Changing bed linen is the least favourite household activity for many women and men. Perhaps that’s why many people put it off and don’t change the duvet as often as they should. However, this is a big mistake. Changing sheets and pillowcases and duvet covers is really important for our health. Allergy and asthma sufferers in particular know this. For them, unchanged bed linen for a long time could bring significant health problems.

How often do people change their bed linen

According to a 2022 study, the average person changes their bedding once every 24 days. That’s practically once a month. You might not find this strange at all and you are one of the people who do. However, it’s really not enough. You should change your bedding much more often. Especially if you sweat excessively at night.

Bacteria and mites

You may be surprised at how many uninvited guests spend time with you in your bed night after night. There are a lot of them and they don’t do you any good. A healthy person might not think so, but allergy and asthma sufferers know that unwashed duvets are evil. They breed bacteria and dust mites. And, of course, their feces. To the naked eye, however, these creatures are invisible, which is why people don’t find it necessary to change the sheets too often.

Dirt from the body

Despite taking a bath in the evening, your bed linen gets dirty at night. “Oil is secreted throughout the night, and the skin peels the most at night,” explains Ashley Carmen, owner of a skin care studio in Virginia. She says the night provides the best opportunity for skin peeling because of cortisol cycles, hormones and circadian rhythms. The average adult sweats 100 liters of sweat a year in bed.

━━ ( Source: Spacejoy /  Unsplash+ )

How often to change the bed linen?

Experts agree that it is advisable to change your bed linen once a week. The maximum is once every two weeks. So you don’t have to insist on changing the sheets every Saturday, if you are a few days late, nothing will happen. However, if you sweat excessively, are allergic or have pets sleeping in bed with you, more frequent changes are ideal.

Michael Rubin, a mold and air quality expert, says that if bedding isn’t changed often enough, organic matter builds up. That means skin cells, bacteria, mold spores and dust mites. Dr. Deborah Lee of Online Pharmacy adds that in one study, swabs from dirty sheets contained 17,000 more bacterial subtypes than a toilet seat. That’s quite disturbing, isn’t it?

The consequences of dirty sheets

The accumulation of dirt can cause skin irritation as well as various rashes. Understandably, it can aggravate skin diseases and also allergies. It is also not uncommon for unwashed bedding to have a direct effect on the quality of sleep. This has been addressed in studies that have shown that people are more likely to sleep better and longer if their bedding smells and feels clean.

How to wash properly

It’s not just the frequency of changing your bed linen that’s important, but also the washing process. It’s really important to wash your bed linen at the right temperature. The ideal is to use the hottest programme that is indicated on the product label. It is also a good idea to rinse the bed linen twice with water so that no detergent residue remains. If you are tumble drying, choose a low setting. And what are suitable materials for bed linen in terms of hygiene? Always natural materials such as linen or cotton.