How often should you wash your bed sheets? Bedding pros warn it might be more often than you think

Each night, we bring dirt, sweat, and dead skin cells into our beds. If you share your bed with your partner, pets, or little ones, then your sheets are even more vulnerable to spills and stains.

But how often do you need to wash bed sheets to keep them hygienic, without making your to-do list overwhelming?

Bedding and laundry experts suggest every one to two weeks is ideal for the majority of us – here's why it could be harmful delay changing your bed sheets.

How often should you wash your bedding?

Christina Heiser, Content Director at Saatva, the Smarter Luxury Sleep Company begins, 'Sheets should be washed once a week or once every other week. This will keep both your top sheet and fitted sheet fresh and avoid bedding laundry mistakes to ensure they don't wear down too quickly.

'You should aim to strike a balance between proper maintenance and frequent washing. Washing your sheets too often can wear down the material, but washing too infrequently can lead to them quickly becoming soiled.'

Some bed linen requires more regular laundering. Katie Elks, Brooklinen's Director of Design and Product Development adds, 'pillowcases should be washed the most often as they generally absorb more sweat and face oils, and wear in faster due to direct contact and the weight on top of them'.

You should clean your pillowcase at least once a week, and more often if you have particularly sensitive skin. Knowing how often to wash pillows is just as important.

Factors to consider when washing bedding

How often you clean a bedroom and wash your bedsheets can depend on several factors, however. Some items making your bedroom dirtier, or certain bad sleep habits, could mean you need to do laundry more often.

Parima Ijaz, bedding designer and owner of Pure Parima says, 'If you're a hot sleeper, tend to sweat more at night, share your bed with pets, are prone to allergies, or skip using a flat sheet, it's wise to wash your bedding more frequently, possibly more than once a week.

'On the other hand, if you sleep cooler, use a flat sheet, and experience minimal sweating, you might not need to wash your linens as often. With less moisture and allergen buildup, there’s a lower chance of discomfort while you sleep.'

Matt O'Connor, founder and CEO of NoScrubs adds that sleeping nude can also increase how often you need to wash your bedding, as you do not have pajamas to act as a buffer for skin cells, natural oils and sweat.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help keep sheets fresher between washing, Christina Heiser adds, such as delaying making your bed until later in the day to air bedding every morning, or even steam cleaning bedding using a handheld garment steamer, available at Walmart.

Christina warns, 'If you make your bed first thing in the a.m. without letting your sheets air out (or you don't shower every night before bed), it's best to change them a little more often every seven to 10 days instead.'

What happens if you don't wash your bedding?

Dr. Erum N. Ilyas, board-certified dermatologist, CEO, and Founder of AmberNoon, explains, 'The reasons for laundering bed sheets are based on restoring the appearance, reducing the risk of deterioration of the textiles from the buildup of oils, soils, dust, and dust mites, and reducing the number of microbes such as bacteria, fungus, and viruses.'

If you don't wash your bed sheets, your bedding will become worn and damaged. You also run the risk of serious health issues, including skin breakouts and inflammation, acne, and eczema. A build-up of dirt and dust mites can trigger an allergic reaction or an asthmatic attack.

FAQs

How often should couples wash their sheets?

When two people share a bed, there's double the dirt. If either person sleeps hot, naked, or has sensitive skin, then you should wash your sheets more frequently, at least once a week, rather than once every other week.

Can you get bed bugs by not washing sheets?

Unwashed sheets won’t bring bed bugs into your home. However, frequent sheet washing will give you the chance to spot an infestation before it spreads and call in the professionals. Investing in one of the best mattress protectors should ensure the pests don't reach your mattress.

If you have more than one bed to change in your home every week or two, it can start to feel a bit overwhelming. Luckily, we have compiled some laundry hacks to make this chore easier so you can spend more time doing the things you enjoy.