For all the countless beneficial strains of bacteria out there, there’s also the unwanted types that make us sick, create odours and demand that we stay diligently hygienic. Beds and mattresses are havens for this type of bacterial growth, which is no surprise considering we sleep on them every night. Beds are constantly exposed to sweat, oils, pets, saliva and all manner of outdoor germs. It’s the main reason why sheets, comforters and pillow cases should be laundered on a regular basis. But what about the mattress itself? It’s just as susceptible to bacteria as these linens and coverings, but considerably harder and more inconvenient to consistently scour for harmful bacteria. That’s why every Silk & Snow mattress contains anti-microbial silver within the fabric of the cover, ensuring a more hygienic sleep experience overall.

The natural antimicrobial properties of silver have been known for centuries, and were first described by Greek physician Hippocrates, who is commonly referred to as “The Father of Medicine”, in 400 B.C. Today, silver is still used in bandage dressings and ointments, to prevent the onset of infections in wounds.

With this knowledge, we knew that anti-microbial silver could be of great use in our mattresses, especially within a removable cover that is easy to clean. Because the silver textile is woven in to the cover, it also remains effective and durable, even after 100 washes.

Bacteria in the Bedroom

Bedrooms, and more specifically beds, are prime environments for unwanted bacteria. Although many germs are brought into the bedroom by pets and from the outdoors, the biggest culprit of dirty, foul-smelling bedding and mattresses is sweat. While sweat doesn’t smell on its own, it begins to develop its odour as soon as bacteria on the skin begins to break it down.

As you sweat during sleep, it collects on your sheets and seeps into your mattress as bacteria continues to break it down. To make things worse, bacteria thrives in moisture-rich environments. Traditional bed sheets and mattresses will retain moisture from our bodies, creating a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. When you consider that we soil our beds on a nightly basis with sweat, saliva and oil from our skin, the conditions become even more ripe for bacterial growth. Wish you didn’t read that? Don’t worry, our naturally anti-microbial silver infused fabric ensures that your mattress will be consistently staving off unwanted bacteria.

How is Silver Antimicrobial?

Antimicrobial is a term used to describe something that has the ability to resist the growth of harmful microbes. Despite silver’s proven ability to mitigate the spread of harmful bacteria, scientists still lack a complete understanding as to the full scope of its effectiveness. What they do know is that the ions that break away from silver nanoparticles during the oxidation process are toxic to bacteria and inhibit their ability to reproduce. These silver ions bind with bacteria cells and infiltrate their cell walls, inciting a process called lysis which ultimately leads to the death of the bacteria.

Antimicrobial Silver Technology in Textiles

Textiles such as mattresses, pillows, bed sheets and clothing are ripe for bacterial growth once they’ve become soiled and retained moisture. Natural antimicrobial silver presents textile manufacturers with an opportunity to both fight back against bacteria and to create an environment ill-suited for their reproduction. Antimicrobial silver technology is also leading to significant innovations in areas such as clothing and exercise apparel.

In the case of Silk & Snow’s mattresses and pillows, we weave silver directly into the top cover layer of the mattress and the pillow fabric to create a long-lasting barrier that helps to resist bacteria, mold, fungal growth and other microbes. The cover layer also zips on and off, making it a breeze to clean. By infusing our mattress with naturally antimicrobial silver, we ensure a cleaner, consistently hygienic sleep over the long term.

Are There Drawbacks to Antimicrobial Silver Textiles?

Given silver’s long-standing reputation as an effective way to resist and kill harmful bacteria in a variety of applications, there is very little documented risk associated with human use. Even though silver can pose problems when it’s ingested or rubs off on the skin in very high quantities, the human risk involved in using silver-infused textiles is negligible if the textile is manufactured properly and to a high standard.

Silk & Snow ensures against an already minimal risk of overexposure by weaving silver directly into the fabric of our removable mattress cover. This means the antimicrobial properties of the fabric will not degrade over time, nor will the silver rub off onto the skin during sleep or wash off during a laundry cycle.

Considering a Cleaner Sleep?

The health of our customers is a top priority for us at Silk & Snow. That’s why both our memory foam mattress and hybrid mattress are infused with natural anti-microbial silver, ensuring a healthy and clean sleep, every single night.