It’s a fact of life: we all hate doing the laundry. With that said, it’s important to make sure you wash your bedding frequently. Dead skin cells, oil, sweat, and saliva… dirty bedding is a breeding ground for bacteria and allergies. So how often should you wash your bedding to make sure things stay clean - and guarantee that perfect night’s sleep? Read on for our expert tips.
How often should you change your bedding?
On average, we spend about eight hours per night in bed. While we’re asleep, our bodies sweat, shedding off dead skin cells in the process - a feast for bacteria, microbes, and mites. A single mattress can be home to millions of mites, invisible to the naked eye but often responsible for allergies, hayfever, eczema, asthma and coughs. To keep mites and microbes to a minimum, the rules of engagement are clear: we should aim to wash our bedding at least once a week, more often for those who sleep in the nude or who prefer to take a shower in the morning rather than at night.
How to properly wash your bedding
For a bedroom that’s as clean on the inside as it is on the outside, it’s important to get to grips with how to correctly wash bedding. Step one: make sure to wash your duvet cover on the highest temperature possible. Heat is the best way to thoroughly eliminate bacteria and microbes. Check the label on your bedding for more information on the optimum temperature depending on the fabric. If your bedding isn’t suitable for washing at high temperatures, make sure to dry it in the open air if at all possible. Drying bedding outdoors in natural sunlight is ideal for killing bacteria. Finally, consider ironing your bedding - an easy way to disinfect and heat treat textiles without damaging the fabric.
How often should you wash your duvet and pillows?
Although pillowcases and duvet covers act as an extra layer between bacteria and your skin, it goes without saying that pillows and duvets should be washed often. To get the most out of your bedding, wash your pillows every three months and your duvet every six months at a high temperature. On a daily basis, making sure to air your duvet (hanging it up by a window, for example) and airing your bedroom for 15 to 30 minutes will help to improve air circulation - especially in winter, when increased humidity can lead to an explosion of bacteria.
When it comes to the joys of everyday life, slipping into soft white sheets fresh out of the dryer has got to be near the top of the list. On your marks, get set… wash!