Dear LPG,

We have all seen that Dreams advert where we are gently being hinted at to change our mattresses every eight years and I always thought, and still do, that it was just another ploy to get us consumers buying more of their products; after all, we know that all companies are looking to get us buying more these days.

Have you noticed though that most bed producing companies use their adverts to explain that your back will suffer and you will wake up having not slept comfortably if you don’t have their perfect mattress.  There are also those memory foam mattress adverts that home in on how much longer their product will last so I am really confused, but I crave your indulgence just in case there is another aspect that affects your sleeping haven and that really needs addressing.

I developed a bit of a rash a couple of years ago and, after many trips to my doctor, I have been directed to try a variety of different medicines and ointments to get rid of it without any success.  You can hardly see any visual evidence of it but it is itchy and annoying which is no fun at all.   My doctor, after offering me countless different medicines and ointments to try, mentioned that it could well have something to do with the mattress that I sleep on; after all, we do spend quite a lot of time in bed. 

He suggested that I think about buying a new one even though, after some 15 years with the one I have now, it still makes for the most comfortable sleep that I could ever want. 

The doctor drew me a mental picture of possible things that we are all nearly sure to be sharing our sleeping moments with each night. No matter how often we change the bed clothes, sweat, shed bits of skin, dust mites and discarded body fluids, to name a few, could be sharing your space under the covers.  He also brought up the subject of bed bugs, although he mentioned that you would be able to see them if you had an infestation and you can imagine that I went straight home and checked.  But there was no visible evidence that anything was wrong with the bed under my bed sheets.  

It seemed wrong to me to have to get rid of my mattress not knowing what sort of sleep a new one would afford me, which was when I went to the internet where YouTube is guaranteed to show you something new every day.

We all know that we should vacuum our mattresses every now and then but it is one of those things that just seems to get missed, but rather than instant replacement, I found some information about how easy it is to give your old mattress a new lease of life, with the help of some baking powder and your vacuum cleaner.

It is often the last thing you think of but a rash, or allergies, could be the result of something you unknowingly sleep with, so I strongly suggest, giving that mattress a bit of a spring clean before you throw it out altogether. 

CL, Camberwell

CL shared some related videos on the easiest ways to clean a mattress…

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… and the adverts that make for so much confusion and always focus on comfortability…

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