How often should you change bed sheets?
You should change your bed sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers once a week or at the most every two weeks. A recent YouGov poll found that almost a third of people change their bed linen once a week or more often. 36% once every fortnight and the rest three to eight weeks or more! Washing your sheets regularly is important to not only protect your bedding and mattress, but to also protect your health.
- How often should you wash your bed sheets?
- How often should you wash your sheets when you're sick?
- What happens if you don't change your bed sheets?
- Can not changing your sheets make you sick?
- How often should you change your sheets?
How often should you wash your sheets?
Wash your bed sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases once a week to keep your bed linen fresh. If you suffer from night sweats, then you may need to wash your bedding more often, such as twice a week.
Regularly washing your bed linen will help protect your more expensive bedding items like your mattress, duvet and pillows from bodily secretions such as oils, fluids and hair. It also feels great to slip into a fresh set of bedding once a week! We recommend using our wool tumble dryer balls when drying your sheets for that super soft feeling.
How often to change bed sheets in winter - We would still recommend washing your sheets once a week in the winter even though you will probably sweat less than during the warmer summer months.
How often should you wash your bed sheets if you're sick?
If you or a member of your family is ill, then experts recommend that bedding is changed every day if possible or at least that your pillowcase is cleaned daily as germs and viruses can live for several hours and even survive a wash. Check the care instructions to see how hot you can wash your pillows.
Top tip on how to kill germs and viruses on your bed sheets from Microbiologist Laura Bowater:
"Dry sheets and pillowcases in direct sunlight if you can, as UV light is effective in killing micro-organisms. Run a hot iron over pillowcases on the cotton setting to kill any leftover bacteria".
What happens if you don't change your bed sheets?
Bed sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases rack up a variety of bodily fluids, dirt from outside and dead skin cells as we sleep. If you don’t clean your bed linen regularly, then those bodily fluids can seep into your pillows, duvets and mattresses which are always much harder to clean than your sheets, duvet covers or pillowcases. Particularly during the summer months when hot, sticky nights can lead to us sweating more.
Can not changing your sheets make you sick?
If you don’t wash your bed linen regularly your dirty sheets could worsen existing health problems. Dust mites feed off dead skin cells which can worsen asthma and set off dust mite allergies.
It can also ruin your night's sleep. You may find yourself tossing and turning through the night, affecting the quality of your sleep.
How often should you replace your bed sheets?
If your bed sheets are good quality then they should last around five to seven years. When you see or feel signs of wear and tear, replace them. Egyptian cotton sheets and linen bedding sheets will be more durable than other fabrics and get softer with every wash. So choose 100% Egyptian cotton or 100% linen for sheets that will last and improve over time.
See How to clean & care for your Egyptian cotton bed linen and How to clean & care for your linen bedding.
How often should you change your bed sheets FAQs:
How often do you need to wash your bed sheets?You should wash your bed sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases once a week to keep your bed linen fresh. Or more often if you have night sweats. Keeping your bed linen clean will protect your mattress, duvet and pillows from body oils, fluids, hair, etc. What happens when you don't wash your sheets?When you don't wash your sheets, oils and fluids from your body can build up and become embedded in the fibres of your Egyptian cotton bedding which are then more difficult to get rid of. Also, dust mite droppings can cause allergic rhinitis or breathing problems for people with asthma. How often should you change your sheets?Good quality bed sheets should be replaced every five to seven years if you can see or feel signs of wear or tear. Good quality Egyptian cotton and linen sheets will last longer than other materials. Buy the best quality bed sheets you can and look after them carefully to ensure your sheets last as long as possible. |
Also in Bed linen care
How to clean & care for your Egyptian cotton bed linen
How to care for your linen bedding
