First, we will start with your bed sheets. Most people change and wash their sheets once per week. In many cases they simply do so because it’s what their parents taught them to do. In some cases, people changed their sheets every fortnight and on average, many people change them every three and a half weeks. However, did you know that washing your sheets too often can actually have a negative effect due to bad habits. For example those that wash their sheets every few days, may not even get to put their new sheets on their beds and end up sleeping on the mattress without the sheets. This is highly discouraged because it makes the bed much dirtier than it should be. So, it is very important that you wash your sheets, dry them and put them back on the same day as oppose to waiting to do so.
Next, we will look at washing the bedding. Unfortunately, many people are quick to wash their sheets, but often forget to clean the bedding under the sheets. The bedding or mattress protector can get extremely dirty and lead to a host of problems. If you visit various hotels and AirBnB’s, you should definitely check out the bedding first before you lay on the bed. So, in order to ensure your bedding or underlay is clean, you should wash them at least once every 6 months and be sure to dry them properly.
Now, you may be wondering, what is the worst that can happen from not washing your sheets? Well, first of all the sheets would smell terribly! Also, the sheets and bedding could start to grow mould and develop fungi which can lead to ringworm and tinea. Another issue that will likely occur are dust mites and other creepy crawlies. Dust mites are particularly common and these bugs love to eat skin cells, sweat etc. If you don’t regularly wash your sheets, bedding and pillows, then there will be a lot more food for these creatures, which means even more would infest the bed. Many people are also very allergic to dust mites, so this is an even greater reason why you should wash your sheets and bedding regularly. You should also vacuum your bed on a regular basis to get rid of the dust mites.
Next, if you fail to clean your bed, then you will also have to deal with bed bugs. These bed bugs are basically small vampires and will bite you, wherever they can. This is quite literally a pain and they cause itching, rashes etc. In addition to sucking on your blood, they will also poop on your sheets and mattress. In order to get rid of or avoid getting bed bugs, you should change your sheets every week and air your mattress regularly. You can also steam clean your mattress every few months and if there is a bed bug infestation, then you’ll likely need to call a pest control company to deal with it.
In addition to cleaning your sheets and bedding, you also need to clean your pillows. You should aim to clean your pillows at least once every three months. Unfortunately, pillows can have a much higher concentration of bed bugs, dust mites, mite faeces etc. However, by washing your pillows at 60c, you will be able to get rid of and kill most of these insects.
In closing, we have just looked at how often you should clean your bed. With this information you should make a greater effort to keep your bed as clean as possible so that you can have the best rest possible.