The dirt on the pillows is always present. Washing pillows is a task that many of us can forget. But if you still have allergies, it’s probably because your pillow is full of bacteria, allergens, sweat, dust, and who knows what else. It is not enough for you to take out the cover of your precious pillow and change it every so often. The really dirty thing is under that thin fabric that fills with drool at night, and that is why many times your pillow is not always a completely clean place.
After Knowing About the Grime, You Will Wash the Pillowcase
How often do you wash your pillowcases? Think carefully about when the last time you did this was and, if it was more than a week ago, you should take into account the amount of bacteria and dirt that your pillow can accumulate in that time, especially now in summer. Although you think it is completely clean, in reality, it is not.
One way to detect dirt on the pillow is that the bad smell is caused by residue that is mostly imperceptible to the human eye, but not to the sense of smell. So to detect if your cover is clean or not, it is as simple as smelling it carefully and applying common sense: if it doesn’t smell clean, it isn’t clean.
Experts recommend at least weekly washing. If you do not wash it frequently, the dirt, as you already know, accumulates, to the point of passing through the cover and integrating into the cushion, where it will remain forever. In this case, you should also wash your pillows. You can even vacuum the cushion and apply hydrogen peroxide to visible stains. Finally, enhance cleaning by integrating baking soda and cleaning vinegar into your regular wash.
What Debris Accumulates in the Pillowcase
1. Dust Mites
The body is continually releasing dead cells: the same goes for the face and scalp. While we sleep, these accumulate on our pillow, causing our faces to be in constant direct contact with them. But this is only the beginning. It turns out that these dead cells are the favorite food of dust mites, which also accumulate in our pillows. Yes, yes, while you are sleeping, these species are taking the opportunity to put on the boots of the dead cells that you shed.
Many dermatologists have confirmed that no matter how much we clean, there are dust mites in every home. Dust mites leave residue, remains of their bodies, and other allergens in their wake. We will never know they are there because we do not see them, but we must be aware of their existence.
2. Dandruff, earwax, saliva, sweat
70% of the waste in the pillowcase is invisible. This data confirms that the dirt that accumulates on our pillowcase is not only from mites, but is also ours. Let’s take a look at our pillow under a magnifying glass.
A human usually expels around 1 liter of sweat, 10 grams of salt, 40 grams of fat, and 2 billion dead cells. In addition, there are other natural and artificial wastes found in our heads, such as the saliva we expel from the mouth, hair, dandruff, mucus, earwax, etc. Added to the natural ones are the artificial ones, if we use products for the face or hair, such as makeup products, creams, gels and a long etcetera.
This story was written in Spanish by Perla Vallejo in Ecoosfera