According to the Mattress Advisor survey, married couples change their bedclothes about every 19.9 days whereas single people wait 37 days on average. And single men change them less often than single women.
According to a recent survey by Mattress Advisor, the average person changes their sheets about every 24 days. But that's not the best schedule for optimal hygiene and freshness. How often you should wash your sheets depends on a few factors, but some general rules work for most people.
“The debate on what's the 'right' frequency to wash bed sheets and towels has been settled, as three in four Aussies wash their sheets at least once in two weeks and nearly the same number (74 per cent) also wash their towels at least once a week,” says Megan Birot, home and lifestyle expert at Canstar Blue.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so. Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week.
"Sheet washing is weekly average depending on climate, hot and humid [weather] washing is more frequent," another said. Fortnightly is a common time-frame between clean sheets too, with 37 per cent of respondents washing this often.
Australians have the status of being one of the cleanest nations on the planet. 90 per cent of women and 80 per cent of men bathe or shower at least once daily according to a 2008 report by the SCA, a leading global hygiene company.
Experts recommend washing or changing sheets once a week. In this post we cover how best to do it, tips, and why it's good advice to follow.
Men are more likely to wait longer between sheet changes than women (29.6 days vs. 19.4 days). On average, single people go 37 days before changing their sheets, while those in relationships go 21.8 days, and married couples go 19.9 days.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so. Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week.
Bacteria on your linen can cause breakouts, whiteheads, skin inflammation, and intense itching. They can also cause skin problems like acne or eczema or worsen existing conditions. Bacteria, dust mites, bed bugs are all responsible for affecting the health of your family's skin.
But still, the slight majority, 54%, do not wash their sheets often enough — only a few times per month or less. Of the 523 people surveyed, about 30% said that they wash their bed sheets a few times per month; and 22% said they wash them once a month or less.
Forty-one percent of women wash their sheets once a week, while 33 percent of men do the same. I am proud to say that I'd be part of the 33 percent my sheets go into the washing machine once a week without fail.
“We recommend washing bath towels after every three uses, or at least once a week, to ensure truly clean towels,” said Kate Elks, Brooklinen director. “Brooklinen's bath offerings, including bath towels and sheets, hand towels, and washcloths, only differ in size, so you can care for them all the same way.”
Typically, hotels wash their bedding once every week including various kinds of comforters, sheets, and pillows. However, they often swap out the pillowcases and linens between the guests. It's a common practice that the hotel comforters are rarely automatically changed – unless a guest requests it.
While you should wash your pillowcases every two weeks, at least, along with your sheets and other bedding, you can get away with leaving your actual pillow for longer. If it's been six months or more since you last gave it a clean, however, it's time to take the plunge!
In a survey conducted by Hammonds Furniture, thirty percent of the 2,000 participants admitted to washing their bedding every 12 months or less. Experts are warning the habit could lead to dust mites, bed bugs, fungal infections and skin irritation.
"The longest you should wait before changing out your sheets is two weeks," says Carolyn Forté, executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care & Cleaning Lab "Weekly is even better."
General hygiene
Finally, your hygiene will take a plummet if you're not changing your bed sheets. Even if you're a super clean person and you shower every night before getting into bed, dirty sheets still touch your skin and hair which can make you smell.
Married couples have sex once a week on average, but don't feel like you need to be hitting those numbers. It's important to focus on quality instead of quantity. Besides, there are plenty of ways to increase your sexual satisfaction.
Once a week is a common baseline, experts say. That statistic depends slightly on age: 40- and 50-year-olds tend to fall around that baseline, while 20- to 30-year olds tend to average around twice a week.
Well, the short answer is once a week.
Bacteria, fungi, and a whole host of allergens can build up in your bedding if you don't wash it regularly.
“If you're taking care of someone who's ill or you're sick yourself, steam from a steamer or an iron is enough to sanitize sheets,” Richardson says.
Getting enough sleep is essential for our well-being, but all that time spent in bed quickly leads to a buildup of dead skin, dirt, sweat, oil, allergens, and all the other fun stuff on our sheets and bedding. Dirty sheets can contribute to allergies, asthma, skin breakouts, skin irritation, infections, and more.
You should wash your mattress pad every couple months.
This makes sense: You lay directly on top of the sheets, so they're the first line of defense against body oils and dust getting to your mattress. Your mattress pad bears of that brunt, too, but not quite as much.