Have you ever thought about what lives in your pillow? Like really thought about how dirty it could be? If you are already a border-line germaphobe, maybe think twice before reading this or it might push you over the edge! Bacteria thrive in moist, warm environments.. like your pillow. It is constantly sitting in your stale bedroom air, day after day, just letting bacteria breed. Who knew, but pillows are actually the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria found in your pillow feed on bodily fluids, all while living in the perfect temperature your body unknowingly creates for it. After collecting data, a study shows there are plenty of unwanted "bugs" living in your pillow. Bugs like MRSA, chicken pox, E. coli, and even leprosy. Since you have been exposed to these different types of diseases and bacteria your entire life, it's really a big risk to you. But it can affect people with immune disorders. A study shows that out of the selected hospital pillows tested, scientists found one million Staphylococcus hominus per millilitre. This can cause very serve infections for people who are in the hospital with already weakened immune systems. A man who worked at the hospital the study took place at even said these pillows can be considered a "bio hazard." This worries me because aren't hospitals supposed to be pretty clean?
Changing out the pillow case does not automatically make the pillow clean, it takes more than that. The article suggests you should clean your pillows every one to three months by washing them in water 60C or higher or you can put them in the freezer for more than 24 hours to kill the bacteria. I am definitely taking this new information to heart. I'm the type of person that changes my sheets on my bed each week, so finding out my bed is still dirty after all that bothers me! Isn't it strange how there is entire colonies living right next to you each night and you don't even realize it?
