The Surprising Answer To How Often You Should Wash the Sheets
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A long time ago, we read that life is all about the little things. It’s not about your epic romances or major achievements…no, it’s all the little activities, from doing the dishes to taking out the trash, that creates our daily and weekly routines. And in the sense that “what you do is what you are,” then it’s fair to say that our routines help define us.
Nothing is quite as routine or quite as important as washing our sheets. However, nobody’s routine is exactly the same because in this case, everybody has a different idea of how often they need to wash their sheets. It’s enough to make all of us raise our voices to the sky and ask the big question: “just how often am I supposed to do this?!”
We may not have all the answers, but in this case, we know the right answer to this most pressing puzzle. Keep reading to discover just how often you should wash your sheets, and prepare for your mind to be blown by the answer!
Why washing sheets often is so important
By definition, routine activities are those that we have to do over and over (and over) again and again. Eventually, you’ll find yourself asking just why you have to continue this repetitive activity for so long. That’s particularly true when it comes to washing sheets because that little voice inside your head will start to tell you that nothing will happen if you just keep sleeping on dirty sheets rather than washing them and properly changing the bed.
Unfortunately, changing your sheets often is completely mandatory. That’s because everything that comes off your body may get stuck to the sheets, including sweat, oils, skin cells, and more. These are the kinds of things we usually rely on a bath or shower to help us clean off our bodies. But if you go from a fresh shower to old sheets on an older mattress, it’s like exposing your body to all that dirt and grime all over again.
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How often do most people wash their sheets?
Trying to figure out how long you can go without washing your sheets? In that case, it can help to know how often other people are washing theirs. That can provide you with some important baseline information about whether you are personally washing your sheets too often or not often enough.
A Mattress Advisory survey found that most Americans wash their sheets every 24 days. That’s a relatively long time, with most residents going nearly a month before they decide to give their sheets a wash. As the rest of this guide will reveal, though, that means most Americans are waiting too long to clean their sheets and paying a major price when it comes to their health and hygiene.
The real answer as to how often you should wash sheets
You’re here because you want to know how often to wash your sheets. As for us, we went right to the source by consulting with an actual medical doctor. And what he had to say about keeping your sheets nice and clean is almost certainly going to surprise you.
Dr. Jason Singh took to Instagram to give a definitive answer to this question. “From a medical and a hygienic standpoint, it really should be once a week.” It can be hard, of course, to find the energy and motivation to wash your sheets yet again. But once you know what can happen if you don’t wash them in a timely manner, you’ll be setting a weekly reminder to take care of this annoying task before anything and everything gets worse.
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What will happen if you go too long without washing sheets?
Remember all that gunk that we described as coming off your body and landing on the sheets? Laying back down in filthy sheets is like bathing your body in skin cells and sweat, and the presence of this nastiness can also lead to your sheets developing bacteria, dust mites, and fungus.
On the mildest level, all of this can trigger an allergic reaction. In some cases, a person might develop an infection or skin irritation. Finally, if you have asthma or another respiratory disease, you may need to clean your sheets even more often than every seven days just to be on the safe side.
How to keep your bed cleaner for longer
How often you need to wash your sheets can depend on many factors, including how clean (or dirty) those sheets really are. If you really hate washing, you may be able to use the tips below to help keep your bed cleaner for longer.
One basic tip is to keep your bedroom cooler…this lowers your own body temperature and can keep you from sweating as easily. You should also shower at night to remove everything from your body before sitting down on the bed. This reduces the amount of contaminants your body receives and can help you effectively mitigate any negative health effects.