According to laundry experts, you should wash your sheets at least once a week.

SOURCE :  Reviewed | getty

Actually, I don’t mind doing laundry when it comes to clothes and towels.

But I find washing bedding very tedious. First you have to remove the bedding.

Then you have to do at least two loads of laundry in the washer and dryer, because it’s impossible to fit sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers and comforters all in one load.

Then you have to make the bed again, and that’s the worst. If you have comforter and duvet cover instead of quilt or comforter, you’ll agree with me. And yes, these are 100% first world problems.

source: LC Living

However, the minor inconveniences associated with washing bed linen mean that the vast majority of us don’t do it often enough. And while this procrastination may seem perfectly harmless, it’s not.

Laundry expert Mary Marlowe Levertte explains, “While we sleep, we continue to sweat and body oils and dirt are released. Saliva, urine, genital fluids and feces can be found on the fibers. If clothing is not washed regularly and the occupant has scratches or wounds, it can become infected.

Athlete’s foot and other fungi can be transmitted through fabrics. Infrequent cleaning of sheets and pillowcases allows fluids to seep into pillows and mattresses, which are MUCH more difficult to clean than sheets put in the washing machine.”

source: Tomorrow Sleep | istockphoto

Surely when you read this, you don’t want to throw yourself into the sheets! But, unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it. We all shed dead skin throughout our daily lives, even when we sleep.

This dead skin attracts dust mites, which crawl into the sheets and do their business there (I know, it’s a real turn-off).

In addition to being very unpleasant, dust mite droppings can cause health problems for allergy and asthma sufferers.

source: Learning Center – Allergy & Air | shutterstock

“Dust mite droppings can cause respiratory problems for allergy and asthma sufferers, but they are easily removed by washing with hot water,” Leverette explains.

“If linens are not washed frequently, oils and liquids build up and become embedded in the fibers, making them much more difficult to remove.

If you’ve ever pulled the sheets out of the linen closet and they smell musty and musty, it’s because body grime has become embedded in the fibers because the sheets haven’t been thoroughly cleaned.”

source: Tide

The solution? According to Leverette, to avoid these potential health risks (as well as the gross aspect of it all), everyone should wash their bedding once a week in the hottest water.

If someone sweats a lot at night or is sick, they should wash their bedding even more often.

I don’t know about you, but I, after reading this, am going to wash my bedding at least once a week.