Wondering how often you should change your sheets? It’s a controversial question that’s sure to rustle a few feather pillows, but we’ve got some facts and figures to help you decide.
How often should you change your sheets?
Doctor Aragona Giuseppe, GP and Medical Advisor at Prescription Doctor, advises that changing your bedsheets once a week is best for optimum cleanliness. They warned that sleeping on a dirty pillow case could promote acne. Unclean sheets can accumulate dead skin cells, bacteria and dust mites.
What is the UK average?
The stats are wide-ranging – according to a survey of 2,000 people conducted in 2020 by furniture company Hammonds, a staggering 30% of Brits admitted to washing their bedsheets just once a year! While 40% of us change our sheets every fortnight.
The right frequency can depend on lifestyle factors.
If you allow pets on the bed, or suffer from dust allergies or hayfever, you may wish to change your sheets more regularly. You’re also likely to sweat more in summer weather, or if you live in a warm area, whereas in cooler months every couple of weeks should be fine.
Can you change bedsheets too often?
From a health point of view, you can’t change them too often! However it’s a time-consuming task, and if you’re changing them every day it’s worth considering that creating extra laundry means more washing machine cycles, equalling more energy usage and higher electricity bills.
What setting should you wash bed sheets on?
Start by checking the care label on your sheets, as different fabrics can be washed at varying temperatures.
In general, it’s better for the environment to wash at a lower temperature, as it uses less energy to heat the water – an eco-friendly way to wash is to use a 40° cycle and a laundry detergent designed for cooler washes.
You may wish to use a hotter cycle for white sheets to restore their brightness.
As with other laundry, be sure to separate sheets by colour and don’t overload your washing machine drum. If possible, hang sheets outside to dry – not only does it freshen linen (and uses no electricity!) but sunlight can also brighten white sheets naturally!
Now you’ve tackled the bedlinen, is it time to clean your mattress? Read our easy guide on how to clean a mattress.
