The average person sleeps between seven and nine hours each night. This means that you’re sleeping in your bed for at least 49 hours a week.

Overnight and throughout the day, your bedsheets collect dirt, sweat, oil, and more gunk. If you want to prevent your bedsheets from building up too many of these substances, you need to wash your bedsheets regularly.

But, do you know how often to change bedsheets?

If not, keep reading. We have everything you need to know about when to change bedsheets and what happens if you don’t change bedsheets.

How Often to Change Bedsheets

If you sleep in your bed every single night, you should be changing the sheets once a week. Those of you who don’t sleep on your bed every night may be able to wash bedsheets every two weeks.

However, you shouldn’t wait more than two weeks to change your bedsheets.

In some cases, you may need to wash your bedsheets more often. For example, those of you who have pets that sleep in your bed may need to wash your sheets every three to four days.

More frequent washing is especially recommended for individuals who have allergies and/or asthma. Washing your bedsheets more often may help soothe any symptoms that you may be experiencing.

You should also wash your sheets more often in the summer months. Because it’s warmer, we tend to release more sweat and oil on our sheets. Therefore, we need to wash the sheets more often to keep everything fresh.

How Often to Wash Comforters and Other Bedding

Other parts of your bed set may be able to skip out on the once-a-week regimen. In fact, there are different time frames that you should follow for different parts:

  • Pillowcases – once a week
  • Pillows (if washable) – once every four to six months
  • Blankets – once every two to three months
  • Duvet covers – over every two weeks to one month
  • Comforters – once every two to three months

Sometimes, these pieces of bedding may have different care instructions based on the manufacturer. If you have the packaging or the tag available, you should see if there are any specific washing instructions available on it. Some pieces are delicate and require specific washing and care instructions.

On top of all of these pieces of bedding, you should wash your mattress regularly. We recommend doing so every six months. By cleaning it, you may extend the lifetime of the mattress and prevent your bedding from getting soiled faster.

If your mattress is carrying a smell, it’s likely that your bedding is becoming soiled at the moment you put it on your bed. Washing your mattress will help keep your mattress healthy and your sheets clean.

After about six to eight years, it may be time to replace the mattress. So, if your mattress isn’t keeping clean or it’s feeling a little worn down, it may be time to make an investment in a new one.

What Happens If You Don’t Change Bedsheets

Washing the sheets once a week may seem like a lot, but it’s well worth it. While you’re laying in bed, your sheets are collecting dirt, oil, dead skin cells, sweat, and dust mites. During the day, these things fester and grow.

After the first few days, these may not cause any harm or worry. But, after a week, these substances are too much for us to handle (even if you don’t realize they’re there).

Dust mites are the most concerning piece of the puzzle. These microscopic creatures are extremely common. While they don’t bite, they can cause skin irritation and rashes.

For those of you with allergies, these mites may be making your symptoms worse.

Dust mites produce rapidly, and they can live off of dead skin cells alone. Right now, there are probably tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of these creatures living on your mattress and in your bedding.

Even if you aren’t allergic to them, it’s unlikely that you want to be sharing a bed with them. By washing your sheets, you’ll be able to get rid of these creatures and take your bed back for yourself.

How to Wash Bedsheets

First, you should read the product label carefully. Most of this information is located on the tags on the sheets themselves. However, sometimes, this information is located on the original packaging.

If you don’t have the original packaging, you may be able to look up the information online. Just type in the company and the kind of sheets that you have. Most companies offer wash and care instructions online for their customers.

Once you’re ready to wash your sheets, you should use the hottest water that the label allows for. The hotter the water, the more likely it is to get all of the germs off of the sheets. In general, cotton sheets can go into hot water while other materials need to go into warm water.

Machine-wash the sheets using a gentle detergent and consider a double rinse. Washing the sheets twice can help remove residual detergent. If you can, invest in natural cleaning products.

Lastly, tumble dry the sheets on low. Alternatively, you can hang them to dry.

Since this process can take a few hours, you may want to consider investing in more than one set of sheets. With an extra set or two, you can strip the bed and throw on the new set immediately. Then, you can tackle the laundry whenever it’s most convenient.

Save Your Time and Hire Someone to Wash Bedsheets

If keeping up with how often to change bedsheets is too much, it may be time to hire a professional cleaning service. Remembering when to throw in each piece of your bed set may be too much to handle, not to mention everything else that you have to get done around the house.

Make the switch to Rescue My Time Cleaning Service so that our team can help you keep your home clean. Request a quote today!