Keeping sheets fresh is no easy feat. No matter how frequently (or, let’s be honest—infrequently) you wash them, that fresh-out-of-the-dryer feeling tends to fade after the first few sleeps in-between the sheets. General laundry rules exist for just about every other piece of fabric in your home, but there seems to be a common thread of confusion when it comes to washing sheets.
The average person doesn’t change their bed sheets as often as you might think. According to a Mattress Advisor survey of 1,000 men and women, most people change the sheets every 24.4 days. That means they’re sleeping in the same sheets for about three and a half weeks, which is a bit gross when you think about it. So for general health and sanitary purposes, just how often should they really be cleaned?
According to Tricia Rose, founder of the textile company “Rough Linen,” the frequency at which you should wash your sheets boils down to the season and your nightly habits. “Your sweat level, what you wear to bed, and whether or not you snack in bed all affect how quickly your bedding gets sullied,” Rose says. “A woman sleeping in pajamas during a crisp spring is different from a sporty teenager who sleeps in boxers during a hot summer.” Another factor to consider: how many people are sleeping in said bed every night. “If you share a bed, it gets twice the wear,” Rose says.
As a general rule of thumb, Rose advises weekly washings in order to keep your sheets looking and smelling as fresh as possible. “Once a week is standard,” she says. “A lot of it is left to personal preference, but as soon as your sheets stop feeling fresh is the best time for you to wash them.”
It’s crucial to consider the fabric you’re sleeping on too, since cotton sheets vary in care compared to those made from linen. Linen requires less frequent washing than cotton does because the durable fabric repels dirt and can be cleaned easily with a shake out or a simple brush of the material with your hand.
As it turns out, your sheets aren’t the only bedding component that needs regular TLC. Rose advises on regular, weekly washings for pillowcases as well. As for duvet covers, Rose suggests easing up on habitual washes since a duvet floats over your body and gets far less wear than sheets do (and can be a real hassle to put back on). “Duvets take some effort to change, so less frequent washing saves yourself from that nuisance,” she says.
Now that you’ve taken care of your sheets and pillowcases, let’s take a look at those pillows, which apparently get the hygiene treatment even less often. In some cases, people go years without washing their pillows. Anna Harasim, founder of Anna’s Cleaning Service in NYC, says pillows should be washed at least once a year.
While washing your pillowcases regularly gets rid of a lot of the oil, sweat, and dead skin cells that accumulates on your face and gets transferred as you sleep, the actual pillow carries a significant amount of skin debris as well. And here’s a big reason to wash pillows regularly for all you allergy sufferers out there: dust mites on your pillow can trigger allergic reactions, discomfort, and itching.
Beyond that, an unwashed pillow probably won’t cause any major health issues, except for preventing you from getting a good night’s rest, Nelman Low, MD, an otolaryngologist (head and neck specialist) in Torrance, California, said in an interview with Health. “Sleeping with a clean pillow is just good sense,” Dr. Low says. “A supportive, clean pillow can make sleeping much easier.”
So do your body a favor, and wash your bedding regularly.
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