Warm welcome for bed bugs

More than one in ten Britons (13%) sleep in bedding that has not been washed for more than a month, while a quarter (27%) sleep on mattresses that are more than ten years old.

The annual Bed Bug Audit, conducted by Sheilas' Wheels home insurance, found that 29% of Brits have cut back on washing their bedding due to lack of time while 17% delay washing their dirty laundry to cut costs.  Men are the worst culprits, with 1.7 million waiting over a month before washing their bed linen.

With forecasters predicting erratic temperatures this winter which could reach -15 degrees Celsius by Christmas, British bedrooms could become the perfect breeding ground for bed bugs, which take refuge in the warmth of mattresses, pillows and sheets to feed.

To add to the cosy conditions, more than half of Brits (56%) said they would use extra blankets to keep warm this winter, while 31% would opt for a hot water bottle.

Almost a fifth of Brits surveyed (19%) said they were more likely now than last year to buy second hand furniture, which is a leading source of infestation as a pre-owned mattress alone can contain up to 10 million bed bugs.

Some 16% of British men put in an average of 30 days sheet use before washing their bedding while 4% admitted to not washing their bedding in over two months. Meanwhile, 9% of men confessed that they did not think washing the bed was important with over a third (35%) confessing they put off washing due to sheer laziness.

The Bed Bug Audit also revealed that 26% of Brits polled had no idea how bed bugs spread and a quarter said they were unaware of any measures to counter them, such as leaving sheets exposed during the day or regularly vacuuming all areas of the room - including the seams of the mattress.

Jacky Brown at Sheilas' Wheels home insurance said: "We spend so much time in our beds that it is astounding so many Brits and particularly bug busting men - do not keep them clean. Simple measures like avoiding eating in bed, leaving the sheets exposed during the day and washing them regularly can help avoid an infestation."