You clean your toilet weekly.
Your mattress? Maybe once a year.
Yet you spend a third of your life in bed - breathing, resting, resetting. For people with asthma and allergies, that space matters even more. This World Sleep Day, we’re proud to stand alongside Sensitive Choice Australia and support the theme "Sleep Well, Live Better".
Because good sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s health.
The link between sleep and asthma
About 1 in 3 people with asthma experience sleep disturbances. Night-time symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or chest tightness aren’t something to "just live with". In fact, frequent night symptoms can signal poorly controlled asthma.
Sleep and asthma work both ways:
- Poor asthma control can disrupt sleep
- Poor sleep can worsen asthma control
If you’re waking up struggling to breathe, it’s time to check in with your GP and review your asthma action plan. And while medication and management are key, your sleep environment plays a powerful supporting role.
Let’s talk about the part we can control: keeping your bedroom clean, simple and free from unnecessary irritants.
Why your bedroom deserves more attention
Dust mites. Pollen. Pet dander. Mould spores.
Your mattress, pillows and soft furnishings can quietly collect them all.
Add heavily fragranced detergents and harsh cleaning sprays into the mix, and you’re essentially creating a cocktail of airborne irritants - right where you spend 8 hours breathing deeply.
At Koh, we believe cleaning should be simple, safe and super effective. No harsh chemical residue. No overpowering scents. Just a smarter way to create a calmer home.
Our Universal Cleaner and Sensitive Laundry Liquid are proudly approved by the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice program - because cleaning shouldn’t make you wheeze.
How to Create a Sleep-Friendly Bedroom
1. Refresh your mattress (yes, weekly)
Your mattress might look clean. It’s not.
Weekly reset:
-
- Strip the bed completely.
- Vacuum the mattress slowly using an upholstery attachment.
- Lightly spray Koh Universal Cleaner onto a Koh Microfibre Cloth (never directly onto the mattress).
- Gently wipe down the surface to lift grime and residue.
- Allow to air dry fully before remaking the bed.
Pro tip: Rotate your mattress every 3 months to prevent dust build-up in pressure zones.
2. Wash sheets the sensitive way
If you’re washing your sheets in heavily fragranced detergent, you’re sleeping face-down in chemical residue.
Switch to a low-to-no fragrance option like Koh Sensitive Laundry Liquid - tough on grime, gentle on skin and airways.
Best practice:
- Wash sheets weekly in warm water.
- Dry completely before storing or remaking the bed.
- Avoid fabric softeners that can leave residue behind.
Clean sheets = cleaner breathing.
3. Revive your pillows
Pillows are dust-mite heaven.
- Check the care label - most synthetic pillows can be machine washed.
- Wash every 3-6 months using Sensitive Laundry Liquid.
- Dry thoroughly (damp pillows = mould risk).
- Replace pillows every 1-2 years.
If your pillow has seen more birthdays than your dog, it’s time.
4. Keep your humidifier or dehumidifier clean
Humidifiers can help some asthma sufferers — but only if they’re clean.
- Empty water daily.
- Wipe internal surfaces with Koh Universal Cleaner and a Microfibre Cloth.
- Allow to dry fully before refilling.
Standing water + neglect = mould spores in the air. Hard pass.
Sleep well. Live better.
World Sleep Day is a reminder that sleep health is whole-health. Keeping your sleeping space clean is a crucial step — but cleaning your home shouldn’t compromise your health. Choose products that are safe for you and your family. The Sensitive Choice blue butterfly is a simple way to know your cleaning products are asthma and allergy friendly.
If you experience night-time asthma symptoms, don’t ignore them. Speak to your doctor, review your action plan, and take the National Asthma Council’s asthma control check.
And while you’re at it, take a look at your bedroom.
You clean the toilet regularly.
Now clean the place you actually rest your head.
Let’s fight dirty — so you can breathe easy and sleep better.
