Bed hygiene is not just about changing and cleaning bed linen. The mattress toppers also need to be cared for regularly – something that is often neglected. This not only affects cleanliness.
Recently there have been increasing reports of poor bed hygiene in the hotel industry, especially when it comes to mattresses. Here we are not talking about guest comments on the hotels’ complaint pages. There is talk of increasing reporting by international media, across national borders.
Would you like examples? August 2023, “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ): An ice hockey club breaks off its training camp in Switzerland early because of “dirty mattresses”. January 2024, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR): A film from the consumer magazine “Markt” is about “dubious hotel mattresses: major hygiene deficiencies!”. February 2024, trade magazine “Cost & Logis”: The luxury hotel Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel in Leipzig fails a hotel test for bed hygiene.
The series could be continued, but these reports have already reached millions of readers and viewers – all of them guests in the hotel industry. What if such a report hits your own hotel? And what can be done to avoid dirty beds and thus negative reporting, which always has an impact on sales?
In order for the cover of a mattress to be washable, it must be of appropriate material and design.
To be clear: It is unavoidable that hotel beds become dirty through use. It’s about removing the unavoidable dirt. And this is exactly where the problem lies in the industry. It is not enough to just wash and change the bed linen. Mattress toppers or encasings (mattress protective covers) also need to be cleaned as regularly as the mattress itself. But that is not exactly the case so far, and that is why there are always problems here. The previously practiced vacuuming of mattresses is not a solution. There is a good reason why bed linen and sheets are not vacuumed, but washed.
Above all, however, the encasings represent a hygiene problem. As studies have shown, they are often by far the dirtiest equipment element in the hotel bed, which is due to the fact that they are usually inadequately cared for. They also reduce sleeping comfort due to the sweating effect, noise development or surface tension, to name just a few keywords. And they represent an additional burden on the environment, especially if they are made as a membrane. Because then artificial perennial chemicals (PFAS) are usually involved, which, as the name suggests, can never be removed from the environment.
The use of encasings for mattresses is becoming less attractive
Therefore, as we have already heard, there will be a change in this regard in the future catalog of hotel classification criteria (2025-2030). The 10 points with which the use of encasings on mattresses (7 points for pillows) were previously rewarded will no longer apply. And, unlike before, there should now be binding guidelines for cleaning them. This reduces the incentive to use them and at the same time increases the costs of using them.
On the other hand, washing the mattress, on the other hand, is encouraged, starting with washing mattress covers. However, in order for the cover of a mattress to be washable, it must be washable in terms of material and design and made in such a way that it can be easily removed from the mattress and put back on again, for example via a zipper.
Removable mattress covers protect the environment
Unfortunately, this will not be feasible for most hotels. To date, the majority of all hotel mattresses consist of spring mattresses with non-removable covers (77% of all hotel mattresses are equipped with a non-removable cover, study from “Cost & Logis”, Check-up 2022 edition). And this is where the supply industry comes into play, because it produces and sells mattresses and has a corresponding interest in both selling as many as possible and producing them cheaply.
So far, the catalog of hotel classification criteria, which many hotels that are not classified are based on, has also helped her. The catalog currently rewards all hotels whose mattresses are not older than five years with 10 points under criterion 72. And it is precisely for this reason that many mattresses in the hotel industry end up incinerated after around five years.
A shame for the environment, but a joy for the manufacturers, because they can then sell new products. A mattress that ends up in the trash after five years plus doesn’t need a zipper. The industry simply saved these costs. That will now change, and the supply industry will have to adapt (as in other product areas) to producing mattresses in such a way that they can be cared for or even repaired.
Anyone who tries to remove the cover from a Bonell or pocket spring mattress today will quickly experience a miracle. Because the cover usually holds the interior together in these hotel models. If it is removed, the mattress falls apart into its components. Washable mattresses are not a thing of the future, but rather a reality. It has long been standard in the consumer market for mattresses to have a removable and washable cover.
This specialist article is published in February 2024 in collaboration with Swissfeel developed.
Reduce CO₂ emissions and costs
The Swiss company Swissfeel has been offering fully washable mattresses for the hotel industry for years, including a washing service, where the mattress cover and mattress core are professionally washed separately. Of course, such a service is not free, but it can save costs in the long term because washing is cheaper than buying.
And CO₂ emissions can be significantly reduced immediately, because with a circular system caused by washing, the number of mattresses to be produced can be reduced and at the same time the destruction of resources through waste incineration can be avoided. And by the way, washing the mattresses regularly ensures that this most important piece of equipment in the hotel industry – because without beds there are no guests – is always reset to zero in terms of hygiene.
A dirty mattress can be cleaned again, just like the bed linen. Anyone who understands this and establishes an appropriate laundry service including suitable mattresses in their hotel will no longer have a problem with bed hygiene and negative reports. So negative headlines can be avoided! And guests will sleep better too. Because a sustainable mattress with a hygiene certificate has an effect that goes beyond just providing one night’s sleeping comfort.
Philipp Hangartner, CEO Swissfeel
