Everyone knows the extraordinary feeling of sleeping on freshly cleaned sheets – there is nothing quite like it! Washing and cleaning bed sheets is an important thing to do regularly and even though it leaves people feeling good after they clean their sheets, many people are not consistent with washing their sheets on a regular basis. It may be surprising to learn that the average person changes their sheets roughly every 24 days – according to a survey of 1,000 Americans. The longer you go without washing your sheets you leave your bed open and vulnerable to dust mites, dead skin accumulation, dirt, and eventually odors. Dust mites are a commonly found allergen in bed linens that are so small that they are not visible to the human eye. These critters are attracted to your bed sheets as they thrive on dead skin which has collected within your linens. The average human sheds 1.5 grams of skin a day – which can feed nearly 1 million dust mites. Therefore, cleaning your sheets regularly is important to removing dust mites and fighting off other odor-causing allergen/debris.

How Often Should I Wash My Sheets

The reality is that most people do not wash their sheets enough. As we mentioned the average American washes their sheets every 24 days, but is that often enough? According to a report by CNN, ideally you should be washing your sheets once a week in a hot water cycle to properly clean and disinfect your sheets. Also, you must take into consideration the different circumstances that could affect the condition of your sheets such as if you sweat at night or if you have a pet that lays on your bed with you. Another consideration you must take into account is if you are sick or recovering from an illness – if it is something contagious you will want to strip the sheets and wash them in hot water to kill any bacteria or germs that have accumulated in your sheets. If your washing machine has a sanitize option, you will want to select that option for cleaning your sheets after becoming sick. Washing your sheets every week can also be helpful for those who suffer from allergies. As we discussed earlier, dust mites are a commonly found allergen inside bed linens, and they can wreak havoc on your allergies. That is why the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends you wash your bedding at least once a week to eliminate the potential allergen source that is gathering inside your bed sheets.

How Often Should You Wash Your Comforter

Do you sleep with your bulky comforter or duvet every night? If you do, this may mean that you need to ramp up your washing of these bulkier items. The typical rule of thumb is that you should wash these items 2 to 3 times per year. However, if you frequently use this item than you will want to increase the number of washes you perform on this linen. Also, if your comforter is not covered and is the linen most exposed when your bed is made this will mean you will need to regularly wash your comforter along with your bed sheets. You may have to perform multiple washes in order to wash both your comforter and bed sheets – and it is suggested to wash your comforter in its own washing cycle.

How Often Should You Buy New Sheets

The sheets that you sleep on every night can become worn or ragged overtime when it undergoes more and more washes. This can leave your sheets in need of replacement sooner than you may have expected. However, sometimes, if you take really good care of your sheets, they can last your for forever! Although it may sound like a good economical decision to keep your old sheets, the quality of your sheets can wear and leave you needing to swap out these sheets for some new replacements. It is recommended that you replace your bed sheets ever 2 to 3 years.

Should You Wash New Sheets

When you purchase new bed sheets a big question that many people have is whether or not you need to or should wash these sheets. Some new linen packaging will indicate if you should wash the sheets before use, while others may not. But regardless, with any new sheets it is a good idea to wash them in hot water before you use them. This is mainly due to the fact that chemical treatments may be used on these items during the manufacturing process – and to properly remove these chemicals you will need to wash the sheets with detergent and a laundry chemical remover additive.  

How to Wash Linen Sheets

Caring for your linens will be important in preserving the quality of the fabric. Often times, we do not consider that the way we wash our fabrics can ultimately impact the quality of the material. Therefore, we have constructed some helpful tips that will aid you in maintaining the quality of your linens when washing the fabric.

• Follow the manufactures care instructions when washing and drying the fabric. These instructions are carefully crafted to help preserve the life of your linens.
• Never use bleaches or detergents with color brighteners, this can lead to discoloration and will weaken the material of the fabric.
• Hand or machine wash with other like colors, using a mild detergent and a laundry additive like OdorKlenz Laundry Additive to help fight off odor-causing sources from the linens.
• Do not overload your washing machine when washing your linen sheets. The more water in the cycle the better.
• To minimize wrinkling, line hang the material to dry or tumble dry on a low temperature setting.