We spend about a third of our lives in bed, but it never quite feels like enough.
However it turns out our bedding and mattress are a hotbed for bacteria and other gross things, and many people are guilty of not washing their sheets often enough.
Some people may go a few weeks or even a month without changing the duvet cover, but the experts at online-bedrooms.co.uk stress it needs to be done once a week.
They explain that your favourite pillow can accumulate over several thousand times more bacteria than a toilet seat in just seven nights. Luckily, the organisms found on pillowcases are largely harmless and are simply a build up of skin cells, sweat and saliva.
Another mistake many of us may be making is how often we change our mattress. It's hardly an exciting purchase, so many people don't really think about splashing out on a new one unless they need to.
However, it too is a nesting place for germs and you could be sharing your bed with yeast, mould and bacteria.
As well as microbes, skin cells and food particles that are transferred to our mattresses from our bodies, a factor in making mattresses such a germy spot is gravity.
Airborne particles of dust and debris float around the bedroom before settling on the bed.
The experts recommend replacing your mattress every seven to eight years.
Nic Shacklock from online-bedrooms.co.uk said: “It is no secret that germs live all over our houses, however there are lots of hidden spots that we may not ever think about during our cleaning rituals.
“Spots like pillowcases and curtains might look fresh and clean, they are hiding a range of nasty bacteria that could lead to enhanced allergies, unpleasant odours and skin issues.”
Bur perhaps the most surprising germ hotspot is bedroom lamps, which collect a huge amount of germs but tend to be missed during cleaning.
Their surfaces offer space for dust and dirt to settle and are common touch points so need to be wiped and disinfected every week.
