How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?

A question long-debated, and with plenty of conflicting answers, the responses to how often you should wash your sheets varies from person to person. Everyone has a different comfort level in terms of the cleanliness of their bed and, when your list of household chores and/or outdoor errands is long, it’s easy to push your washing duties aside. But we’re here to tell you why it’s important to wash your sheets, and how to wash them to obtain optimal softness and quality of your bedding to ensure your bedtime sleep. So let’s cut to the chase: how often should you wash your sheets?

Why Do You Need to Wash Your Sheets?

As it’s recommended that we sleep at least 7 hours per day, we spend a considerable amount of time in our beds. And just like our clothes, it’s only inevitable to change them in order to maintain proper hygiene. Though we swap our outerwear more often than our bed linens, the average person should wash their sheets once every 1-2 weeks. However, there is a list of factors that may determine whether more or less regular washing may be beneficial for your health and well-being.

A Closer Look at What’s On Your Sheets

As much as we might not like to think about it, we share our beds with a lot of invisible companions, such as:

Dead skin;

Dirt and bacteria;

Dust mites;

Pet dander;

Sweat and body oils.

Reading that list may start to make you feel unclean crawling into bed ⎯ but don’t worry. Most of these miniscule bedfellows don’t pose a threat to humans. However, after prolonged use of your sheets, some people may be susceptible to allergies or skin breakouts. Luckily, you can avoid this by washing your sheets often, and investing in bedding made with high-quality and breathable fabrics.

 

If you don’t wash your sheets as often as is recommended, what can happen? You won’t experience anything catastrophic if you go a few extra days without washing your sheets ⎯ sometimes life gets in the way! However, continued exposure to unwashed sheets can potentially lead to a range of skin and health issues which may include:

Allergy symptoms such as sneezing and congestion;

Respiratory issues like wheezing or snoring;

Skin conditions like a rash or eczema.

If you want to avoid these issues but washing your sheets once a week doesn’t fit in your schedule, you may want to invest in a sheet set or multiple complementary fitted sheets. That way, you can alternate your sullied bed sheets for new ones once a week (or at your earliest convenience), and wash them when the time is right for you.

Conditions for Washing Your Sheets More Often

Though individuals should wash their sheets approximately once every one to two weeks, there may be certain exceptions. For example, people who don't sleep in their bed everyday, sleep alone, don't have any pets or animals in their home or bed, and live in cooler climates, may be able to wait later than the two-week range to set a new pair.

However, depending on a number of factors surrounding your sleepy-time sanctuary, you may need to wash your bed sheets more than one time per week. For example, if you:

Have pets, especially if they have a habit of cozying up next to you in bed;

Live in a warmer climate or don’t have air conditioning in your living space;

Experience asthma or seasonal allergies;

Are a hot sleeper and tend to sweat more at night.

If any of these factors apply to you, it could be worth using a special fabric for your bed sheets and bedding. High-quality, select fabrics like silk and 100% organic cotton are made from breathable, natural fibers that resist daily use.

How Can You Keep Your Bed as Clean as Possible?

In between rounds of washing your sheets, there are other ways to keep your bed and your bed sheets as clean as possible. From the best practices for washing your sheets to employing other types of home bedding to elongate the luxury of a clean feel, try some of the tips below to make each wash go further in your cleanliness endeavors.

 

Effectively and Efficiently Wash Sheets

As important as it is to wash your sheets frequently, it’s equally important to clean them with the right methods and products. Most critically, follow the washing and drying instructions on your sheets’ care label to give them the longest life possible. Once you’ve checked for any specific instructions on the product label, you can follow general best practices for the cleanest sheets:

Wash at the temperature your care label allows;

Do not mix sheets with other laundry items;

Only wash sheets that are composed of the same fabric and similar colors;

Use a gentle detergent in the washing machine;

Tumble dry on low or hang to dry.

Following these steps will not only ensure that your sheets maintain their softness but you’re only moments away from re-feeling how luxurious and cozy it feels to slip into a bed with freshly-cleaned sheets. That feeling is what’s awaiting you at the end of each wash cycle! Daily Habits to Keep Your Sheets Clean In addition to taking good care of your bed sheets and washing your linens according to their specific instructions, there are some simple daily habits you can also adopt to maintain a cleaner bed:

Take bedtime showers: You’ll be at your cleanest before curling into bed.

Don’t immediately make up your bed: Give your sheets time to breathe. This will reduce excess moisture especially if you tend to sweat while you sleep.

Avoid midnight snacks in bed: Crumbs, oils, and other ingredients can quickly dirty your sheets.

Invest high-quality sheets: These are often made of breathable fabrics that can ensure longer wear before having to wash.

In addition to keeping your bed sheets clean, these habits can keep all of your bed and surrounding space clean. After all, in a place where we spend several hours drifting off into bliss, wrapping yourself in fresh bed sheets is a privileged and pacifying moment that will ensure yourself pleasurable days and nights to come.

What to use when washing bed linens ?

Gentle laundry detergents are recommended for washing quality cotton bedding as gentle detergents do not damage cotton fibers, keep colours true and are gentle for one's skin.

If your laundry machine is HE (high efficiency) liquid detergents offer the best washing results as the HE machines use less water in the washing process. Laundry washing powders may not have sufficient water in HE machines to dissolve and correctly launder bedding, plus there could be issues with the laundry powders not being fully rinsed in the washing process. These chemicals could be irritating to the skin.

Always follow water temperature suggestions on the care labels.

For bedding and bath linens, it is suggested that one not use laundry softeners as these chemicals can cause allergic reactions and do negatively affect the water absorption of bath towels.