Does Your Mattress Really Double in Weight Every 10 Years?

By now, most of us have heard that mattresses double in weight over the course of ten years due to a decades-worth of dust mite debris (feces), yesteryear’s body fluids, and dead skin cells. When it came time for my husband and I to buy a new mattress, our conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you think we should invest in a mattress protector this time?
Husband: It’s probably a good idea.
Me: I just don’t want to spend more than we have to.
Husband: Well, unless you want to sleep in a bed full of invisible gross things, I say we get one.
Me: *sees $100 pricetag at store* If we can find one for under $30, sure. But how do we know if it’ll even be worth it? Will it be as crinkly to sleep on as I’m imagining?

I put on my reading glasses and hit the web to find out if a mattress protector was really necessary. According to publications by Ohio State University, the average used mattress contains around 100,000 to 10 million mites inside. Yikes.

Dust mites are tiny arachnids (kin to spiders and scabies) that are too small to see with the human eye. They make their homes in mattresses, pillows, and bedding because their favorite food is none other than human skin. Lucky for them, we shed about one-fifth an ounce of skin every week. And since we spend one third of our lives in bed, we can be sure that there’s an endless buffet of skin flakes for our microscopic bedmates. Those dust mites leave dangerous poop for us to toss and turn in overnight.

Dust mite droppings contain a very potent allergen, called DerP1, which causes chronic headaches, sinus troubles, asthma, and skin rashes. Even if you’ve never felt like your bed was making you sick, how do you know if you are really being harmed by the presence of dust mites in your bed? According to most experts, the impact varies. People who have known allergies to dust mites need to take extra precaution, and everyone else should protect themselves, too. One in four Americans has some type of allergy, and within that group about two-thirds are to dust mites. Dr. Diego Saporta, a specialist in allergy management, says that allergy symptoms don’t have to be obvious or bothersome to be present.

Between the mites, the droppings, and the skin flakes, it makes sense that our mattresses gain weight over the years. But is the statistic of it doubling in weight after ten years accurate? My research could not confirm the exact numerics, but my biggest concern at this point wasn’t the weight of my mattress, but the ugly truth about my night-time hygiene. So, do mattress protectors actually work? In 2004, the New England Journal of Medicine found that covering children’s mattresses with dust mite proof protectors severely reduced the children’s’ asthma complications. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology also agrees that encasing your mattress in an antibacterial/waterproof covering is a strong defense against dust mites. My husband and I went online shopping to find a mattress protector that was reasonably priced and good quality. We discovered a company called Cosy House as an Amazon Choice Top Seller that had some pretty amazing features:

ULTRA SOFT & stretchable fabric
QUIET material that silently stays in place
DUO-LAYER membrane technology
BREATHABLE, promotes air circulation
100% WATER & SPILL PROOF
HYPOALLERGENIC & antibacterial
Only $28.95

And… it’s made from natural bamboo! I’d heard about bamboo fabrics as being an extremely soft alternative to cotton, but had never made the switch myself. We got our Cosy House mattress protector delivered the next day. When I took it out of the box, I was really surprised at how soft and plushy the top fabric was! It slid with ease over our new mattress. We’re happy to report that the product’s description on Amazon is very accurate. If you’re concerned about protecting your mattress from dust mites like we are, we highly recommend Cosy House! They offer sizes for all mattress types and are currently running a huge sale on their website. Their whole website is 65% OFF. So head over to their site to get this awesome mattress protector before they sell out!

EDITOR'S NOTE: They have a very limited supply currently and last time we published our exclusive deal they were sold out for over a month, so act fast. As of right now mattress protectors are IN STOCK. This offer is only guaranteed to be valid until end of day: Thursday, April 25, 2024.