November 18, 2022, 11:56 am | Read time: 5 minutes
After eight hours of sleep, a bedroom can develop an unpleasant odor. That’s why many people open the bedroom window immediately upon waking. MyHOMEBOOK explains how this bad smell forms and how to get rid of it in this article.
A morning odor is completely normal and harmless. The smell is caused by sweat, bad breath, and gases released from the body. It’s impossible to completely avoid the unpleasant smell in the bedroom. However, there are ways to reduce it. Find out what helps here.
Overview
How to Properly Ventilate Your Bedroom
6 Things We Often Forget When Cleaning the Bedroom
4 Tips to Combat Dust Mites
What to do about unpleasant odors in the bedroom?
1. Sleep with a tilted window
If the morning odor bothers you a lot, you can leave the window tilted open overnight. This ensures adequate air circulation and prevents the stale smell from forming. Even a few slits (such as with external shutters) are sufficient. If open windows disturb your sleep, you can alternatively use an electric air purifier. If none of this is possible, there’s only one thing left to do: ventilate thoroughly right after waking up. By the time you return from the bathroom, the bedroom usually smells fresh again.
2. Prevent bad breath
Upon waking, not only does the bedroom smell, but almost everyone has morning breath. From a medical perspective, this phenomenon is even beneficial, as it can be attributed to our salivary glands producing less saliva at night. Unfortunately, this dries out the mouth, allowing odor-causing bacteria to multiply more easily. This is actually the main reason for a smell like a puma cage in the bedroom.
Also interesting: What really helps against bad odors in the bathroom?
While it can’t be completely avoided, we can counteract it a bit with thorough oral hygiene before bed. In addition to the toothbrush, we should not forget the tongue scraper. A coating forms on the tongue that can be removed with an appropriate cleaner. This ensures a fresh and clean feeling. If you like, you can also use a mild mouthwash afterward. For more tips on preventing bad breath, click here.
3. Choose the right textiles
Healthy people lose between half a liter and a liter of sweat per night. All of this evaporates into the air or is absorbed by the mattress. The most important thing here is adequate hygiene, as old sweat is usually the only one that smells.
Pay attention to your sleep textiles as well. Polyester has no place in pajamas, for example. You should wear cotton pajamas, and the same goes for bed linens. Light fabrics that can be washed at 140°F in the machine are best. Also, make sure the blanket is not too warm and that the comforter is not too heavy. If you suffer from cold sweats, warm, clean cotton socks can help.
Also interesting: What can cause bad odors in the bedroom?
4. Don’t make the bed in the morning
Excuse me? Yes, you read that right. Some organization gurus recommend making the bed right after getting up, but from a hygiene perspective, that’s not a good idea. Making the bed immediately in the morning creates a warm, moist environment–ideal conditions for mites.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to forgo a neatly made bed. You should shake out the comforter well in the morning and hang it over the balcony railing or windowsill to air out. If you don’t have much time in the morning or need to go to the office, at least fold back the comforter. You can still make the bed later in the day–no one will see it in the meantime.
5. Hygiene for bed linens and mattress
Even though most of us don’t enjoy it, bed linens should be changed every week. Don’t forget your mattress. Experts recommend flipping it every three months.
If possible, use a steam cleaner to rid your mattress of germs. Caution: Let it dry thoroughly afterward, preferably in the fresh air during summer. A mattress protector is also recommended, as it can be washed more frequently and easily.
Related: How often should you wash your bed linens?
6. Proper ventilation and heating
We usually don’t use the bedroom during the day. Keeping the windows slightly open might seem like a good way to get fresh air, but it can have the opposite effect. In winter, constantly open windows can cool down the walls, and in summer, they can let in too much moisture. Both can lead to mold.
On the other hand, not ventilating enough is just as unfavorable. The optimal solution: ventilate three to five times a day for a few minutes, then close the windows again. In cold temperatures, learn more about how to ventilate your bedroom properly.
7. Get rid of absorbed odors
Now to the crucial question: Is it really just the stale air, or is there a more serious problem? The former is, as mentioned, completely normal and harmless. If the room smells fresh again after opening the windows in the morning, you can breathe easy. But if the smell lingers even after airing out, it’s advisable to look for the cause.
The worst-case scenario: An expert should be called in to analyze and address the problem. Fortunately, unpleasant odors often have harmless causes. Bad smells can, for example, get trapped in room textiles such as curtains or carpets. Regular cleaning of light bulbs and radiators is also recommended, as they can emit unpleasant aromas when turned on.
Make sure to put worn street clothes directly into the laundry basket instead of leaving them lying around or hanging them back in the closet. This is often a forgotten cause of mustiness in the bedroom. By the way, used street clothes can also be a source of unpleasant odors. You can bind and neutralize them with mild detergents.