How Often Should You Wash Your Bedding?

We spend 1/3 of our lives in bed. That’s a lot of time for our bedding to collect dead skin cells, germs, dust, and dirt. A survey by Mattress Advisor found that on average, people go 24 days between changing bedsheets, with single men waiting longer to change their sheets than single women and couples.

While most people probably realize that 24 days between sheet changes is too long, how often should you actually wash those sheets? And what about other bedding items like pillows, blankets, and mattress toppers? This article contains exactly the information that you need to know.

Pillowcases and Bedsheets

Ideally, you should wash your bedsheets and pillowcases on a weekly basis. If you don’t make your bed right away in the morning, however, and let your sheets air out first, you can probably push off changing them to every 14 days.

Best Way to Clean Bedsheets & Pillowcases:

Wash your sheets and pillowcases in 140° temperature water for at least 10 to 13 minutes in order to kill bacteria. High temperatures are especially if you’ve been sick.

Pillows

Allergens can build up in your pillows if you don’t wash them regularly. You’ll want to wash your pillows every 6 months.

Best Way to Clean Pillows:

How you clean your pillows depends on their filling. Down and synthetic pillows are usually machine washable. Foam pillows should be washed by hand or spot-cleaned. Let your pillow dry completely before putting a pillowcase on it.

Comforters

You don’t need to only wash your sheets. You should also wash your comforter, which can end up full of bacteria and allergens. It’s recommended that you wash your comforter every 6 months.

Best Way to Clean Comforters:

Most people don’t have a washing machine large enough to wash a comforter. Your options, therefore, are to use an industrial-size washing machine at a laundromat or pay to have it professionally cleaned.

Mattress

Yes, even your mattress should be cleaned! Some mattresses have removable mattress covers, such as Puffy, which makes it easier to keep your mattress protected so you can simply wash the cover. Keep in mind that most mattress brands recommend not keeping their mattresses directly on the floor but rather putting them on some sort of base. This is to allow for greater breathability and prevent mold from growing, particularly in humid environments.

Best Ways to Clean a Mattress

• Use a vacuum to lift dirt and other particles off the mattress.
• Sprinkle baking soda on your mattress. Then, soft brush to scrub it into the top layer. Leave it for 10 minutes to half an hour before vacuuming it up.
• Use an enzyme-based cleaner to lift stains from your mattress.

The best way to keep your mattress clean is via prevention! If your mattress doesn’t come with a removable cover, consider buying a mattress protector to keep on your mattress at all times.