Life Hack: How often should I change my bed sheets and should I vacuum the mattress?

Do you change your sheets regularly? Here's why it's important to stay on top of the task

Fresh sheets feel great but they can also be good for your health. Picture: iStock

Climbing into a freshly made bed is such a treat - but how often should you be changing your sheets? It’s a hated job (before I found the method that suits me I ended up inside the sheet more often than I’d like to admit).

However, we should pay more attention to the spot we spend around eight hours a day in. At the very least, dead skin cells accumulate in our sheets and can attract dust mites, a nightmare for anyone with allergies or sensitive skin. Plus if you sleep in the nude, fecal matter can transfer onto your sheets as well.

In short, the average home should wash bedsheets once every two weeks and more often in certain situations. If the bed is used by someone with asthma or allergies, consider washing the sheets once a week and if you share your bed with your pet, you might need to bring the sheets to the washing machine more frequently, every three to four days according to the Sleep Foundation. If you sweat a lot while sleeping or often forget to remove your makeup completely before getting your 40 winks, you should consider more frequent laundry days too.

In the summer months, hay fever can make lives miserable. We often bring pollen into our home on our skin and hair so if you’re allowing this to build up in your bedsheets you could be aggravating an allergy.

#Life Hacks

Life is hard enough without being aware of these simple life hacks. Read on.

Your sheets should be washed at 60 degrees Celsius to effectively kill bacteria and dust mites. And don’t forget your mattress. When the bed is stripped, vacuum the mattress every two months (if the manufacturer states it will not displace the stuffing) using the upholstery attachment. Mattresses usually need to be replaced every seven years.

Your duvets and pillows could do with some TLC too. Wash these twice a year if they are machine washable and fit in the drum. Pillows should be replaced every two years and a pillow protector can be used to extend its lifespan.

It is thought clean sheets could also help combat insomnia. “If your sheets are not washed, and they look dirty, they smell, it's adding to that sensation that your bed isn't somewhere that you want to be,” Dr Lindsay Browning, a chartered psychologist, neuroscientist and sleep expert told Radio 1 Newsbeat earlier this year.

“If we get into bed and feel relaxed, comfy and happy, and that new bedding smell helps us to feel calm and happy.” 

What not to do in bed 

Don’t eat in bed. While breakfast in bed might be cosy and romantic, the crumbs it can generate will attract and nourish dust mites.

Similarly, when you get up each morning, throw back your sheets and allow the cool air to circulate around your sheets. If you pull those covers up while the bed is still warm from your body heat you create the perfect conditions for dust mites to thrive.