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This type of household chore is often seen as a tedious routine. However, with modern washing machines at our disposal, there’s really no excuse not to change our sheets more frequently.
Meanwhile, researchers have found that most people do this less often than they should. According to studies, it’s recommended to treat your body to clean linens at least once a week, or at the very least, every two weeks.
Why is this important?
The average person spends a third of their life sleeping. This means that our beds are among the most important items in our daily lives.
According to New York biologist Philip Tierno, our nighttime resting place quickly turns into a “botanical garden” of bacteria and fungi due to the “lovely” combination of sweat, dead skin cells, and dust mites. Can we really ignore that?
These unwanted bedfellows can lead to a range of health issues, including eczema, allergies, and asthma. Mr. Tierno asserts that they can make you sick even if you typically don’t suffer from allergies. Hence, his recommendation: wash your bedding weekly.
Regular washing is especially crucial during the summer months when we sweat more and face additional factors like hay fever and pollen.
Cleveland Clinic dermatologist Alok Vij, M.D., reminded us that there are other reasons to wash bedding frequently. These include pets, the intensity of sweating among household members, any allergies or asthma they may have, and whether they sleep naked.
Manal Mohammed, a senior lecturer in microbiology at Westminster University, recommends washing bedding in warm or hot water (40–60 °C), changing pillowcases every few days, and allowing the bed to air out in the morning by removing the sheets for a while. This will make it less hospitable for bacteria and dust mites, as reported by IFLScience.
How often do people change their sheets?
According to data from the London-based market research firm YouGov, less than a third of Britons wash their bedding weekly (28 percent). Thirty-six percent do so every two weeks. And one in ten respondents admitted to changing their sheets and pillowcases about once a month.
The most alarming results came from single British men. According to BBC reports, 45 percent of respondents in this category change their bedding no more than once a month.
A 2017 survey among U.S. residents revealed that nearly half of respondents (44 percent) wash their bedding one to two times a month, while one in ten does so quarterly. Five percent are rare slobs who manage to change their sheets only once or twice a year.
