Can a dirty pillow make you sick?

The importance of a good night’s sleep is critical in our busy lives to ensure we are at our best for work, school or leisure activities the following morning.

We’ll all have seen advice from different sources about ways to ensure we get the required number of hours of quality sleep – whether we’re being urged not to eat certain foods close to bedtime, avoid drinking alcohol or coffee, or to put down our mobile devices in the house leading up to bedtime.

Meanwhile there is a plethora of different types of mattresses on the market, all boasting different attributes depending on your preferred sleeping position, ability to ‘remember’ how you sleep, and preference for anything from super-soft through to super-firm.

Can old pillows make you sick?

Ensuring bed linen is clean and changed regularly is of course key to creating a fresh and inviting night-time environment.

But what about the bed itself – especially when it comes to pillows? Pillows are often in use for several years – not everyone will change their pillows as often as recommended by the experts, which is as frequently as every one to two years – and over time can become home to a vast quantity of dirt and other bacteria.

For eight hours (or maybe even longer) each night, our faces and hair are in direct contact with the pillowcase. During that time the pillow can therefore be significantly exposed to body oil and sweat, saliva and skin dander. It’s no surprise therefore to learn that pillows can rapidly become very dirty when not subjected to a regular and effective cleaning regime.

Pillowcases may well be washed regularly, but how many people remember to clean their pillows even half as regularly?

As a result, many pillows can over time harbour fungi, bacteria, dust mites and a variety of other allergens if not regularly and effectively cleaned. These organisms are very often invisible to the human eye so we may not think they are there – but they are, and they need to be dealt with.

Can dirty pillows cause infections?

Their potential negative health effects are significant and unlikely to disappear until the affected pillow is properly cleaned. And these issues are likely to be exacerbated for sufferers of asthma and other allergies. The good news seems to be that Coronavirus seems to be rarely if ever transferred through a dirty pillow but that’s still no excuse not to keep your pillows clean.

Many of us choose to use pillow protectors – effectively an additional pillowcase underneath the main exterior pillowcase. But over time even these can start to harbour the same organisms as the main pillowcase itself so still need to be properly cleaned. And no matter how protective they may be, they are made of porous fabric unlikely to be 100 percent effective in preventing the transfer of sweat, body oils and so on into the interior of the pillow underneath them.

How do you clean dirty pillows?

A great solution for dealing with the issue of pillows – particularly if you do not have the time to wash them and wait for them to dry as they are needed back on the bed the same night – is available from Aroma Care Solutions in the form of Bio one™ Odour Eliminator + Surface Cleaner.

A highly effective and easy to use multi-surface spray cleaner, this product tackles cleaning tasks differently from many other products on the market. Mixed with water and sprayed onto the surface, its organic enzymes get straight to work on destroying the bacteria which can cause health issues. As the bacteria are completely removed, so is the risk of the build-up of stale odours on the pillow too. These enzymes continue to multiply and work as long as the surface remains damp so spray on, and leave them to it.

As an organic product, Bio one™ Odour Eliminator + Surface Cleaner. contains no chemicals or toxins so is completely safe for use around children and animals. Made with grapefruit and tea tree oil, it even leaves a beautifully fresh aroma on your pillow, making your sleeping space even more inviting, while keeping your family safe from the effects of harmful bacteria too.

Best of all, it isn’t just suitable for pillows –Bio one™ Odour Eliminator + Surface Cleaner. is suitable for use on any form of bed linen, fabrics, furniture where its proven effect in killing harmful bacteria means stains and odours are rapidly and completely removed.

What are enzymes?

Don’t be fooled to think that because enzymes are natural they are less effective than chemical cleaners. Enzymes are nature’s very own powerful cleaning tools. Making them the go to choice for customers who do not want to spray harmful chemicals around their home.

Simply put, enzymes are all around us performing millions of important tasks in our bodies and in nature every single day. They are a type of protein that act like a biological catalyst to speed up the break down of organic compounds.

Similarly to how saliva, (which contains enzymes), initiates the digestion process by breaking down food in our mouths, cleaning enzymes use the same ‘enzymatic digestion’ to effectively break down and eradicate the organic proteins present in urine, faeces, vomit, drool, dirt, food, and more.

This process not only makes cleaning easier but also prevents the growth of bad bacteria – the root cause of those unpleasant odours – in the air, on surfaces, and within the fibres of your soft furnishings.

Try out Bio one™odour eliminator today, vomit and the other nasties is what nature created enzymes for.