How Often Do I Really Need to Wash My Sheets?

My biggest splurge for housekeeping would be having someone wash my sheets put them on my bed everyday.

Or at least every other day.

I means what’s better than having nice crisp, clean and great smelling sheets on your bed?

We say that home is where the heart is but I say that the bed is our cozy spot.

That’s where our comfort is and sometimes there’s nothing better than buying ourselves deep into those sheets and blankets and escaping to dream land.

Remember when you were a kid and you took your flashlight under the sheets to read a story?  You made them into a tent so you could play inside of it, hidden from the world.

A nice cozy bed can be something that you look forward to each day.

So how often do I really need to wash my sheets?

Let’s talk about your sheets for a moment.

I have been reading that the average family washes their sheets every other week.

I know that one of our college daughters might have only washed her sheets every semester and we promptly disposed of those sheets.  There’s not enough hot water and soap to make me believe those are hygienic in any way.

In our house, we like to use a flat and a fitted sheet along with the matching pillowcase sets.  Not just on our bed but on every bed we have.

I think that your sheets are there to be comfy and cool, but also to protect your heavier and more expensive bedding from getting dirty.

And I’m not saying that you’re dirty – but we all have natural oils on our skin.  I don’t even want to think about the fact that we shed some of that skin at night.  I mean that’s why a good night’s sleep makes our skin glow right?

So washing your sheets weekly is a great idea.

Or if you’ve got daily help in your house, have them washed everyday!

Keeping clean sheets on your bed means that you don’t have to wash your blankets and/or duvets as often since your sheets are protecting them.

We spend almost 1/3 of our lives in our beds

Now you may spend more or less time in your bed, but studies show that we spend an average of 1/3 of our time in our beds.

If you lay in it to read or watch tv on a regular basis then you’re on the upper side of that average.

If you don’t sleep much at all you might be there less, but still,  1/3 of our lives is a significant amount of time.

The History of the Bedsheet

Did you know that they’ve found evidence that bedsheets were used all the way back in the 15th century?  Even the Egyptian’s used linen (hence the term bed linens) all the way back around 3400 BC.

These were only available to the wealthy since making a bed linen was a very labor intensive undertaking.

We’re lucky that there are machines to do all the work now.

And that’s your history lesson for the day!

Why You Should Wash Your Sheets Weekly

Let’s just start with the fact that you’re sleeping in them.

Or more to my point, nice crisp and good smelling sheets make you sleep better.  They really do.

Washing your sheets regularly helps control dust mites.  I’m not going to give you the quotes on those, I’m just going to tell you that you should keep your bedding clean.

It helps keep down allergies and asthma.  And it can also help control acne and other skin conditions.

How to Wash Your Bed Sheets

First purchase the best sheets that you can afford.  Yes there really is a difference between those $9 sheets and the $75 dollar ones.

Then take care of the sheets that you purchase.  Regular washing and treating stains will make them last a lot longer.

Always wash new sheets before you sleep on them.  The fabrics may have chemical residue on them that can irritate your skin so it’s a good idea to give them a wash and dry right off the bat.

Clean bed sheets will make your bed a cozy and welcoming place after a long day at work or in school.

Laundering your bed linens is an important part of an allergy prevention routine, and it’s better for your skin.

Don’t overfill your washing machine.  Make sure that you don’t try to stuff all the sheets in the household into one load when you’re washing.  It’s a much better idea to only fill your washing machine halfway so that your sheets have plenty of room to move around while they’re being washed.

If you have pets on your bed you may need to launder more often.  They not only shed but also bring in dirt from outdoors on their fur and paws.  You may need to launder more often to help keep the dirt under control.

Measure out your laundry soap.  Not enough soap means that you’re sheets aren’t getting clean, but too much soap can mean that you’re sheets may not get rinsed all the way and can irritate  your skin.

Don’t over dry your sheets.  Running the dryer after the sheets are dry will damage their fibers and shorten their lifespan.  If you want to help resist wrinkles on your bed, pull them out of the dryer as soon as they’re dry and put them back on your bed.

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