How Often Should You Change Your Sheets?

Do you know that incredible feeling of fresh sheets? The one where you slide into a clean bed after a long day.

Let’s face it⁠—we all crave that feeling.

But the problem is, unless you live in a hotel, you have to do all the changing and washing sheets yourself. And who has time for that? The audacity...

But think about it. You spend one-third of your life in your bed and in such proximity to your bed sheets. That’s more time than you spend wearing your favourite underwear.

Now toss in things like sweat, skin, and when pets sleep in the bed (because of course, they do), and you'll see why your bedding works overtime.

So what’s the recommended frequency of changing sheets? Most experts suggest once a week for optimal freshness and hygiene, especially if you sleep hot, sweat a lot, or share your sleep space with furry mates.

Is it Okay to Change Your Bed Sheets Once a Month?

While your specific sheet-changing habits might vary a little depending on your lifestyle, body, and personal preference, most experts agree you should wash your sheets at least every week or every two weeks to keep those sheets clean and your sleep space fresh.

Sleeping in dirty sheets doesn’t just feel ick – it means you’re lying in a lovely mix of skin flakes, sweat, oils, and whatever else you’ve brought into bed during the week. 

Over time, even if your bedding looks fine, the buildup can affect both your skin and your quality of sleep.

If you want to compare how your sheet changing habits compare to that of the rest of the population, according to one study done in Britain, 55% of people wash their sheets every week, 21% do it every one or two months, 3% change their sheets every 6 months, and 3% do it only once a year.

For the record, there’s nothing quite like sliding into clean sheets, and your health will thank you too.

What Happens If You Don’t Change Your Sheets?                     

For those less frequent washers, you may be asking;

“What's so bad about waiting to change my sheets?”

“It’s not like they smell, and they don’t look dirty, right?

“I don’t have any allergies or pets. What’s the harm in leaving it for a couple of months?

Well, we’ve got news for you—allergy-free, daily-showering, child/pet-free, single people! Regardless of the caveats, you still need to change your sheets regularly.

The average person sheds around 500 million dead skin cells PER DAY. Yep, every single day. Those cells, plus body oils, sweat, and whatever else you’ve dragged in, all end up in your sheets.

Leave it long enough, and your bed becomes a cosy breeding ground for some pretty gross stuff.

They also produce around 100L of sweat per year. It is safe to say that many of these end up in your bed, along with pet dander (if you have pets), pollen, and dirt that you pick up every day.

Then there’s like a million dust mites. Literally. These tiny bugs thrive on dead skin cells, and your bed is their buffet. Add in a bit of humidity and warmth (cheers, sweaty nights), and it’s a party where bacteria thrive too.

Areas around the home that are heavily used, such as beds and upholstered furniture, will have much higher mite populations. Dust mites can trigger respiratory or dermatological problems, including asthma and eczema.

And let’s not even get started on bed bugs. While they’re less common, a dirty, unmade bed and rarely changed isn’t exactly a deterrent. 

According to Philip Tierno, a microbiologist from New York University who spoke to Business Insider, daily close contact with this buildup will have detrimental effects on your health. 

“Even if you don’t have allergies per se, you can have an allergic response,” he says.