How To Wash Your Bed Sheets - Why You Need To Wash Them Every 7 ...

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Have you ever noticed that you sleep better when you’re draped in freshly washed bedsheets? It’s a fact that clean bedsheets promote a quality night’s sleep, improve your personal hygiene and therefore boost your wellbeing and mood. However, most of us slack when it comes to doing our laundry and either don’t wash our sheets often enough or don’t do the job thoroughly. Express.co.uk chatted to sleep expert April Mayer from Amerisleep to find out how to wash your bedding.

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Sweat, body odour, hair and dirt aren’t the oily things that lurk in our bedding.

The typical adult sheds 1.5 grams of dry skin a day, and with a large amount of time spent in bed, a high amount is found in the bedsheets.

These skin flakes attract dust mites, one of the most common causes of asthma and allergy symptoms, including coughing, runny nose, sneezing, and itchy mouth, eyes, nose, or skin, sleep expert April said.

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Dust mites thrive at 15 to 21 degrees celsius, which unfortunately is the recommended temperature for bedrooms to get you to sleep.

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Your bedsheets are therefore a breeding ground for the dust mites who are mopping up your dead skin flakes.

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How to wash your bed sheets: You sleep better with clean sheets (Image: Getty) This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

How to wash your bed sheets: We shed 1.5 grams of dry skin a day (Image: Getty)

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If your bedsheets aren’t cleaned regularly, you will be sleeping on dirty sheets full of allergens, which could cause coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, and itchy skin.

April explained: “The high number of dust mites might also provoke asthma and lead to an asthma attack.

“Sweating at night would result in moisture, increasing the humidity in your room and providing a perfect environment for fungi and bacteria, potentially worsening allergy reactions.

“When you are sick, it is essential to wash your bedsheets; if not, then the sickness might return.

“This is because the germs will remain on the bedding and may come back into the body, relapsing to the previous illness.”

How to wash your bed sheets: Wash your sheets weekly (Image: Getty)

Don’t panic too much! Although dust mites and germs are not the sorts of things you want in your bed, regularly cleaning your bedsheets will eradicate them and prevent the build-up of dead skin.

The magic number that microbiology and dermatology experts recommend for washing your bedding is once every week, April said.

She added: “This can change if you sleep alone to once every two weeks, but following the once every seven days rule is still recommended.

“The longest time people can leave their sheets without changing them before it becomes dirty is 35 days (five weeks).”

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Washing and changing your bedding once a week not only means there won’t be many allergens and assures clean sheets, but also will help you sleep better.

A Bedroom Poll Report by National Sleep Foundation (NSF) revealed that 71 percent of people notice they have a better night’s sleep on sheets with a clean scent.

April added: “Regularly washing your bed sheets promotes good hygiene and improves sleep quality.”

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How to wash your bedsheets

The best way to get rid of all the dead skin cells, bacteria, and dust mites, is to wash the sheets in hot water to guarantee the pathogens are killed.

April recommended using the highest setting on your dryer, or use a drying line outside, as sun rays contain anti-microbial properties destroying any leftover pathogens.

She said: “Always read the care label of your bedsheets before putting them in the washing machine.

“This is because more delicate and colourful sheets may not be able to be washed in hot water.

“If you can’t use hot water, then use warm water. But if it isn’t possible to use warm water, leave your bedding in the sun and iron when dry.

“The heat from the sun and ironing disinfects the materials, also providing a smooth look.”

Buying high-quality bedding might cost you a little more money upfront, but it will save you from needing to replace it for a long time.

The experts said: “When you should get new bedding depends on the quality of the bedding and how much you look after it.

“An example is fitted sheets, where frequent washing and high-temperature dryer settings can weaken the elastic, becoming less efficient.

“Following the instructions on the care label and washing them the recommended amount of time, once a week, is vital for prolonging the life of your bedsheets.”

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