Are You Washing Your Bedding Enough?

Chances are, you do a pretty good job of making sure you never wear the same set of clothes twice in a row. You’re good about keeping your laundry clean, about washing your dishes, even about wiping down the grimy sink in the bathroom every now and then.

When it comes to your bedding, however, many people are falling short and not heeding proper care tips.

One way to get better sleep is to care for your bed sheets with just as much attention and diligence as you would care for the rest of your laundry.

Are you washing your bedding enough? Very few people are, but by following these care tips and knowing how often you should wash and change your bed sheets, you’ll enjoy better sleep (and sleep that’s more hygienic, at that!).

What Happens To Unwashed Sheets

If you’re trying to figure out how often to wash your organic sheets, the answer to this plaguing question might not be so cut and dry. There are all kinds of factors that weigh into this answer, from how active you are in your sleep to how much you sweat at night (or during the day). Even practices like showering before bed can impact how often you need to strip the bed and toss those sheets in the washer.

In general, though, there is one frequency of sheet washing that is generally and universally recommended by experts - about once per week.

There are several reasons for this.

The first and most obvious is that dirty sheets harbor a lot of really unpleasant stuff. Dead skin cells are first and foremost on that list. Every day, you’ll shed up to 40,000 skin cells. That’s necessary for good health, but when you’re lying in bed at night, those skin cells have to hang out somewhere.

Naturally, they will end up on your sheets, and where skin cells go, dust mites will follow. These tiny, invisible creatures will feast voraciously on your dead skin cells. In fact, dirty sheets are a prime stomping ground for these mites (which can cause all kinds of allergic responses).

You also need to consider the moisture that you leak all over your bed as you sleep. The most obvious is sweat, of course, but there are also oils from your skin, drool, and fluids from any sexual activity (gross, but true).

If you sleep naked (a great idea for all of its many health benefits), you can also add small amounts of urine and dried fecal matter to the mix (again, gross - but true). Sleep with a partner, and you’re dealing with double the amount of fluids and skin cells, and add a pet to the mix, and they’ll be adding all of their delightful bacteria and fluids, too.

Needless to say, it won’t take long for your bed to become a cesspool of your own creation.

What Does This Mean For Your Health

The good news is that, as gross as all of that sounds, it really doesn’t mean a whole lot for your health - in small doses, of course. While you shouldn’t make a habit of sleeping on dirty sheets, you’re probably not going to die just because you slept one week too long on unclean bedding. 

However, there are some health problems that can arise if you aren’t at least somewhat diligent about keeping your bedding clean. One of the biggest has to do with your skin.

Your skin has a fragile ecosystem, known as its microbiome, that contains an important balance of microorganisms. Disrupt that balance (as you can easily do with the bacteria that proliferate on unclean sheets), and you’ll find yourself dealing with any manner of frustrating conditions including eczema, acne, and more. 

Dust mites also pose a major challenge for many people. Dust mites are common allergens, so having them hanging out in your bed can lead to all kinds of allergy symptoms like watery eyes, runny nose, headache, congestion, sneezing, and more. This discomfort will not only make it more difficult for you to sleep at night but it will also likely cause you frustration and irritation during your waking hours, too.

Dust mites are eight-legged creatures that are invisible to the eye, and while they don’t bite, they can trigger a whole host of allergic symptoms. In addition to the ones mentioned above, dust mites can also trigger asthma and eczema, too. You’ll find that there are up to 10 million of these critters at any one time using your bed as a toilet and feeding on your skin cells.

Here’s another gross and unpleasant tidbit of information. If you consistently sleep naked on dirty sheets and move your pillow from between your legs to beneath your head, there’s a chance that your eyes and/or mouth could come into contact with pieces of stool.

That’s disgusting - even if you’re perfectly healthy. However, if you’re suffering from the flu or another illness, you could even make yourself more vulnerable to illnesses spread by bacteria, like pink eyes.

Long story short, sleeping on dirty sheets doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get sick, but it's a surefire way to up your odds of falling ill.

The Best Way To Wash Your Bedding

Wondering how often to wash and change your bed sheets? A good rule of thumb is once a week at the very least, but this can vary depending on your lifestyle. The more often you can wash your sheets, the better, but most experts agree that washing on a weekly basis is a good way to avoid building up levels of contamination without being too unrealistic for most people.

There are other ways you can keep your sheets clean for longer, too. Wearing pajamas to bed will help trap some of your dead skin cells so they don’t end up on your sheets, and showering before bed can help slough off some of the excess cells, too.

Similarly, you can avoid allowing your pets to sleep in your bed, which will reduce the amount of dirt and bacteria that wind up on your bed sheets. 

