How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?

Washing our sheets – it’s a thing we all know we have to do, but when laundry day comes around, many of us say to ourselves, “I’ll just wash them next week.” For some, next week only comes around 2-3 times a year. Unfortunately for them, however, sheets can quickly become one of the dirtier items in the home, and they need to be cleaned and sanitized regularly.

Given this uncomfortable reality, how often should you wash your sheets? Before we get into how to wash your sheets, let’s dive into the dirty details of what kinds of things are lurking just beneath the surface of your bed linens.

Why Should You Wash Your Sheets?

We spend a lot of time laying in bed – about a third of our lives to be exact. As we sleep, our bodies give off sweat, saliva, dead skin cells, and body oils, and they all get absorbed into our bed linens. So, naturally, our sheets are going to get dirty pretty quickly and need to be cleaned to remove dust, debris, bacteria, germs, and other material.

We shed anywhere between 30,000-40,000 skin cells every single day. Because of the constant contact we have with our beds and inevitable exfoliation it causes, many of those skin cells will end up embedded into our sheets. Additionally, dead skin cells are the preferred food of dust mites, so they are likely to travel to your sheets to get a meal. So, not only are our wastes getting in our sheets, so the dust mites’ waste.

And, while these substances aren’t necessarily harmful to us, it can present some people with a host of health problems, starting with skin problems and allergies. If you don’t wash your sheets enough, the bacteria that live there will transfer onto your skin and create an imbalance to the good bacteria that already live there. This can lead to acne, eczema, and other skin ailments. Additionally, dust mites, a common allergen, can travel into your nasal passages as well, causing allergy symptoms such as a runny nose, coughing, and more.

In most cases, you should wash your sheets and bedding at least once a week and preferably twice a week. Pillows and pillowcases should always be washed with sheets, as they can carry the same amount of allergens and debris as our sheets and require regular cleaning to remain safe and healthy. Plus, washing can help to fluff your pillows and make them last longer!

How To Wash Sheets

Below are some tips on how to wash typical bed sheets:

Load your washing machine with only a few sheets. They need a lot of room, so stuffing too many in one cycle can prevent them from getting clean.
Pre-treat any stains and consider using chlorine-free or color-safe bleach.
Check the label to know which cycle and heat setting your sheets can be washed at. Make sure to wash only with like colors to avoid any discoloration. If you’re washing dark colors, wash them in cool water to avoid fading.
When drying, check the label to know the dryer temperature that’s recommended for your sheets. High temperatures run the risk of wrinkling or over-drying the sheets.

Even though it’s recommended that you wash your sheets multiple times a week, we understand that life can get in the way of that. To solve this problem, Mulberrys Garment Care has a convenient bedding and laundry service that can help you stay on top of your cleaning routines. Additionally, we also offer pick-up and drop-off services so you won’t even have to lift a finger (or leave your home!) to have clean sheets. That sounds like a win-win to us!

Learn more about these services by visiting our linen cleaning page!