Our beds are surely one of the best parts of our homes. The joy of resting your head after a long day is amazing. So is the pleasure of staying in bed all weekend! Even though our beds and sheets take a lot of wear, we often put cleaning them last on our to-do lists.
Not changing your bedsheets, even if there are a few stains, might feel safe. However, it is anything but safe. If you leave your bedsheets unwashed for more than two weeks, you bring several health risks into your bedroom.
This article will discuss the dangers of not washing your sheets. It will explain how you can keep your bedroom clean. We will also talk about why it's good to buy easy items to help, like a mattress cover, a waterproof mattress pad, a zippered pillow cover, and a zippered duvet cover.
Washing your bedsheets, pillow covers, and duvet often is important. It keeps your sleep area clean and fresh. Regular cleaning helps get rid of dirt, sweat, and other particles. This can improve your health and comfort. A clean bed feels nice and can help you sleep better. So, make it a habit to wash your bedding regularly.
The many germs that our bedsheets, pillow covers, and duvets soak up are hard to understand until you look at the numbers. Before we explore the dangers of dirty sheets, let's discuss what leads to these dangers.
- Bedding soaks up your bodily fluids
Your bed linen touches the bodies of everyone who uses it — kids, adults, seniors, and pets.
Bedsheets, pillow covers, and duvets can absorb fluids from the body like sweat, urine, and night emissions.
When these fluids soak into your sheets, they can help bacteria and germs grow. This can really hurt the people who sleep there.
- Food and drinks spill on bedding frequently
A new survey shows that 35% of people say they eat in bed. This comes from wanting to relax, being tired, or just enjoying it. Many homes now treat beds as a regular place to eat.
So, what is the main problem? The science of sleep says so!
Food and drink spills can stain your bed linen. They can also bring in many germs, bacteria, and insects into your sleeping area. Eating in bed can attract pests like ants and roaches.
Not washing your sheets often, even for the cleanest eaters in bed, can cause many problems. This includes unwanted pests and trouble sleeping.
- Germs from our pets’ bodies can gather on your bed sheets.
- We understand pet lovers! We also know that it's tough to keep your pet from hopping into bed for snuggles. If you’re like us, your pet will probably end up in your bed anyway, leaving behind dirt, hair, and dander.
- It’s no secret that our lovable pets can hold onto dust, dirt, and germs. Sadly, the bacteria from our furry, scaly, or shelled friends can end up on your sheets, pillow cases, and blankets if they get the chance.
- While fluids, food, and pets are large reasons for dirt and germs in your sheets, there are many other reasons to wash them often. Dirty feet, dead skin, or allergens from an open window mean your sheets collect substances until they are washed well.
Not Washing Your Sheets Can Be Bad for Your Health
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When your sheets are dirty, they can bring in many unwanted guests into your bedroom, sheets, and mattress.
- Dust mites
- Fungi
- Bacteria
- Mold
- Bed bugs
These well-known contaminants can cause health problems. This puts you and your family at risk. Here are the most important risks you should know about —
- Unhealthy Skin and Breakouts
Your skin touches your bedsheets, pillow covers, and duvets each night. This means that the hidden dangers in these fibers affect your skin right away.
Bacteria, dust mites, and bed bugs can hurt your family's skin health. Bacteria on your sheets can lead to breakouts, whiteheads, and itching. They can also cause skin issues like acne or eczema, and can make these problems worse.
Bedbug infestations can be stressful. The bites can cause pain and may leave scars.
- Fungal and Bacterial Infections
Another danger to the skin from sleeping on dirty sheets is getting fungal and bacterial infections.
A study by Amerisleep found that sheets which have not been washed for a week have 24,631 more bacteria than bathroom doorknobs.
Sleeping on unwashed sheets can spread many infections. These can include ringworms, skin lesions, crumbling toenails, and even pneumonia. Both your family and guests can get these fungal and bacterial infections.
These infections can cause rashes and bad itching. They might even leave scars.
- Allergies and Breathing Problems
- Breathing trouble caused by dirty sleeping areas can impact life and make things hard to live with.
- Studies show that dust mites are the main cause of breathing allergies.
