According to The Sleep Foundation, we should be washing our sheets once a week but according to data from YouGov, only 28% of Brits are washing their sheets that frequently.
Now, if that didn’t make you feel grim enough, it turns out that we should actually be washing our pillowcases even more often than that. Yep. If you were thinking it had been a good while since you last did a good bedsheets wash, you’re even more behind than you think.
Sorry.
How often should we be washing our pillowcases?
While we may consider our pillowcases to be as dirty or indeed, clean, as our duvets, Martin Seeley, sleep expert and CEO of MattressNextDay says that they’re actually much worse.
Seeley said: “Your pillowcase can trap dirt, sweat and also the products you are putting on your skin before bed, so they should be cleaned more often than your duvet covers – around twice a week.”
Lovely.
Additionally, our pillows and duvets themselves need to be washed probably more often than we think.
Seeley said: “Every night, the average person sweats at least 200ml of liquid, which naturally seeps through to your duvet. So make sure to clean everything on your bed regularly, even things you don’t touch.
“It’s common to have separate ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ duvets for swapping. When transitioning, wash your duvet before storing it away. If you use the same duvet year-round, aim to wash it every six months. Wash your inner pillows every three months to remove sweat, dust, and skin buildup.”
I mean, I was *definitely* washing my duvet this whole time. I definitely do this every six months and this really wasn’t news to me, I promise.
Finally, if you regularly sleep in your underwear, wash your underwear at 60 degrees to prevent germs from spreading. Used pants can contain microbes which can cause urinary tract infections, thrush and more. You don’t want those kinds of microbes hanging around your bedding,
I don’t know if I’ll ever look at my bed the same, tbh.