It is estimated that nearly a third of our entire lives are spent in bed, making frequent washing a must for an always fresher bed. But you may be wondering how often this should be for the sake of good hygiene.
Cool laundry room ideas will make laundry easy and this is the answer to how often bed sheets should be put in the washing machine.
How often should you change your sheets?
Washing bed sheets is a straightforward task, but that doesn’t mean it’s a frequently done task. The average number of days Americans spend before changing their sheets is about 24 — in other words, just under once every three weeks, according to a survey by Mattress Advisor.
As for the changing habits of the UK paper? “A recent YouGov study revealed that more than a fifth of Brits wash their bed every three weeks or more,” says Danielle Mason, Head of Product Development at The Fine Bedding Company. However, I do recommend washing the bed sheets once every two weeks to keep them neat and clean.
“You may want to wash it more frequently in the summer months when you’re more prone to sweating, or if you’re allergic to dust mites,” she says. “However, washing at a lower rate (and at a lower temperature) is better for the environment and better for your bank account!”
These are the details you need to answer the question, How often should you change the bed sheets?
Why do bed sheets need regular washing
The reason why it’s so important to wash bed sheets – as well as pillows – is that we lose fluids overnight, through sweating and breathing. We also get rid of dead skin cells. Add to this any stains and stains on the sheets, and good hygiene requires washing the sheets often.
Change the bed sheets at least once every two weeks
For many people, washing bed sheets at least once every two weeks is a good rule of thumb to stick to.
Washing them at the right temperature will cleanse them of bacteria, sweat and skin cells that build up while we sleep in between.
Change bed sheets often to avoid allergy symptoms
For family members with asthma and allergies, it is helpful to increase the frequency of changing the bed linen.
Dust mites, which feed on the dead skin cells we shed, thrive in bedding and mattresses. They are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but their decomposing stools and bodies can cause allergic reactions, including sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes and coughing. Dust mite allergy can also be an asthma trigger, causing breathing difficulties, tightness, and chest pain. “Dust mites may be the most common cause of year-round allergies and asthma,” says the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).
To prevent allergies, bed sheets should be changed weekly and washed hot. The AAFA advises, “You should wash them with water of at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit or more to kill dust mites.” Use the 60°C cycle in the UK.
Reasons to change sheets weekly or often
In addition to helping you or a loved one avoid suffering from asthma and allergy symptoms, there are other reasons to change bed sheets weekly or more frequently.
For example, if a family member suffers from night sweats, changing weekly is a good practice.
Let your animal companions sleep on the bed? Increasing the frequency of changing sheets to every three to four days is a good idea, according to the Sleep Foundation.
And if someone in your home is sick and contagious, change the sheets, use the highest washing temperature possible, and dry the sheets completely. Wash your hands after handling linens, too.
What happens if you don’t change your sheets?
If you don’t change your bed sheets, you may be exposed to bacteria, dust mite droppings, fungi, pollen, and animal dander. Dead skin cells, sweat and other body secretions, makeup, etc. can also be found, making the bed very far from fresh and pristine.
The consequences of not changing bed sheets can be allergy symptoms, poor sleep quality, and sheets can become smelly and stained, so you will need to buy new sheets often.
How often do ordinary people change the sheets?
The number of times people change leaves is subject to great variance. Responses varied from more than once a week to four-week intervals and less frequently in a recent YouGov survey, although about a third of people fall into the once-a-week category, and a similar number in the bi-weekly category.
Attitudes differ between the sexes. “Men have lower standards of hygiene, as their definition of unsanitary sheets is, on average, those that have not been washed after four weeks, while women say three weeks,” the survey organizers say.