# "That bed hasn't been aired, love."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-bed-hasnt-been-aired-love/262995>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 3, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-bed-hasnt-been-aired-love/262995 "2004-09-03T18:18:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-bed-hasnt-been-aired-love/262995/1 "2004-09-03T18:18:07Z")

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This exchange from \*Noises Off \* confuses me a bit.

> [@](#):
>
> Mrs. Clackett: That bed hasn’t been aired, love.  
> Flavia: I’ll get a hot water bottle.

I’m unclear on the purpose of airing a bed, and how a hot water bottle would accomplish the same task. Is it just that in an old house, a bed that has sat undisturbed would be chilly, unless the bedding was turned back and exposed to the room’s heat? That’s the only thing I can think of.

Can anyone enlighten me?

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**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-bed-hasnt-been-aired-love/262995/2 "2004-09-03T19:11:09Z")

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Total guess, but perhaps because an unaired bed might be damp? My grandmother still thinks that sleeping in a damp bed causes sickness.