Sweat, makeup and body oils will get to your bedsheets, making them dirty. The same goes for other beddings, including pillowcases, duvets, duvet covers, mattress toppers and comforters. Therefore, it is important to know how often to wash bed sheets for proper hygiene.
Understanding the risks and benefits of washing your bedsheet will help also motivate you to stay on a schedule. Again the method you use to wash your bedsheets is also crucial since proper cleaning ensures that your bedding remains soft and even extends their durability. In this guide, we will look at how often to wash your sheets, the Important of frequent washing, and how to clean sheets properly.
Why it is Important to Wash Your Sheets
Even though your sheets look clean, they tend to accumulate a lot over a short period. It is suggested that humans shed up to 40000 dead skin cells in a single day, and half that time is spent in bed, meaning half of the buildup goes to the bedsheets.
Cleaning sheets weekly and making your bed daily may seem excessive; however, it is worthwhile. First off, washing sheets will help you sleep in a freshly scented bed, giving you a good night's sleep and many different health advantages. Again changing and cleaning sheets often is great for allergy sufferers and individuals with sensitive skin.
Additionally, clean sheets feel refreshing and soft to the touch, which may help you fall asleep faster, promoting your sleep health. This comes in handy, particularly for people with sleeping disorders such as insomnia. Cleaning sheets also prevent disgusting yellowing of white sheets. Moreover, keeping your sheets clean will reduce the chances of having dust mites on your sheets.
Let's dive in and learn how often you should wash your sheets with that understanding.
How often should you wash your sheets?
Most people clean their sheets at least once per week if they sleep on the bed every day. However, if you don't sleep on the mattress every day, you can consider washing the best bed sheets at least once every two weeks or so. You will also find that other people clean their sheets more often than once a week.
For instance, if you have children or kids who sleep in your bed, you should consider cleaning the sheets every three to four days a week. Again if you have asthma or allergies, it will be advisable to clean your bed sheets much more frequently to improve the symptoms.
You will most likely sweat more during the hot summer days, meaning your sheets will get dirty more often, requiring you to clean the sheets more often. Ultimately, if you don't have any skin issues, sleep health issues, or allergies, you should clean your sheets weekly.
People Who Need to Wash their Sheets More Often
As we have mentioned, some situations will require people to wash sheets more often. Basically, it will depend on a person's lifestyle and body. For instance, if you suffer from allergies or asthma, you will need to increase the frequency of washing the sheets.
Again if you are a person who ten to eat or drink in bed, you may want to have your sheets cleaned at least 2 to 3 times a week. If you let kids or pets sleep in your bed, it would prompt you to clean your sheets more frequently.
Furthermore, if you sleep naked or ten sweat a lot, you will require to clean your sheets more often than other people.
How Should You Wash Sheets
Even if you are using washing machines to clean your sheets, you need to know how to use the machines to get the best results. You will need to know the best machine temperature and dryer set to get your sheets clean. Here are a few steps you could use to wash your sheets.
- Please read the instructions and laundry symbol on the sheet's care stages before even cleaning them. This will let you know if your sheets are machine or hand-washable.
- It would help if you retreated any stains by using any stain remover and hot water for a couple of hours.
- You should use the normal cycle on the washing machine and select warm water unless stated otherwise in the care instruction that comes with the sheets.
- Then add your favorite detergent as per your machine instructions.
- You could also add white vinegar into your machine's bleach compartment. Vinegar's cleaning properties will help keep your sheets soft and incredibly clean without bleaching the colored sheets.
- Once the wash cycle is complete, you will need to remove your sheet from the machine and toss them into the dryer. You could pick the permanent press setting to allow the sheets to keep on tumbling after the cycle is complete. If the permanent press setting is not available on your machine, you could select the warm or medium setting. Remember, you should not dry your sheets on high heat since the high heat will significantly reduce the sheet's lifespan. Again you could use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets since they are more absorbent, which helps to cut drying time.
- When you are done with the dryer, you should remove the sheets from the dryer, and you could air dry them. You could do this by placing them on your bed and smoothening them out using your hands.
- You can fold the sheets and store them in a dry, clean area when they are completely aired.
Do You Need to Wash New Sheets?
According to most bedding specialists, you should wash new sheets before use. Whether or not you should clean the sheets will be up to you. Some brands utilize different types of chemicals or dyeing treatments during the process, which, if not washed, can be quite uncomfortable to sleep on.
Downsides of Not Washing Your Sheets Regularly
Sleeping in one’s own dirt and sweat is bad enough, and even this can be bad for one’s health. Here's a list of the downsides of sleeping on dirty sheets:
- Human dead skin cells accumulate on the sheets creating a breeding ground for dust mites, bed bugs and fleas.
- Leaving bed sheets dirty may contribute to having skin problems because you are exposed to fungal agents.
- Not washing your bedding regularly can also cause a bad scent in your bedroom.
- If you have allergies, dirty sheets will encourage bacteria growth, leading to skin irritation.
- The presence of dust mites on the sheets can bring about a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and other allergy symptoms.