Woman confesses her bed sheets haven't been washed in 100 years

There are two things in life guaranteed to divide people; Brexit and how often you should wash your bedsheets.

The latter might surprise you, but the truth is, people have very different opinions on acceptable cleanliness and hygiene.

Regardless whether you're in the 'one a week' camp or you take a more relaxed approach, however, the chances are you'll be equally surprised to learn of one woman, Cornelia, who confessed that her bedsheets hadn't been washed in 100 years.

No, seriously.

She made the stark confession during a 2013 episode of Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, a Channel 4 show which pairs people who can't stop cleaning and those who never clean at all.

Channel 4

The premise of the show was that once matched together, the pair would help each other to understand extremes of their habits and work together to find a happy medium.

In this particular episode, cleaning obsessives Hayley and Dann visited Plas Teg, a haunted Grade I listed 17th-century Jacobean manor in north Wales.

In the old home lived Cornelia and her 12 cats, who didn't see cleaning and tidying up as a priority - or even as necessity to be done at all.

The couple arrived in Wales with fresh horror on their faces as they discovered what awaited them.

Channel 4

After being introduced to where she would be living, Hayley asked Cornelia when the bedding had last been washed, and the response left her mortified.

"Never," Cornelia told her.

Horrified, Hayley responded: "It’s never been washed? What about the mattress? Do you clean the mattresses?”

"Of course not," a confused Cornelia said, before Hayley continued to quiz her how old the mattress was.

"It could be 100 years old, or something,” she said. “You know, this is how people used to live years ago – and I still live like that.”

Channel 4

Hayley was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in 2007, though she had lived with the condition since being a child.

Now she has her own YouTube channel, Hayley's Help, where she shares cleaning hacks and tips.

Recently, she appeared on her channel to reflect on her time on Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, where she spoke of the time that Cornelia told her she was not allowed to clean with bleach - only water.

“At this point, I’m thinking ‘What am I going to do?’” she recalled. “I’m having a bit of a breakdown inside, if I’m being honest with you."

Channel 4

Hayley added: “That was the first hurdle for me, and instantly I was like, ‘This is going to go downhill very, very quickly.’

“Because I was thinking in my mind things like, ‘How am I gonna get these toilets clean? What am I gonna use to clean the sink drains and put down the drains and stuff?’

“I was inside freaking out like some sort of badger being chased by Carol Baskin!”