How often should we be washing our bed sheets? To some, the answer may be obvious but it's actually the root of a long, contentious debate that we might finally be able to put to bed.
Whether it's bed sheets or your favourite pair of jeans, us Brits love to argue amongst ourselves about how often we should or shouldn't wash something.
Some say once a week, some say every few weeks - hell, some people even push it to months at a time (no judgement).
Considering we spend a good amount of time in our beds sleeping, watching TV, midnight snacking (don't pretend you don't), the cleanliness of said sheets should be our top priority - especially considering that failure to do so can contribute to allergies, skin breakouts, asthma, and general uncleanliness.
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Now I'm no expert, but luckily for you we've found one, and an expert at Sleep Foundation says (drumroll please): "Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don’t sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so."
So there you have it, but before you rejoice and start chanting 'I was right', certain people should in fact wash their sheets more often.
"Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week. If you have pets, and particularly if you let them sleep in your bed, a wash every 3-4 days is recommended. If you experience allergies or asthma, it may be worth it to try cleaning your bedding more frequently to see if your symptoms improve," the expert adds.
How often you wash your sheets also depends on the season.
We’ve all experienced the discomfort of sweaty bedding during the warm summer months - although that's not going to be an issue soon - but for future reference, the experts suggest washing your sheets more often in summer to stay cool and clean.
A weekly washing routine may seem excessive, but it’s a good idea to stay on top of it if you want to avoid your bed sheets accumulating dirt, dead skin cells, body oils, sweat, and worst of all, dust mites - including their carcasses and faecal matter.
If you wanted elaboration on that, dust mites are microscopic creatures found in most households that can lead to skin rashes and irritation.
They may worsen allergy symptoms for some people and can live solely off of dead skin cells.
And, at any given time, there could be hundreds of thousands of them crawling around your mattress and bedding - you're welcome.
So, heed this warning, stop debating the subject with random people on Reddit, and start washing your bed sheets more often. If not, enjoy the possibility of sharing your bed with thousands of those dead-skin-cell-eating little critters.
Saskia Calliste