5.9 Million Brits Wearing Socks 'Dirtier Than a Toilet' to Bed
As part of their analysis, researchers at MattressNextDay conducted swab tests on socks worn by people from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Each person wore the same socks whilst wearing shoes, exercising, and going about their everyday routine. They then swabbed a doormat and TV remote to compare the bacteria found in these bacteria hotspots to reveal which were dirtier.
The lab report confirmed that the bacteria on the socks and the doormat were the same, suggesting that they were just as dirty as each other. In previous studies, the remote has been dubbed as ‘dirtier than a toilet’however MattressNextDay’s findings revealed that the socks of the participants were even dirtier than a TV remote. This is extra worrying given that people are then wearing these socks to bed, therefore, spreading faeces in an area where they spend a third of their life.
The socks you sleep in are also likely to carry the same bacteria found on cockroaches and their faecal droppings
The lab report also found that half of the socks featured the same bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can be commonly found on cockroaches and in their faecal droppings.
If surfaces or household items are not properly cleaned, P. aeruginosa can be easily spread. So, it is essential that you manage the cleaning of your clothing, particularly those that you wear for longer than 24 hours (if you choose to sleep in the same socks you have worn during the day).
Dr Deborah Lee at Dr Fox Online Pharmacy added, “Pseudomonas infection poses a threat to those who are immunocompromised, such as people with diabetes, cystic fibrosis, burns, cancer, organ transplant recipients and newborn babies. We need to keep pseudomonas levels under control to protect this portion of the population who are vulnerable.”
70% of Brits don’t change their socks before getting into bed
As part of their analysis, MattressNextDay polled over 1,000 Brits about their sleeping habits and found that 18% of adults wear socks while sleeping. What's more concerning is that a staggering 70% of those sock-wearers do not bother changing into a clean pair before bed – that is why the above swab results are so shocking.
Taking the above into account as well as the fact that there are 47 million adults in the UK, this means that 8.4 million Brits wear socks to bed. And then of these sock-wearers, 5.9 million* don’t change into a fresh pair.
