Doctors Weigh In On the Health Risks of Not Washing Your Sheets
Getting a good night’s sleep Your health is paramount, but the hours you spend in your bed can make your sheets less clean. Experts generally agree that washing your sheets at least once a week is the best way to get rid of any unhygienic buildup. But a 2017 study showed that this is not the case. Americans only change their sheets On average, one every 24 days.
What happens if you exceed that seven-day mark in a week? Continue reading to find out what happens if you don’t wash your sheets every other week.
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If you get the recommended amount of sleep per night, you will spend between 49-63 hours in bed each week. Your bedding can accumulate dirt, dust mites and dead skin cells during this time. That’s why most experts—from those at The New York Times To Good Housekeeping—recommend washing your sheets once a week. This can be minimized by regularly washing your sheets.
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Dermatologists will not accept you breaking the once-aweek rule. Alok VijMD warns that dirty sheets Itchy skin and seasonal allergies can lead to rashes, asthma flare ups, allergic reactions, or itchy skin. While sweat and built up dirt can cause these symptoms, it’s most often dust mites and their excrement that are to blame.
“Dust mites are microscopic creatures that are very common in most households. They do not bite, but they can lead to skin rashes and irritation, and may worsen allergy symptoms for many people,” The Sleep Foundation explains. “Dust mites can reproduce at prolific rates and can live solely off of dead skin cells. At any given time, there can be tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of dust mites living in your mattress and bedding. Even if you’re not allergic to dust mites, you probably don’t want to be sharing your bed with thousands of them. Washing sheets regularly can help.”
A good starting point for anyone who spends a lot of time sleeping in bed is to wash your sheets once a week. Experts suggest that you wash your sheets more frequently if you have the time. pets to sleep in your bedIf you have allergies or asthma. Washing your hands every three to four days can help reduce symptoms and lower the risk of developing health problems.
If you plan on washing your sheets this often, it’s best to use sheets that have a high thread count and are made of durable materials—Egyptian cotton, for example—that can withstand regular washing and drying cycles.
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Pre-treating stains will ensure that your sheets remain in top shape even if you wash them frequently. You can use Shout or OxiClean to treat stains. (Depending on which product you choose, gloves may be necessary).
Next, put your sheets into the wash cycle on a low-temperature setting—40 degrees Fahrenheit is considered ideal for weekly washes. If you have sheets that have been washed more than once a week, or it is cold and flu season, increase the temperature to kill germs. “Try to avoid using fabric softeners and dryer sheets, or at least don’t use them for every wash. Softeners leave residue that decreases the fabric’s breathability and absorbency. And if that residue builds up over time, you may end up feeling overheated in your sheets,” Additions The New York Times.
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