Growing up, did you resist the please of your mother to make your bed day after day after day? Do you now, as an adult, pester your own children to do the same?

New research shows that generations of parents likely had it wrong – that a tidily made bed is actually worse for your health. That’s because, according to scientists, an unmade bed keeps the dust mites away.

The study, done by a team of scientists at Kingston University in England, found that dust mites thrive the most when we’re in bed with them at night and when they’re safely covered by blankets during the day. When the blankets come off and the bed is empty, there is less moisture for them to draw from, and the microscopic critters are far more likely to shrivel up from dehydration and die.

Measuring .02 to 0.3 millimeters in length, dust mites are barely visible to the human eye. They flourish in indoor environments like kitchens and bedrooms. The average bed, for example, could be hosting up to 1.5 million dust mites. They are known to trigger allergies and asthma in some individuals, but up to now, little has been known about how to remove dust mites from the environment. Scientists estimate that this study has the potential to save hundreds of millions in dust-mite-related illnesses each year in the UK alone.

Old habits of cleanliness can be difficult to shake, but if you feel you’re playing host to dust mites in your own bed, perhaps it’s best to err on the side of science. For a thorough clean up of any bug problem, call Green Pest Control today.