How Often Should You Wash Your Bedding?

How Often Should You Wash Your Bedding?

There’s nothing like crawling into a bed with crisp, clean sheets. And yet, despite that unrivaled joy, many people don’t wash their bedding very often. 

One *frankly disturbing* survey found that 30 percent of respondents only cleaned their sheets once a year or less. At that point, it’s amazing the sheets didn't disintegrate and turn into sad, dirty sheet dust. 

Just putting it out there so we’re all on the same page: washing your sheets once a year is not enough!!! (“I’ll take, ‘Things you never thought you’d have to write’ for 200 please, Alex.") (RIP)

For reference, the average amount of time it takes a person to change their sheets is about 24 days, according to a survey done by Mattress Advisor. Much more reasonable.  

That still leaves the question, though, how often should you actually be washing your bedding? 

How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?

The simple and most common answer is once a week. Most experts, like those at Good Housekeeping, recommend not waiting any longer than two weeks as the absolute outside limit. 

Why so often?

We hate to be the bearers of bad news but bed sheets get dirty. Really dirty. And faster than you’d think. 

Get your minds out of the gutter, folks. We’re talking about the actual dirt and dust and dead skin that quickly builds up on your sheets when you sleep on them. 

Let’s put it this way, the average person sheds 12 million, yes, MILLION, dead skin cells every night. Since dead skin cells are the favorite snack of dust mites, not washing your sheets often is basically offering an open invitation to the little critters to crawl into bed with you. Gross. 

And that’s without getting into the horrible night sweats.

Some sheets, like ones made of eucalyptus, stay cleaner for longer, but even they get dirty soon enough.  

Tonight's scary story is... The Tale of the Unwashed Sheets. AHHHH!

Simply put, even if you’re clean and tidy, your bedding won’t be for long. Consistently washing your sheets is the only way to make sure your bed stays nice and fresh. (And dust mite-free!) 

The Benefits of Washing Your Sheets Often

Beyond the previously mentioned joy of sleeping on clean sheets and just general freshness, there are some other benefits to sticking to a solid sheet washing routine. 

1. It’s better for your skin

Getting rid of all the sweat and oil and bacteria that builds up on your sheets by washing them regularly makes breakouts and other skin irritations much less likely. 

2. You’ll sleep better

Research shows that 73 percent of people get better sleep at night when they’re sleeping on fresh sheets. Who can turn down any chance at improved sleep?

Sheets so clean you can bury your nose in them!

3. It can help prevent allergy attacks

Dust mites can seriously affect people with allergies, causing everything from coughing to sneezing to skin rashes. Washing your sheets regularly can get rid of these pests and help reduce or even prevent allergy symptoms. 

What about the rest of your bedding?

Your sheets aren’t the only things on your bed that you should be washing regularly. 

Pillowcases need to be washed at least as often as the sheets and don’t forget to throw the pillows themselves in the wash two or three times per year. 

Blankets operate on a similar timeline to pillows. They only need to be washed about every three months. Cut that back to every two months if you have pets that go in your bedroom.  

You might not realize this, but the last piece of the bedding puzzle, your mattress, needs to get cleaned, too. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with a handy mattress cleaning guide.   

It may sound like a lot of cleaning at first but once you get in the habit of properly washing your bedding, you’ll never go back. 

And why not start your clean bedding journey with one of the freshest, most luxurious sheet sets around? You deserve it. 

Sheets & Giggles Sheets: A gift from you to you!