Nothing beats the feeling of heading straight to bed after a long day. It's comfortable and warm. The soft pillows and blankets make it hard for you to consider getting up. However, one aspect that might come to mind is how often you should change fitted sheets. If that's an issue that's lingering in your mind, let's check out what others have to say!
The answer depends on several factors. How many people sleep on the bed, how active they are, and their sleeping habits are a few to name. In general, some recommend changing your sheets every 7-10 days. If you practice clean habits, you can extend that timeframe to every two weeks. Still, most of the time, people tend to change their sheets every 3-4 weeks.
So, what sleeping habits determine how long you can wait to change your sheets? Additionally, what sort of grime can build up on the bed if you don't change your sheets often? These are the sort of questions that could come to mind after finding out how often you should change them! While the bed is a comfort zone for many, it can be a neglected area in some cases. If you'd like to learn more about the potential dangers of infrequent changes, keep reading ahead.
Is It OK To Change Bed Sheets Once a Month?
So, how often should you be changing your fitted sheets and why? After all, it's something that doesn't get too much thought. In most cases, people do it whenever they can.
Before we get to how often we have to change sheets, let's address a common issue. A concern you may have is if it's okay to change bedsheets once a month.
Maybe you wait to change them until they start showing enough grime. In other cases, it just isn't in your mind until you clean the whole bedroom. It might look clean at surface level, but there's a lot that goes on when you put things under a microscope.
Still, you shouldn't feel bad if you change your sheets once a month. According to a 2021 survey with a group of 1,000 people, people wait for 24-days on average before they consider changing their sheets. So, you aren't alone in this case. However, let's find out why this isn't the best approach.
What Is the Ideal Timeframe To Change Sheets?
When it comes to the issue of when you should change sheets, you'd have to think about how the day goes and your sleeping habits. So, think about it this way. After a long day, regardless of how much we try to clean ourselves, we carry dead skin cells, sweat, dust, and bodily secretions to our beds.
For this reason, experts advise you to change your sheets every week. Some will extend that grace period to two weeks. But, that's if you hold yourself responsible for keeping up the cleanliness of the bedroom. That begs the question, why should you change them every week?
There are several things you do that could make you change your sheets sooner. Those actions include:
- Not showering before bed
- Eating in bed
- Sweating while you sleep
- Allergies or asthma
- Letting pets sleep with you
If most of this list doesn't apply to your situation, changing your sheets every two weeks isn't a bad idea. Otherwise, if you tend to sweat a lot, sleep without clothes, or have allergies, then changing your sheets every week is the better choice.
You might have to change sooner if your pets sleep with you. Generally, every few days is a better idea if you let your pets sleep on there.
How To Keep the Bed Cleaner Between Fittings?
However, it's understandable if you don't want to change it every week. Sometimes our lives become busy. So, we won't think about it until it's too late. The next best approach is to keep it as clean as possible in the first place.
If you want to give yourself a longer grace period, you can:
- Keep your pets off the bed
- Remove any makeup, creams, lotions, or oil before bedtime
- Don't drink or eat on the bed
- After coming home from work or the gym, make sure to swap into fresh clothes
- Take a shower before bed
- Make sure your feet are clean
What Happens if You Don’t Change Your Bed Sheets?
Okay, we've found out why changing your sheets often is a good idea. But, what happens if we don't follow this advice? After all, it doesn't seem like it would make a significant change. That's where you'd be wrong.
As some suggest, if you forget to change your bedsheets often, you leave yourself open to various health problems. How could that be? You might be surprised at what lies in bed after long periods without changing.
Your bed is the perfect habitat for many malicious organisms. Shelter? The bed has multiple layers like the bedsheets, your covers, and even you for warmth! What about food? Yes, we also feed these organisms with the many skin cells we shed every day.
Lastly, we also provide moisture to the ecosystem with how much we sweat every night. It's safe to say there's no way of avoiding inviting dust mites and other gnarly things in the bed. That is if we don't change our sheets often.
Can It Make Us Sick?
Sleeping in the same sheets for a long while exposes us to fungi, bacteria, pollen, fecal matter (if you sleep without clothes), and much more. It won't make you sick necessarily. But, it can trigger conditions like eczema or contact dermatitis.
Additionally, it could trigger asthma or allergy symptoms. If you don't have allergies or asthma, the least you'd face is a stuffy nose and sneezing.
Can You Get Bed Bugs From Not Changing Sheets?
Apart from dust mites, there's another critter that raises some concern. More specifically, people worry that bed bugs might find your bed a suitable home if you don't keep it clean. Is there truth to this myth?
No, not really. A dirty environment isn't what attracts bed bugs. On the contrary, some suggest that clutter is what makes them more attracted to your home. Heavy amounts of clutter help them hide better. In addition, bed bugs like an environment that gives them consistent feedings.
A temperature range of 68-85 degrees Fahrenheit is another factor that helps them determine where they can make a home. As it turns out, the bedroom provides all these conditions for them. For this reason, it's common to see them near a bed.
Should You Wash Brand New Sheets?
One piece of advice that always comes to mind is washing brand-new sheets. It's usually an idea that gets passed down from person to person. Most don't question it. But, is it necessary to wash them?
Some claim that it's a preference. But, it seems that it's advisable to clean your sheets before you lay down in them. The reason is about what goes on in the manufacturing process. Sheets are handled by many hands before it gets to you.
You aren't aware of what goes on in the factories. So, it might have been produced in a dusty and dirty factory. Additionally, it will contain chemicals that help keep the linen fresh before it's purchased. If you don't wash them, it can result in stains on your clothes or pillows.
If you'd like to learn more about what to do with new sheets, check out our post here for more information.
How Often Should You Wash Your Pillowcase?
Like the bedsheets, your pillowcase is another area that might need more attention. If you don't wash them often, you're laying your face on weeks of dead skin cells, sweat, grease, and other gnarly things. For this reason, some recommend washing your pillowcase every week.
It might seem like a burden to do. But, there's good reason to follow this advice. The pillowcase gathers things - from mucus, dust mites, dandruff, saliva, and ear wax! So if you're not keeping up with cleaning, you might be sleeping in tons of dirt. Nasty right?
Smell Test
Still, the grime is tough to see in some cases. On the surface, it might come off looking clean. So, you might think you can leave washing your pillowcase for another time. In this case, you can employ a smell test.
If you smell it and a stinky smell lingers from the pillowcase, it's time for a wash. Otherwise, the buildup from this grime can transfer onto your skin. It's a situation you want to avoid because it causes irritation and breakouts. In other cases, it can also aggravate allergies and eczema.
Final Takeaway
Changing your sheets might seem like a chore to do. But, it's a worthwhile cause for the sake of keeping ourselves clean. As we've learned with the information above, the bed can hide a lot of unwanted guests! We hope you found the information above helpful.
Before you go, do you have concerns over how often you should clean other areas? Do you own a jacuzzi? If you'd like to know how often you should clean it, check out our post here.
Maybe you're wondering how often you should clean the bedroom. If that's the case, check out our post here to find out more. Until next time!