Your bed is gross. Here’s how to clean it.

The average person spends about a third of their lives sleeping - which, for most people, will equate to more than 2½ decades. That’s a lot of time in bed.

We tend to see our beds (and by extension, our bedrooms) as calm sanctuaries, an escape at the end of an exhausting day. Yet we don’t necessarily prioritize cleaning them. Experts say that’s misguided, though. Our beds, where our bodies sweat, our scalps release oils, our skin sheds dead cells and dust mites run amok, may be grosser than we think.

“When it comes to allocating time to clean, we get the areas done that we’re using or that are out in the open,” says Becky Rapinchuk, who runs cleaning website and course Clean Mama. “We’re cleaning those areas before we’re prioritizing our bedrooms.”

Here’s how she and other cleaning professionals recommend cleaning your bed - and the surrounding spaces - so you can sleep with peace of mind.

Change your sheets once a week (really)

Amid the bustle of daily life, washing your sheets may land firmly at the bottom of your to-do list. We get it. But if the health concerns of inhaling skin flakes, dust and, potentially, pet hair for eight hours a night aren’t convincing, maybe the peace of mind that comes with having a clean bed will be.

“There’s an element, too, in keeping the space that you’re sleeping in and you wake up to start your day in calm and clean,” says Sarah McAllister, founder of cleaning companies Bleach, Pray, Love and GoCleanCo. “That can set the tone for your whole day.”

She and Rapinchuk recommend washing your sheets once a week, and treating any stains before washing. Defer to the manufacturer’s instructions, but washing sheets as hot as the label allows is the most effective way to remove skin cells, odors and dust mites. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to do an extra rinse cycle to wash away any leftover allergens.

Try washing your sheets over the weekend, or pick a day that works with your schedule, to establish a consistent routine. Another way to simplify the task includes keeping two or more sets of sheets so you can change your bedding without having to do laundry immediately.

Ditching the top sheet can make things easier, too, Rapinchuk says. “A washable duvet cover serves as a top sheet. I find it’s easier because there’s less to launder. It’s also helpful to not have tons of bedding and extras that take time to put back.”

Clean the mattress

McAllister recommends vacuuming your mattress every time you deep clean your space. You can use a handheld vacuum to suck up dust mites and dead skin cells, but if you don’t have an upholstery attachment, a traditional floor vacuum will work just as well - if not better. “That has the most suction and gets the most up,” she says. Just be careful to keep your balance when you climb on your mattress.

Depending on the type of mattress you have, baking soda can be a powerful deodorizing agent. Sprinkle it on, let it sit for an hour to absorb oils and any dampness, then vacuum. Don’t try this on memory foam mattresses, though, McAllister says; it can damage the porous material. Instead, make sure to wash memory foam mattress covers when you vacuum your bed.

Treat spots with a stain remover and wipe with a cloth dampened with a bit of warm water. Don’t soak the spot, though; too much water can leave a new stain, McAllister says.

Air out your sheets

If you’re tempted to make your bed as soon as you wake up, try hitting the pause button. We sweat when we sleep, and making the bed immediately doesn’t give it time to dry. That creates a perfect environment for dust mites, which prefer dark, damp spaces to thrive.

McAllister says to flip your covers back completely when you get out of bed and try to wait about an hour before remaking it. “It’s the same concept as opening a window” to air things out, she says.

Don’t forget the space under the bed

Using the area under your bed for storage is a great way to maximize limited space. But those out-of-season sweaters or that T-shirt collection can collect dust quickly if stored incorrectly. Use containers with airproof closing mechanisms, Rapinchuk says, and be sure to pull them out occasionally and vacuum both the area under the bed and the containers themselves.

Declutter

It’s easy for bedrooms to become “dumping grounds for junk,” McAllister says. Spare chairs, tables and desks become makeshift cabinets and clothes hangers. But the more items you keep out, the more dust collects, and the harder it becomes to clean. One solution is to use storage containers on your bedside table, says Rapinchuk. Keep your books in a basket, store toiletries in trays and add dividers to drawers. Make an effort to put away dirty laundry and other items before going to bed.

Vacuum first

It may seem counterintuitive to vacuum before dusting and wiping down surfaces, but McAllister says that, especially in spaces as dust-filled as bedrooms, it can help prevent making a muck of lint, pet hair and grime.

Start with a thorough vacuuming. Enlist a friend’s help if necessary, and pull furniture away from the walls to get hidden dust and dirt. Then, wipe down surfaces, starting with the ceiling fan. Often positioned above the bed, it’s a prime collector of dust, especially during the winter months when it’s idle. To prevent that dust from dirtying the bed, clean the fan after you strip the sheets and before you vacuum the mattress.

Work from other high spots, such as window ledges and crown molding, down to the baseboards. Pay special attention to high-touch areas including light switches and doorknobs. Mop the floors and, if cleaning kicked up more hair or dust, give them a final vacuum. “[That] makes a huge difference and makes things stay cleaner, longer,” McAllister says.