Introduction
When it comes to bedsheets washing, there is one question everyone has. How often should I wash my bedsheets? There are families that change bedsheets only when they feel the bedsheets have visible stains on them. There are others who need fresh bedsheets every night to sleep. What’s the right thing to do?
You spend about 50-60 hours a week in your bed. Your skin is in constant touch with the sheets. That’s why it is important you maintain, wash, and change bedsheets regularly.
According to experts, you should wash your bedsheets once a week. Bedsheets are the storehouse of dust mites, dirt, and dust. They are also filled with dead skin cells and the oil and sweat from your skin. Bedsheets may not look dirty to the untrained eye but they are definitely soiled by the weekend.
In the below cases, it is recommended to wash bed sheets even more frequently.
- You have skin allergies
- You have asthma or dust allergy
- You have hyperhidrosis (a condition that causes excessive sweating)
- You let your pet sleep in the bed with you
- Your bedroom lacks ventilation or is cramped with furniture
Here are reasons why you should be washing your bed sheets regularly.
1. Stay Away From Dust Mites
(Image source: Flickr)
Dust mites are made up of dead human skin cells, spores, dirt, and other microscopic fibers. These live all around you, including in your bed. Since dust mites thrive on human skin, they love growing and multiplying in your bedsheets and pillowcases. According to studies, dust mites are the biggest causes of asthma and allergic reactions globally.
Your bed can have up to 10 million dust mites and each female dust mite will lay up to 80 eggs in her lifetime! Do the math!
Unwashed bedsheets are the best friends for dust mites. Make sure you change the bedsheets and pillow covers once a week. 100% pure cotton bedsheets are better as they are lightweight and can be washed and dried with minimal effort.
2. Keep your Risk of Allergies Low
If you have a history of dust allergies, then it is absolutely necessary that you regularly wash and clean your bed sheets and pillows. The reason your allergies have become frequent could be your dusty bedsheets.
Even if not for dust mites, your bedsheets accumulate dust and dirt regularly and your skin is in direct contact with the bed sheet surface every time you sleep. Bedsheets washing, when done regularly, will definitely bring down the intensity of your allergies.
3. Keep the Risk of Bacterial Infections Low
You could argue that you don’t have dust allergies and hence you can afford to not wash and change bedsheets regularly. What about bacterial infections?
Your bedsheets are exposed to drool, sweat, body oils, and pee (if you have a little one at home)! If you have pets that have access to the bed, you should be adding dead skin cells, pet hair, and pet feces to the list too.
Did you know that adults can sweat up to 4 liters per hour?
All these increase the chance of bacterial growth in the bedsheets. By changing your sheets regularly, you can stay away from infection-causing bacteria.
4. Better Quality of Sleep
There is no doubt that cleaner bedsheets help you sleep better. The sheer smell of a clean and crisp bed sheet will caress you and help you quickly get into a deep sleep.
Even if you regularly dust and mop your bedroom, the dust from the bedsheets might be affecting the quality of your sleep. Try putting on freshly laundered bedsheets before bedtime and see how well you sleep that night.
According to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 71% of people mentioned that they sleep better with fresh sheets. The same poll mentions that 78% of people are more excited to sleep in their bed when the sheets had a fresher scent. You can achieve this with regular bedsheets washing with naturally-scented laundry detergents.
Conclusion
We have concluded that bedsheets have to be washed an average of once a week. What about pillowcases, duvets, and blankets? Here is what the National Sleep Foundation says.
| Product | Washing frequency |
| Pillowcases | Once a week |
| Pillows | Once every 4-6 months |
| Blankets | Once every 2 months |
| Duvets | Once every month |
Different bedsheets need to be washed differently. When you choose block printed bedsheets, make sure they are hand washed separately the first few times to prevent bleeding of excess colors. Use gentle machine cycles for other cotton bedsheets. They last longer this way.
If you are line-drying bedsheets in the open, make sure you don’t expose them to the harsh sunlight. This will fade the colors. It would also help if you clean your mattress every 6-8 months. Keeping your mattress and bedding clean and washed will improve your sleep quality and will ensure you wake up fresh to handle the day! Make bedsheets washing a practice. Set reminders if you keep forgetting.
Invest in a couple of good cotton bed sheets so that you have a spare time for bedsheets washing the old ones. You can choose from a variety of hand blocks, sangeneri prints, block prints, kalamkaris, and contemporary printed bedsheets on our website.