Some other questions to take into consideration when you’re determining how often to wash your bedding are: 

• How often do you move around in your sleep? If you are a restless sleeper, you’ll shed more skin than someone who is dead to the world and stays in one place while they snooze.

• Do you tend to drool a lot on your pillowcase?

• Are you currently sick or otherwise under the weather?

• Do you suffer from allergies?

• Do you have any skin issues, like eczema or acne? 

If you have to stretch the timeline between washings longer than a week, you can take a few simple steps to keep things hygienic. For example, you should always wash your face before bed. This isn’t just a matter of good skin hygiene - it will also prevent you from putting a dirty face on a dirty pillowcase. You can also try to squeeze in a shower before bed to get rid of some dead skin cells. 

One more step you can take is to make your bed every day. As you do so, tiny skin cells and particles of dirt will fall to the floor, where you can scoop them up with your vacuum before they have the chance to make you sick.  

If you really hate doing laundry (or if you find that you can’t get to a laundromat as often as you’d like - and as you should! - to wash your sheets) you may want to consider investing in a second or third set of bed sheets. That way, you won’t have to wash them as often.

When it comes time to head to the cleaners, here’s what you need to do to get your bedding clean. Start by washing your bed sheets in the hottest water possible. Of course, you’ll want to consider the fabric type of your sheets to avoid damaging them. However, hot water is essential, as it will do the best job of killing any pathogens, bacteria, or dust mites on your sheets.

Check the labels on your sheets for any precautions. If they can’t be washed in scalding-hot water or put on the highest heat setting in your dryer, feel free to hang them in the sun to dry. Believe it or not, sunlight is a powerful antimicrobial agent and is also effective at killing dust mites.

Here’s another tip, although it will add some time to your weekly list of chores - iron your bed sheets. Not only will they look crisp and clean enough to impress any drill sergeant, but the heat from the iron will also sanitize your sheets without exposing them to too much unnecessary heat.

When it comes to other bedding items, like comforters, pillows, and blankets, know that you don’t need to wash these quite as often as your bed sheets (good news for that overtaxed washer and dryer!). Since your skin doesn’t come into direct contact with them, there’s no need to wash them on a weekly basis.  

That doesn’t mean, though, that you should avoid washing them altogether. In fact, blankets and comforters still need to be washed about once per season. Between washings, you can always toss them into the dryer on the hottest possible setting for up to 15 minutes. This will not only leave them smelling fresher but will also help get rid of any dust mites hanging out on the fabric.

Many people forget that they need to wash their pillows, but the truth is that pillows should be washed at least once or twice each year. This is a long, manual, and arduous process, but it is necessary if you want to get rid of all the waste and grime that might be hanging out on your pillows. Plus, washing your pillows on a regular basis will re-fluff them and allow you to prolong their lifespan.

You also may want to add your mattress protector to the list of things to clean. Ideally, you should wash the protector or mattress pad once every two months (more often if you had an accident or some kind of spill). 

It’s also important to know when it’s time to ditch the bed sheets for good - and to invest in new ones. In most cases, the more often you wash your bed sheets and the more roughly you treat them, the more often they will need to be swapped. The quality and thread count of your sheets both play a role in this decision, too.

As soon as the fabric becomes frayed or worn (or as soon as the elastic on the fitted sheet begins to become not-so-stretchy, it’s time to swap the sheets and invest in some new ones. In most cases, this will be just a year or two, although there are certainly some higher-quality (and pricier) brands that can last up to 20 years or so.

Why Do Clean Sheets Feel Good

There’s no doubt about it - sliding beneath just-cleaned luxury bed sheets is one of the finest feelings in the world. While a perfect world would make it possible for you to clean your sheets on a daily basis, the reality is that for most people this is just not possible.

Being in a fresh setting gives you peace of mind - it’s kind of like walking into an organized room. However, with clean sheets, the feeling is magnified, since you’re employing your sense of touch, too (and in some cases, even your sense of smell).

Consider These Helpful Healthy Bedding Hygiene Tips For Better Sleep

Washing the bed sheets tends to be a least favorite chore on many people’s list of things to do. In fact, up to 60% of us aren’t washing our sheets enough, as research from End of Tenancy Cleaning London has elucidated.

Nevertheless, it’s important that you take the proper steps to keep your bedding clean and fresh. This will help eliminate all kinds of nasty germs, dust mites, and bacteria that are hanging out between the sheets.

Follow these care tips for how often you should wash and change your bed sheets, and you’ll be well on your way to better sleep every night of the week.

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

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