Hygiene is necessary for all walks of life. It is even more crucial when it comes to bedding. If you are not cleaning your sheets and mattress regularly and efficiently, it may lead to skin rashes, allergies, or breakouts.
We sleep around 48 to 60 hours per week. During this time, our bedsheets collect dirt, sweat, and oil. People who change sheets in a really long time sleep with dust mites, dead skin cells, and bed bugs.
We tend to wash our bedsheets when the basket is full or when they ‘look’ dirty. People think that making the bed is too much work. That is why they delay changing sheets as the dirty ones can pile up in the laundry.
Through this article, we can help you decide how often you should wash and change your sheets. But before we move to that, we want to tell you that there is no magic number. Regular washing of sheets depends on many factors which we are going to see today.
Washing Bed Sheets
How often should I wash my sheets? The answer to this question is simple. You should clean and change your sheets as often as you can. You should not get into a filthy bed after having a long day.
However, most of you may not get the time to wash your bedsheets that often because of a busy lifestyle, and you might be searching for a standard answer.
Sleeping on dirty sheets can affect your overall health and sleep. Once a week is a time preferred by most people to wash their sheets. You can stretch this up to once in two weeks if you are not sleeping on your bed regularly.
Washing your sheets cannot be the same for all. We all have different living conditions, skin types, modes of washing clothes, and sleeping habits. All these things affect the regular period in which we should wash our bedsheets.
Let us look at these distinct factors and see how they play a role in deciding how often we change our sheets!
Things on the Sheets
We shed millions of dead skin cells daily while sleeping. These dead skin hang around in our bedsheets until and unless we wash them. Dead skin cells are an open invitation to dust mites that can cause skin problems and allergies.
In addition to this, we have to consider our skin types while deciding when to wash clothes. People with oily skin or open pores are more prone to acne or rashes because of dirty sheets.
If you have oily skin, we advise you to change and wash sheets every three to four days. On the other hand, people who are not prone to acne can stick to the once-a-week schedule.
Pets on the Sheets
We love our pets and allow them to jump on our beds without thinking about the consequences. Pets, especially cats and dogs, shed a lot of hair and drool on surfaces. This can be unhygienic for your bed.
If you have pets in your house, you might not want to delay washing your bedsheets by four or five days as it cause health problems. We advise you to change the sheets as soon as possible if your pet loves sitting on your bed.
Few Other Tips
There are a few other things we need to keep in mind when it comes to washing bedsheets:
- If you eat on your bed and accidentally spill anything, it is advised to wash the bed sheet in a day or two. The spilled stuff can leave a stain on the sheet that can be tough to remove later.
- If you spend a lot of time in your bed, the best time to wash your sheets is once within 4 days.
- If you still feel lazy and want to avoid washing sheets for a long time, you should try to protect your sheets. Some tips can save you from laundry days for example, don’t sleep on the sheet after a sweaty workout.
- You should avoid sleeping on your best sheets with makeup on or after using oils on your face or hair. Do not get in bed with dirty feet or socks. Cover your bed sheet with another if you’re not using it for the rest of the day.
- If you are using a washing machine, we recommend using a gentle and mild detergent. Before washing the sheets read the label for the water temperature that can be used. We advise air-drying the sheets and giving them some sunlight.
Conclusion
A busy lifestyle shouldn’t stop you from sleeping with dead skin cells and dust mites. Doing your laundry is a boring task but it is essential to maintain hygiene. A dirty bedsheet can be detrimental to your sleep and health.
Washing bed sheets often can also be rough on the fabric. So, you can also consider purchasing some good quality ones that do not ruin after a few washes. We hope this article helps you decide how often you want to wash your sheets.
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