Did you know it's National Pet Month? We sure do! This month is all about celebrating your furry friends and snuggling up a little closer to them at night, but it seems that for many of you, every month is National Pet Month. In fact, a survey of 2000 people found that not only do two thirds of us sleep alongside our pets but for the majority of respondents, the presence of a pet in the bedroom could benefit their sleep.
Here at DUSK, we love all things pet related and what better time to celebrate than during National Pet Month. That's why we're offering you (and your furry friend) the chance to land your dream job as a Bedding Tester and two prizes of luxury bed linen worth up to £250! To enter, snap a photo of your pet on your bed and share it with us on Instagram or Facebook.
Whether you're a dog lover, enjoy curling up with your feline friend or have another furry pet - get all snuggled up, share your most adorable pic, and you and your cute companion could land your dream job with DUSK.
So why do pets have the potential to improve our sleep? Do we prefer sleeping next to our pets or our human partners? And how can we remove those pesky paw prints from our crisp white sheets? Read on to find out the answers and of course, to see how you could become a DUSK bedding tester!
Image Source: @ouroxfordshirevictorianterrace
Tremendous Trends on Sleeping with Your Pet
Fun Fact: millions of people across the UK love curling up under their luxury linens and cuddling up with their pets. As a true nation of pet lovers, more than a quarter of them even said that lying next to their furry friends helped them feel less alone and safer at night, resulting in better sleep.
Do you let your precious pet cuddle up to you at night? If not, we've got the perfect excuse for you to consider it. This is because new research finds that, for most people, sharing a bed with your pets has some sleep benefits. In fact, wellbeing is the biggest reason behind pet ownership, with almost 47% of those with a furry friend, or those who are planning to get one, choosing to own a pet due to the impact they have on our mental health and sleeping patterns.
People who let their dogs sleep in their bedroom, not necessarily on their bed, maintain 83% sleep efficiency and three in ten people felt more secure with them there. Not only do our pets make us feel safer at night, but as a nation, it seems they're our favourite sleeping partner. Some respondents even said that they prefer sleeping next to their pets than their partners, so it seems millions of people across the UK are getting better sleep thanks to their cute companion!
The Pandemic's Impact on Pet Ownership
As a nation, our love for dogs, cats and other cute pets has grown massively during the pandemic. Since March 2020, figures have shown that nearly a quarter of UK adults have welcomed a new pet into their home. Not only are we gaining new furry friends, many have also stated that the pandemic has had a positive impact on their sleep.
It has been reported that people have experienced more good quality sleep during the recent coronavirus pandemic. Studies show 21% of respondents aged 18-24 reported that their sleep had improved a little when compared to the period before the lockdown in March 2020. Whilst a further 15% have actually experienced a lot more high quality sleep during the pandemic, so it seems our furry friends are improving our shut eye.
Image Source: @our_surreyhome
Your Precious Pets‚ Wellbeing and Sleeping Habits
Good news! Letting your four-legged friends sleep in your bedroom does not have a negative effect on your sleeping pattern. In fact, it's the opposite. This is partly due to how long our pets can doze: on average dogs can sleep for between 12 and 14 hours a day and cats up to 15, making them truly amazing bedtime companions.
The only thing to be wary of is if your dog snores, moves around, or acts out in their sleep. This could disturb your sleep and if you have more than one pet, then the chances of this happening multiplies!
But what is the perfect position for your pets to sleep in? The majority say their pets sleep at the foot of the bed by the owner's feet, which still gives you plenty of room to indulge and get cosy beneath your luxury bedding.
Image Source: @edwardian_home_renovation
Cleaning Those Muddy Paws off Your Fresh Bedding
How can you enjoy the benefits of sleeping next to your pet without worrying about paw prints? As millions of you within the UK love sharing your bed with your pets, here at DUSK, we thought we'd share some top tips for removing stains and pesky pet fur.
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Treat Muddy Paw Stains Straight Away
If you love having your furry friends in bed with you, then stains are going to be unavoidable, especially as your bed is also now theirs. They will treat it as their own and make themselves right at home, meaning paw prints and all other animal mess comes with them.
Using a small amount of detergent, take a sponge and carefully dab at any paw prints until the majority of the mud has been removed. You'll want to do this immediately as the longer you leave stains the harder they'll be to get out. There's also some great supermarket own brand stain removers that will help take the muddiest of stains away.
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Dealing with Pesky Pet Hairs
If your pet has wriggled their way in for a cheeky nap and sheds lots of hair, then you might want to take a lint roller over your sheets to remove any excess dust and hair that's collected. Another top tip; you could place a throw or blanket over your bed. Sadly this doesn't always keep them off your sheets, but it does help to contain all the hair in one place, just remove the throw and pop it in the wash.
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It is Important to Separate Your Whites
Reminder: always separate your whites! Don't be tempted to throw everything in the wash at the same time, just because it's easier. This is crucial when it comes to red tones. If you fail to separate your white linen from your favourite red garments, dye could transfer to your white bedding and turn it a shade of pink. You don't want your muddy bedding to come out looking worse than when it first went in.
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Don't Panic and Make Sure You Read The Label
Has your pet made a huge mess in your bed? Don't panic and hastily wash it at a high temperature. Although this may remove pesky paw prints, you can risk damaging the cotton fibres and even the quality of your luxury linens. So, if you are going to invite your pet into bed with you, make sure you stick to the care label instructions. This will ensure your bedding stays super clean and paw print free.
Image Source: @winnie.theminidachshund
Dream Job Vacancy: Pet Bedding Tester Competition
Here at DUSK we love seeing how many of your pets enjoy curling up on your luxury linens. That's why we want to find our very own Pet Bedding Testers! Want to know more?
We are looking for 5 sleep loving pets and their owners to test out our luxury bed linen sets.
Here's how you can be in with the chance of becoming a DUSK bedding tester and winning two luxury bed linen sets worth up to £250!
- Snap a photo of your pet on your bed and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #DUSKCuteCompanions.
- Alternatively, head to our Facebook page and upload your photo to the comments of our competition post with the hashtag #DUSKCuteCompanions.
- Entrants must also like the DUSK Facebook Page or follow the DUSK Instagram account.
- Terms and Conditions apply. Competition closes at 9am on 26.4.21.