How Often Should You Change Bed Sheets?

You spend a lot of time in your beds. If you take an average of 7 hours per night, you spend about 49 hours in bed weekly. Add those luxurious afternoon naps, the power naps after work, and the sleeping-in on weekends, and you have about 60 hours in bed per week. 

When you look at it that way, you spend a lot of time in bed, and your bed sheets are in close contact with dead skin, oil, hair, sweat and other things. Sometimes, bed bugs could hitchhike on your clothes or bags and set up residence on these sheets. When you consider this, you are left wondering, ‘How often do I change the bed sheets?’

Taking all of this into account, it would be a good idea to change your bedsheets once a week, or more often, if you spend more time in bed during the day, while working or watching movies. It is best to change your bedsheets when they start looking dirty or if they develop a musty smell. 

Yes, making your bed is time-consuming. When you can barely make it out of the house in time for work, making the bed is the last thing on your mind. Add to that pillowcase cushion covers, duvet covers and quilts, and you can kiss your free time goodbye, thanks to the mountain of laundry that will pile up. But, if you change your bed sheets periodically, you reap the benefits of sleeping on clean sheets- no bugs, better sleep, no related allergies and general well-being. 

Maintaining hygiene is very important. Given that you use your beds to sleep, relax and rest, the bed sheets must be clean and welcoming. When you do not clean or change your bed sheets, you become more susceptible to allergies, breathing problems like asthma and skin diseases caused by dust mites or allergens. But does that mean that you change your bed sheets every day? Or do you change them every week or month? 

What factors determine when you should change your sheets?

Many factors affect the period you can go through without changing sheets. This largely depends on the temperature and humidity of the place you live in and lifestyle factors. 

Here are some other factors that help you understand why you should change your bed sheets regularly.

Weather

The season and weather determine how often you change your bedsheets. Since people tend to sweat more in summer, changing the bedsheets twice a week during summer would be ideal. During winter, you can extend it to ten days, but if you move it to two weeks, you could live on the edge. 

The reason behind changing bedsheets is to ensure that the sheets are relatively clean. While people argue that it is unnecessary to change bedsheets during winter, as there is less sweating during this season, remember that there are other factors, such as dust, dirt and dead skin. 

Waste from your body

On any given day, your body is constantly shedding dead skin cells, which is no different when you sleep. The body also secretes oil and sweat. The bed sheets collect all of these to varying extents. This is in addition to the dirt and grime on your clothes when you crash into bed without a shower. 

Considering how much of this could accumulate over a few days, it would do well for you to change the bedsheets once a week or once in three days. 

Allergies

People with dust allergies need to change sheets regularly, ranging from once in three days to once a week, depending on the climate of the place you live in. This is because dust and grime tend to accumulate on bed sheets; if they are not changed regularly, this dust could cause allergies. 

The allergic reactions could range from a cold, sneezing, a runny nose, and dry cough to fever and asthma. During spring and summer, there could also be a higher risk of pollen on your bed sheets. Changing them regularly could keep you safe from any allergies that dust could trigger. 

Skin infections

If you are recovering from a skin infection or have a lesion that comes in direct contact with the bed linen, you must change the sheets every day until you have healed. This is because there could be germs from the infection on the bed sheet. If your infection is almost healed, we recommend changing your bed sheets once in two days until you are completely free of infection. 

Pets

If you allow your pets in your bed, your furry friends could contribute to the gunk on your bed sheets with their fur, dead skin and sweat. So, it would be a good idea to change your bed sheets every 3-4 days to prevent any allergies or asthma. 

Even if you do not allow your pets on your bed, it would be ideal to change the bed sheets once a week at least. This is because hair and fur can make their way to every nook and cranny of the house. 

Food crumbs

Most of us like to stay in bed while watching our favourite movies or series before we sleep, munch on our favourite snacks, or have dinner. Inadvertently, a few crumbs find their way onto the bed sheets. These join the dirt and oil on the sheets, making them ready for a change. 

Leaving food crumbs on the bed sheet could invite unwanted guests, such as ants, onto your bed. There is also the risk of stained sheets as the oil and spices from your food would leech onto the bed sheet. To avoid this, it is best to refrain from eating on your bed. If you eat while sitting on the bed, dust the crumbs off the bed and change the sheets as soon as possible. 

Spending your day in bed

With Work from Home becoming the norm, people have made little offices on their beds. This means you spend additional time on your bed, with notebooks, pens and other stationery, and your laptop, snacks and other items. Even premium cotton bed sheets like the ones from Blue Dahlia get soiled and need a change at least once in three days. 

All the stationery you use while in bed could have been exposed to various germs while you were outside. 

Bed bugs

A bug infestation is one of the reasons behind changing your bed sheets. If you have any creepy insects or bugs raiding your space, it is a good idea to change all the bed linen, wash them and air them out to destroy even the eggs these unwelcome guests have left behind as soon as you spy the creepy-crawlies on your bed sheets.  

How do you keep your sheets clean to prolong the period between washes?

Changing bed linen is time-consuming. You may be pressed for time, and washing bed sheets could be exhausting after work. Given the water situation in many places, especially during summer, changing your bed sheets could also create stress about how much water you use daily. So, here are a few ways to ensure your bed sheets stay cleaner for longer. 

• Do not allow your pets on the bed, especially if they have had a free run of the garden or the outside of your house. 
• Do not throw your sweaty, discarded clothes on the bed. Throw them into the laundry basket instead. 
• Do not use the bed as your office space. This way, you can avoid getting germs from all the devices you have carried around and keep in public places from getting on your bed. 
• Keep your dirty socks, shoes, stockings and feet off the bed. Always make sure to clean your feet before you get on your bed. 
• Avoid using make-up products such as moisturiser, foundation and such while seated on the bed.
• Do not wear make-up to bed. This is not only bad for your skin, it could also stain your bed sheet.
• Avoid eating or drinking while in bed. 
• Only use your bed as a temporary storage space for your laptop, chargers, unwashed clothes, stationery, etc. 
• Keep the bed free from dust by making your bed every morning. 

Changing your bed sheets regularly is a practice that can help you stay healthy and allergy-free. It can ensure that you get a good night’s sleep. We recommend that you change your bed sheets once or twice a week, depending on where you live, so that you can enjoy sleeping on fresh sheets. Proper care also ensures that your bed sheets stay clean and look beautiful for a long time.