Mattress Warehouse recommends the purchase and use of a good mattress pad to help protect your investment. A quality mattress pad will not only protect your warranty from being voided due to stains, but will allow you to remove, wash and refresh your sleeping surface.

• An adult produces 1 billion skin flakes a day.
• An adult secretes 1 quart of sweat/day. 99%, 990 ml is water, therefore 1%, 10g is salt.
• An adult produces 38g grease/day (sebum).
• Bacteria and dust mites feed on our secretions, and upwards of 10 million bacteria per square inch of skin.
• The weight of our mattress doubles every ten years due to the weight of dead dust mites inside.
• The material in most mattresses will have deteriorated by up to 75% after ten years of use.

Dust mites, tiny relatives of ticks and spiders, are so small that six of them will fit on the end of a pin. They thrive in warm humid conditions and their favorite spot is your mattress, your pillow, and your bedding. They feed on the dead skin cells and body fluids you excrete when you sleep. Dust mites are recognized to be the main cause for Asthma, chronic Rhinitis ("Hay Fever") and other allergies. Their shedded skin and feces are small enough to be easily breathed in by humans, and are what cause the allergic reactions.

A washable mattress pad will help prevent these problems from occurring as they block bacteria, dust mites and body secretions from penetrating your mattress. You should wash your mattress pad frequently in water that is at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures will not kill dust mites. Keeping your mattress clean and sanitary is a good step toward healthy, restorative sleep!