By Danbee You, Alliance Intern from Washington University, St. Louis ‘28
With the UV over 5 and fall’s cool breeze just around the corner, now is the perfect time to soak in the sun — for both you and your bedding.
Sunning your bedding is laying out your pillows and blankets under the sun as a natural method to deodorize, disinfect, and bleach fibers.
Before drying machines replaced the world’s most powerful drying agent, the sun, people had relied on sunning for ages. Whether in the open fields of rural American homes or hung from the paint-cracked windows of European villages, you have likely seen sunning in action. Although this is a traditional method, its effectiveness is timeless.
Clean, Convenient, Cheap and Chemical-Free
When was the last time you washed your pillows or changed your bed sheets? Be honest.
Experts say you should wash your bed sheets and pillowcases once a week, but realistically, the last thing we want to do in our busy schedule is wrestle with a stubborn mattress cover or zip up a floral duvet cover just to discover it’s the wrong side.
Bedding is typically the bulkiest thing you are washing, and many pillow and duvet fillings, particularly the ones stuffed with organic wool, down, memory foam, or polyfill, are not inherently washable.
It may be tempting to neglect this burdensome task, especially when our sheets look deceivingly pristine. However, our beds harbor oil, sweat, dirt, skin flakes, dust, dust mites, and a pervasive confetti of human and pet hair. Sunning can act as a convenient and simple solution to the bacteria hiding in your bedding, without requiring numerous trips to the washer.
The way sunning works is UV rays extinguish dust mites, mildew, and allergens from your bedding. The rays also absorb odors and sweat from the fabric, while an outdoor breeze can air out any lingering smells. It even has natural bleaching abilities and can lighten mild stains from your bedding.
Anyone Can Sun
Sunning is incredibly simple. Here’s how to sun with tips from resthouse:
Frequency: Twice a year for bulkier items, such as pillows, blankets, and mattresses.
Duration: ~4 hours should suffice, but it is up to you. As a warning, excessive sun exposure can fade the original fabric color.
- Strip your sheets and pillowcases to be washed as normal and later dried in the sun. You can also haul bulkier bedding directly outside. Sunning is particularly beneficial for mattresses and wool or down-filled bedding, which can be a hassle to wash. You can sun any fabric, from dish towels to workout shorts.
- On a hot sunny day, hang the bedding outside on a drying rack or a clothesline. Ensure that there is enough airflow through the fabric. The best time of day is after 11 am, so you have sufficient time before sunset.
- Let the bedding bask in the sun for a couple of hours. Watch a movie. Bake a pie. Read more of the Alliance’s articles.
- After around two hours have passed, flip over and fluff the bedding. Bulkier items, such as mattresses, may require an extra fluff.
- Wait a few more hours. Perhaps you can browse through the Alliance’s Take Actions.
- When you think your bedding has had its fair share of sun time, bring it inside.After an hour or so, your bedding is deodorized and refreshed, thanks to the sun!
Optional: In humid conditions, you can drape the material indoors for an hour to let any outdoor humidity dissipate from the material.
Instead of hand-washing your wool pillows or dedicating a day to loading and unloading your washer, make the most of August’s stubborn heat and treat your bedding to sunning.