- Sleeping on sheets that have not been washed for a long time can trigger asthma or make allergies feel worse. Children in such places can also face new allergies and breathing problems.
- Stress and Paranoia
- Unclean sheets, pillow covers, and duvets can also harm your mental health.
- A bad sleeping place, especially with bedbugs, can cause stress, make you irritable, and even lead to paranoia.
- These problems can lead to being unfocused at school or work, having emotional outbursts, and feeling burned out.
- Sleep Issues
- When sleep is often interrupted, by bedbugs or feeling uneasy, it can disturb the sleep cycle. Irregular sleep causes stress and can lead to long-term issues for both the mind and body.
- Studies say that insomnia and other sleep problems can come from mold, bacteria, and bedbugs that dirty sheets may have.
- Use this Simple Two-Part Process to Create a Safe Sleeping Space for Your Family and Guests
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Now that we have found the main reasons for an unhygienic sleeping area and the problems they can cause, let’s see how we can handle these well. This way, you and your loved ones can sleep in a safe, healthy bed.
The good news is that, even though the problem is big and serious, the solutions are easy. We have split the process of keeping a clean bed into two parts: keeping it clean and safe. Both of these are important for the best outcome.
Part 1: Keeping Your Bed Linen Clean and Well-Maintained
The goal of keeping things clean is to have your bed linen fresh all the time. This means stopping any dirt and making sure to clean them well to remove dust and germs.
How Often Should You Wash Sheets?
- If any of these apply to you, wash your sheets once a week.
- Your pet sleeps in your bed with you.
- You sleep in your bed without clothes.
- You often eat meals in your bed.
- You sleep with makeup or heavy skincare on.
- You sweat a lot at night.
- If none of this applies to you, you can wash your sheets every ten days.
- If your bed is not used much, wash your sheets every two weeks.
It is best to have at least two sets of bed sheets, pillow cases, and duvets. This way, you can change them when you need to.
How to Wash your Bedsheets, Pillow Covers, Duvets
We suggest two ways to wash your bed linen. Using these methods one after the other will keep your sheets clean. It will also make it easier for you.
For a simple machine wash, you can put your sheets in the washer like usual. Use hot water and choose a heavy-duty cycle for a strong clean. Be sure to check your product's washing instructions. If hot water is not an option, think about using a laundry additive like DeMite.
Fill a bucket with hot water. Then, add baking soda and vinegar or a detergent you like. Soak your bedsheet, pillow cover, and duvet in this mix for 20 minutes.
After soaking well, you can put the linen in the washing machine. Choose a heavy-duty wash cycle with hot water or follow your product’s washing instructions. You can also add your favorite laundry product.
This deep clean will help you remove any germs and bacteria that are still around.
Part 2: Keeping your Mattresses and Pillows Safe from Damage
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When we talk about how dirty sheets and pillow covers can impact our health, we are only skimming the surface.
The damage affects more than just the thin fabric layers. It reaches deep into our mattresses and pillows. It's just as important to keep these clean and protected as it is to clean bed covers.
You might feel we are asking for a lot when we talk about the need to keep a clean mattress and pillow covers. But honestly, it's not that hard now, thanks to our favorite Bargoose products listed below.
Using protectors for your mattress, pillow covers, and duvets can help:
- Help keep germs, bacteria, allergens, and bedbugs away.
- Make it easier to clean.
- Guard your furniture from water, food, drinks, sweat, and other stains.
- Make your products last longer.
Here are some products we suggest you should use.
Bargoose Mattress Protectors & Bed Covers
Bargoose Zippered Pillow Protectors
Bargoose Waterproof Mattress Pads
- Deluxe Quilted Waterproof Mattress Pad
- Quilted Waterproof Mattress Pads
- Organic Bamboo Crib Mattress Pad
Bargoose Zippered Duvet Covers
Keeping a clean bed is more than just making it every morning. A dirty bed can really harm your health.
Make cleaning your bedsheets, pillow covers, and duvets a regular part of your routine. You should also think about adding more safety with mattress protectors, pillow protectors, mattress pads, and duvet covers from a trusted brand like Bargoose.
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