Fresh in TenHow often should you change your bed sheets?
Once a week for most people. Here is when to change them more or less often, how often to wash everything else on the bed, and how to make it a 15-minute job.
Once a week for most people. That is the Sleep Foundation’s advice, and it is the one we use in Fresh in Ten.
When the answer changes
The Sleep Foundation gives a few cases where once a week is not the right number:
- You don’t sleep in the bed every night. About every two weeks is fine.
- A pet sleeps on the bed. Every 3 to 4 days.
- It is summer, or you get hot at night. Wash more often, because more sweat ends up in the bedding.
- You have allergies or asthma. It suggests trying a more frequent wash to see whether it helps.
Everything else on the bed
From the same guide:
- Pillowcases: once a week, with the sheets.
- Duvet covers: every two weeks to a month.
- Duvets and blankets: every 2 to 3 months.
- Pillows: every 4 to 6 months, if the label says they can be washed.
How to wash them
Check the care label first. The Sleep Foundation’s advice is to use the hottest water the label allows, with a gentle detergent, then tumble dry on low or hang them up to dry.
Make it a 15-minute job
- Own two sets. The clean set goes straight on, and the wash can wait until it suits you.
- Strip the bed first thing. Once the sheets are off, the job has started and the rest follows.
- Put the duvet cover on inside out. Turn the cover inside out, reach in and hold its two far corners, grab the duvet’s corners through it, and shake the cover down over the duvet.
- Pick a day. A fixed day means you never have to work out when it was last done.
In Fresh in Ten, “Change bed sheets” is a weekly task of about 15 minutes. You can set it to a fixed day, or change how often it repeats if one of the cases above fits you.
Source
Rachel Grice, “How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?”, Sleep Foundation, updated 31 January 2023.