Health problems due to dirty sheets
Nothing sleeps better than a freshly made bed with crispy clean sheets. That alone is reason enough to change your sheets every week. But what if you don’t? That can cause nasty health problems.
Little research has been done in the Netherlands, but it seems plausible that we do not all change our bed every week. In neighboring countries, only 40 percent do so, according to research by the Daily Mail. However, it is advisable to put clean sheets on your bed every week. You leave liters of sweat, fungi, bacteria, skin cells and even poop particles behind in your bed. By changing your bed at least once a week, you reduce the risk of allergies and other conditions. What can happen if you change your bed less often?
You get pimples and other skin problems
Many women are not very consistent in removing their makeup before going to sleep. It should. Not cleaning the face is bad for your skin, but also for your bed environment. Not only does your makeup leave filthy stains on your bedding, but bacteria penetrate the fibers of your bedding and multiply there. And you will lie back on it for the next few nights, giving those bacteria the chance to worsen eczema, pimples and blackheads or to cause skin problems. Incidentally, this does not only apply if you wear make-up. Your own skin oils also soak into your bedding and can cause infections. Reason enough for women and men to thoroughly clean the face every night before going to sleep and to change your bedding every week. If you can’t manage to change your bedding once a week, at least throw your pillowcase in the laundry every week, that can save a lot of trouble.
You run the risk of fungal and bacterial infections
Night sweats aren’t so fresh for your sheets, but that moisture doesn’t all evaporate either. Such a humid environment is a great place for bacteria and fungi to multiply. If you inhale mold spores, bacteria and dust mites every night for 8 hours, any asthma and allergy complaints will in any case not get better. The fungus Cladosporium, among others, finds your damp bed a great environment to thrive and can cause asthma and pneumonia. Cladosporium can also lead to onychomycosis or: fungal or fungal nails (onycho = nail, mycosis = fungus). Other infections and skin problems that can be transmitted from dirty bedding include ringworm in your groin and legs (tinea cruris), summer yeast (tinea versicolor) and – with a reduced resistance – even an infection with staphylococcus aureus, which in the worst case can cause MRSA. Research by an American mattress manufacturer has shown that sheets that have not been washed for a week contain an average of 24,631 bacteria more than the doorknob of a public toilet. That seems like a good reason to tackle that bedding every week.
Rise of house dust mites
House dust mites also thrive in a damp environment. An average mattress contains up to 2 million house dust mites. And many people are allergic to the droppings of these tiny critters. They experience respiratory complaints, eczema and other allergic reactions. Bedding keeps you mite-free (unfortunately not mite-free) by washing it at 60 degrees Celsius. Preferably do this weekly, but at least every six weeks. That is how long it takes for an egg to develop into an adult mite. Also wash your duvet and pillows regularly. You kill the last remaining dust mites by ironing your bedding. Here you will find eight more tips against mites in your bed.
Conclusion: changing your bed may not be your favorite chore, but it is hygienic to do it every week. Don’t forget your pajamas either; it was weekly or rather twice a week. And let your bed air daily, making your bed every morning ensures that damp and damp bedding certainly does not dry.
Sometimes you need to change your bed even more often. If you have a cold or the flu, you leave those pathogens in bed too. This can make your partner sick and it will not make you any better either. In case of illness, changing your bed every day is not an unnecessary luxury, no matter how bad you feel.
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