So This Is How Often You Should Be Washing Your Bedsheets In Summer

Philip M. Tierno, a microbiologist and professor at New York University, told the Business Insider that we should aim to wash our bed sheets at least once a week.

He says our beds can quickly become a “botanical park” of bacteria and fungus, because of all the bodily functions we carry out during the night.

According to scientists, we each produce an average of 26 gallons of sweat in bed every year, and if it’s not soaking into our jammies, it’s being absorbed into our sheets.

This warm, moist environment is perfect for bacteria and fungi to grow, and if you take into account the “vaginal and anal” excretions going on under the duvet, our beds are downright germy.

Tierno added that we also share our beds with foreign microbes, including animal dander (our pets’ version of dandruff), pollen, soil, lint, and dust mites. Gross.

With that much nastiness under our noses every night, Tierno says we’re likely to develop breathing problems and/or a scratchy throat. “Even if you don’t have allergies per se, you can have an allergic response,” he said.

Apparently this build-up of bacteria can become “significant” in as little as a week, and so we should be washing our sheets at least every seven days.

Are you doing it enough?