USEFUL TIPS
Why Is Silver Antimicrobial?
5 min read
5 min read
If you've heard of silver-infused bedding, you may be asking yourself why. Why silver-infused? What exactly is the point? Silver is an antimicrobial substance that kills and slows the spread of microorganisms. Microorganisms can include bacteria, viruses, allergens, and fungus — pretty gross, we know!
At Miracle Made, we love drifting off into the cozy, magical space of dreams. However, not before we do our homework. Let’s discuss the connection between antimicrobial silver and the fluffiest bedding and bath sets.
Antimicrobial Explained
Antimicrobial is a big word that holds a lot of weight, which means it's not something that can be explained in a sentence or two. We don't mean to send you back to your 8th-grade science class, but we find this stuff fascinating and want to share it.
Here is a brief summary of the powers of silver and why we love it so much.
What Exactly Does Antimicrobial Mean?
As we said in the intro, antimicrobial means it can help slow the spread of microorganisms. If you look around your home, you may realize you have more antimicrobial products than you thought.
Antimicrobial Silver
Silver is a powerful antimicrobial to microorganisms, so we use Silver in our products. Using an antimicrobial is essential when you're making hypoallergenic or antibacterial bedding.
Silver has been commonly used as an antibacterial as it is not harmful to humans. Silver compounds and medicine go back a long time. In fact, Hippocrates wrote about using silver as a topical antiseptic in wound care.
Even in the 21st century, it’s not uncommon for wound dresses to be infused with silver as it's antibacterial and may help reduce the appearance of scarring. Silver is known for its antibacterial effects against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Silver doesn’t just live in our homes; it also comes in clutch at the International Space Station. Astronauts rely on the colloidal silver in water filters to make oh-so-fresh drinking water.
Doctors often use silver nanoparticles to kill Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E.coli, MRSA. However, these must be used in low concentrations in wound management and health care practices.
Does Silver Really Disinfect?
Silver has been used to kill bacteria, close up wounds, and fight infections since the 1800s. It is still used as a primary disinfectant. It has the natural ability to kill microorganisms by destroying the offender’s cell membrane.
The reason why silver attacks microorganisms is fascinating: Essentially, the silver ions will block the bacterial respiratory system, resulting in the bacterial cell membrane burst leaving the bacterial cell destroyed.
Silver can target microorganisms by various modes, including turning bacteria into zombies. Curious about the zombie effect? When silver nitrate killed bacteria cells, these dead cells then killed other living bacteria cells. Finally, a zombie that helps mankind!
Why Use Antimicrobial Products?
Cleanliness is critical, and in this day and age, you want to be sure you're being extra careful when protecting your body from germs.
Using silver-infused bedding is considered hypoallergenic. Even if your allergies have never been a serious problem, hypoallergenic bedding and bath sets still offer that luxurious, smooth, and silky feel synonymous with relaxation.
We believe that everyone should have the chance to indulge in luxurious, soft bedding, even if they have bad allergies. We understand the struggle of trying to find bedding and bath sets that will keep your allergies at bay while still providing you with that spa-like feeling.
Let’s discuss how to make your bed (a safe and clean place to sleep in).
Benefits of Silver-Infused Bedding and Bath
You spend a lot of time sleeping, so you want to be sure you're giving your body and skin the highest quality sheets and comforters possible.
There are tons of benefits of using silver-infused bedding and bath sets.
Let's talk about them:
Hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic means your bedding is made of materials that are allergy-resistant. While some synthetic fabrics are hypoallergenic, that doesn't mean they are great for your skin.
Miracle Made uses Supima cotton 500-thread count sateen to ensure all of your bedding is hypoallergenic and is of the highest quality.
Supima cotton only makes up 1% of the world's cotton industry, is USA-grown, and has the highest quality softness, durability, and color retention.
Improves Sleep Quality
Sleep is vital for your overall health and the health of your skin. When you use hypoallergenic bedding, it can help promote better sleep — here's how.
Pollen, dust mites, and molds are rather disagreeable allergens and can often wake you during your beauty rest.
Allergic reactions can be in the form of rashes, coughing, sneezing, itchiness, or redness in your eyes. Any of these reactions can wake you during your rest.
Allergens like pollen are notorious in the springtime, but if you're prone to allergies, it can be an all-year-round issue.
When you use hypoallergenic bedding, you can expect your skin to be less itchy and irritated.
Reduces Breakouts
Silver-infused bedding is antibacterial, meaning it prevents bacteria from reproducing. Our silver-infused bedding kills 99.97% of bacteria, meaning you'll always have a warm (and clean) bed to climb into.
A common cause of acne is bacteria build-up on the skin. You can have the most intricate and trusty skincare routine, but if you rest your face of bacteria-climbing pillows every night, you can still expect pesty breakouts.
3x Less Laundry
When you use antibacterial textiles, you can expect 3x less laundry. Since antibacterial sheets and blankets are seen as self-cleaning, meaning the silver kills any unwanted bacteria, you don't need to wash them as frequently.
We know it's not uncommon for the sheets and blankets to get neglected on wash day; they are a hassle to lug around. Thanks to the antimicrobial effects of silver, silver-infused bedding only needs to be washed every few weeks.
Less Odor
Sheets, blankets, and towels tend to contract a musty and gross order. Luckily for you, your self-cleaning bath and bedding give that odor themselves.
There's no need for a weekly Sunday bedding strip and deep clean anymore.
Healthier Skin
You may have never put much thought into what you're putting near your skin, but if you've been drying or cleaning your face with dirty, bacteria crawling rags, this is your sign of stopping.
When you use antibacterial towels on your skin, you're ensuring your skin isn't being exposed to unwanted microorganisms that are unhealthy for your skin.
Antimicrobial Properties: A Diamond in the Fluff
While silver-infused bedding has its pros, the fabric of your bedding is important too. We stand by our Supima cotton as we know it brings the highest quality regarding softness, durability, and color retention.
Supima cotton is the hardest to come by, only making up 1% of the world's cotton, but just like diamonds, something that is rare is only more valuable.
Sources:-
What are antimicrobials? | NPIC
-
Silver turns bacteria into deadly zombies | Science | AAAS.
-
Silver in health care: antimicrobial effects and safety in use | PubMed
