Woman asks if she is 'gross' after confessing how often she washes her bedding
There's nothing quite like getting into bed after putting clean, fresh bedding on - but how often do you wash your sheets?
The process of changing our sheets can be a fiddly and time-consuming task but it's essential for a good night's sleep and personal hygiene.
It remains one of the greatest debates - how regularly should we be washing our bed linen? One woman has asked if her bed cleaning routine is "gross" after confessing how often she washes her sheets and duvet cover.
The busy mum took to Reddit anonymously and explained her shock at hearing that some people wash their entire bedding sets - pillow cases, sheet, duvet cover - every week. She pointed out that washing your bedding often can be a costly affair, which can significantly burden the purse strings of households already battling the rising cost of living crisis.
"I never thought something as simple as washing my blankets would be a luxury," the mum of two toddlers said.
Cleaning guru shares why you shouldn't make your bed first thing in the morning
Speaking about her bed sheet routine, the woman explained: "We keep just a fitted sheet on our mattress, and then my husband and I share a thick, king-sized blanket. We don't have any decorative pillows or anything. We each have one pillow to sleep on, with simple covers on them.
"The fitted sheet and pillowcases get washed at minimum every two weeks, or more often as needed. The blanket gets washed every two to three weeks depending on how stretched for money we are - it gets expensive to wash."
She continued: "My toddlers also have their own twin-sized blankets so we wash those every two weeks as well. We alternate between washing theirs and ours every week or so, so that we’re not spending too much at once. I hear of people washing their entire bedding sets weekly, so I’m wondering if our current routine is uncommon or gross?"
Hundreds of people reacted to the Reddit post, sharing how often they put their bedding in the washing machine. One individual said: "Sheets and towels are once a week. Blankets, I'm embarrassed to say, are not on a schedule. If it seems like they need freshening up I'll wash them."
Another added: "Pillow cases and hand towels need to be washed more often. Pillowcases, especially, since your face and hair are on them - got to take care of your skin. Even just swapping the pillowcases mid week and washing both sets on laundry day works."
One other wrote: "I do sheets weekly and blankets once or twice a month. I use a top sheet, wear full body pyjamas." One other advised: "Weekly is ideal but lots of people go longer, particularly for blankets. I was taught not to let anything but the top sheet touch my body and blankets don't need washing as often and they last longer."
What the experts say
Sleep experts say not washing your sheets regularly can impact health by attracting dust mites that fester and can excrete faecal matter - linked to allergies, asthma, rhinitis, and eczema. A 2020 poll quizzing Brits on how often they wash their bedding by OTTY found many of us aren't cleaning our duvet covers often enough - covers and bottom sheets need to be cleaned once a week, as dust mites can live in them.
A sleep expert previously told the Mirror that germs and bacteria are not visible to the naked eye on our bed sheets, and can build up during the night. A spokesperson for Bed Kingdom said: "Washing bedding can be seen as a hassle and a chore for many of us. As with any chore, it can be easy to procrastinate and leave it to the last minute, but the potential effects on your health are a great reason to dedicate the time."
They added: "Sticking to a schedule of stripping the bed in the morning is a useful way to keep on top of your washing as you will be rewarded with clean sheets the next time you get into bed. If you can dry your sheets in the sunlight, this will save you money on tumble dryer costs as well as killing germs further."
How often do you wash your bedding? Comment your thoughts below.
Man finds £47,000 stuffed into walls of new home - but can't keep it all
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
