Chances are if you ask a group of people how often you should be washing your sheets, you’ll get multiple different answers. Everyone knows keeping your sheets clean is important to keeping your bed clean and to have a healthier sleeping environment but depending on your lifestyle the timeframe you should be washing your sheets can change. For example, if you share your bed with a partner, allow pets on your bed, or snack in bed, you want to wash your sheets more often – once a week.

If you are a single sleeper with no pets, you may not need to wash them as often as once a week, but still strive to wash them every two weeks. After all, we do spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so it doesn’t take too long for dander, dead skin, body oils, and/or odors to build up in our sheets.

Why Do I Need To Regularly Wash My Sheets?

Every night as you sleep in your bed, you shed thousands of dead skin cells, with contain sweat and or dirt. That goes right into your bedding! And nobody loves dead skill cells more than dust mites. Dust mites are microscopic insects that feed off of dead skin cells and pet dander. The longer you wait to clean your sheets, the more buildup your bedding with have, and the more food source the dust mites will have.

Additionally, a lot of people are actually allergic to dust mites. Regular washing of your sheets can keep those allergens at bay, and let you wake up without a stuffy nose.  

On top of all of the dead skill cells that accumulate onto your bedding night after of night, other bacteria, allergens, and even fungi can also accumulate. Your bedding can also absorb makeup and excess skincare products, which in turn can result in acne breakouts if you don’t wash your sheets frequently.

Just how dirty can sheets get? Bed sheets that haven’t been washed for at least 3 weeks can have over 10,000x more bacteria than a toilet seat and 40x more bacteria than found in your pet’s food bowl!

How Often Should I Wash My Sheets?

Ideally, you should wash your sheets once a week. However, if that is too frequent for your liking or your schedule, there are things you can practice to make your sheets stay fresher between washes. Try to refrain eating on your bed, as crumbs can attract pests. Pets shed a lot of a dander daily, so not allowing them on the bed can help keep allergens at bay. Lastly, if you shower at night before bed, you can get away with washing your sheets less frequently, like once every two weeks.  

Should I Wash New Sheets?

While not a strict requirement, most sheet brands will recommend you wash new sheets once before using them. However, some brands do not recommend a wash before first use, so be sure to read your sheets’ product instructions prior to washing for the first time.

When Should I Replace My Sheets?

The durability of your sheets depends on an array of factors, including but not limited to the materials and overall quality of the sheets themselves. Higher quality sheets will last you longer than cheap sheets, so investing in a decent set is ideal. For example, linen sheets are highly durable and usually far outlast other fabrics. In general, you should replace your sheets with new ones after 2-3 years.