacteria-killing properties, and unless you live in an industrial area, the air quality inside your home is probably much poorer than the air outside. Letting a breeze flow through your home for a few hours can encourage bad scents to leave and prevent dust from settling.
• As cute as they are, don't let your pets on the bed. They already have fur coats to keep them warm, and they more than likely aren't showering as often as you are - so anything they step or roll in outside comes into the bed with them. Not to mention animal hair is a very fast way to build up bad odours, due to its protein-based composition.
• If you get dusty floors easily, wear a pair of slippers around the house before getting into bed, or keep a damp washcloth on your bedside table to dust your feet off before settling in. You may not realise it, but anything sticking to your floor can stick to your feet, which means it can end up in your bed. At the risk of repeating ourselves, that includes an array of surface bacteria that can build up, and as your feet stay in the tucked-in end of your bed, less airflow can mean your sheets get gross, fast.
• A tip for good measure is to run a humidifier with a couple of scented essential oil drops before falling asleep, allowing the scent to flow throughout the room and settle into your furnishings. Any fabric surface made from natural fibres has the potential to absorb surrounding smells, so reed diffusers and scented candles are also good options here.