Spring Sneeze: Bedroom Revealed to be the Dirtiest Room of the House

The bedroom is the worst room in the house for allergy sufferers

6% of men admit to changing their bedding just once every two months!

13% of Brits suffer from allergy symptoms up to three times a week

Dust mites are revealed to be the biggest trigger of household allergies, followed by pet hair and mould

An independent study released by Samsung Electronics UK today highlights how the annual spring clean has never been critical as the nation battles a growing number of indoor allergies. The survey of 2,000 Brits reveals that despite being the place that we recharge our batteries of a night, the bedroom is actually the dirtiest room of the house with more than a third (34%) of people saying that it is the room in their home where they suffer the worst allergic reactions, followed by the lounge (33%), the kitchen (18%) and the bathroom (6%).

This is in part due to the fact that almost a fifth (17%) of Brits admit to changing their bed sheets only once a month. When it comes to changing sheets just once every two months, males are the worst offenders, with twice as many men admitting to doing this compared to women. People in London (12%) followed by the East Midlands (9%) are most likely to wait up to two months to change their sheets whilst those in East Anglia (0%) wouldn't dream of leaving it longer than a month at most.

The survey reveals the most common household allergies to be triggered by dust mites (37%), pet hair (26%) and mould (15%), demonstrating the need for Brits to give their homes a regular spring clean. Whilst a third of respondents developed their allergies as a child, a further third admitted to developing them in adulthood, suggest ing that it is their household habits that may have brought this on.

Allergy sufferers admit to being subject to a number of symptoms, with the most common grievance sneezing (78%), followed by itchy eyes, ears, lips and throats (73%), runny noses (67%) and skin rashes (25%). More severe symptoms include shortness of breath (16%) and even sickness (3%).

Although a quarter (25%) of respondents suffer from symptoms less than once a month, 13% admit to suffering up to three times a week, whilst 6% of unlucky Brits suffer up to five times a week. 17% of Brits also admitted to being affected more when vacuuming or cleaning, whilst 9% see their systems worsen with the appearance of their house pet.

Despite the prevalence of household allergens, Britain is fighting back. Four in 10 people admit to regularly vacuuming their carpets to reduce their symptoms, with 17% doing so every single day of the week. Other extreme measures people have taken to relieve themselves of their allergies include cleaning their bathrooms with mould and mildew remover (15%), whilst 8% have gone as far as regularly steaming their curtains. Brits have also gone to the lengths of buying certain products to target allergens, including special vacuum cleaners (21%) and cleaning products (19%).

A Samsung spokesperson commented, With the May bank holiday weekends just around the corner, now is as good a time as any for people to give their homes a good spring clean and make sure they don't spend any more time than necessary reaching for their tissues as their allergies take hold. However, with a number of products such as vacuum cleaners now being designed with allergy sufferers in mind, it's important that people don't suffer in silence and are aware of the help that's available to them.

Samsung floorcare products - including the Samsung Motion Sync, F700 and F800 - have been awarded 5* SLG independent rating for overall filtration through the machine. This is achieved from the separation capabilities of a feature called CycloneForce and a HEPA 13 filter.

About the research

The research was conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Samsung UK with fieldwork conducted in April 2014. Data was secured via an online survey, and the UK sample consisted of 2,000 UK consumers, aged 18 and above.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com

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