Wash Your Sheets Weekly for a Better Night’s Sleep
We’re guessing you don’t go an entire week without changing your clothes (you get a pass if you’re camping or on safari), so why not your bed clothes too? Given we spend at least a third of our lives in between the sheets, shouldn’t your bed clothes get a good washing at least that often too?
We say yes, and here’s why.
From water temperature to laundry soap, sun- or machine-dried, there’s a right way and a wrong way, to go about washing your sheets. We’ll demystify (and hopefully simplify) this most essential of chores. Who knew washing sheets was such a science?
Weekly Washings for Better Health
Simply put, cleaner sheets are healthier sheets. Weekly washings help eliminate germs, allergens, and creepy crawlies like mites and bed bugs (yikes), or fleas, if you sleep with your pets. Weekly launderings during cold and flu season might also help speed your recovery.
Keep ‘em Separated
Sort your sheets – and wash them separately. Preserve darker colors by washing them at cooler temperatures. Although we advocate for the hottest water temperature bedding can tolerate, please defer to manufacturers’ recommendations, or your own experience.
Load sheets loosely into the wash tub, an avoid over filling by washing one set of sheets at a time. And, if you’re washing in cooler temperatures, achieve some of hot water’s benefits by line-drying in the sunshine.
Cold Water or Hot Water?
Cotton sheets can take the heat, so wash them on the highest recommended temperature setting (we like HOT) – being sure to read your labels for any special instructions.
Take special care with bamboo, rayon, blends, or other specialty fabrics to prevent unintended shrinkage.
Suds or Soap
Whether you wash your sheets in synthetic detergents or eco-friendly, low toxicity soaps, depends on your lifestyle and personal preferences. Heavily scented laundry detergents are prolific, but for those with skin or scent sensitivities, try a laundry a soap made from all-natural items. Mother Earth will thank you too.
Treat stains as you would with other clothing – the sooner the better. Apply pre-wash or suds boosting cleaning agents and oxidizers to help put the sparkle back in your bedding.
Inside or Out?
Line dried bed sheets are one of life’s simple pleasures – and admittedly require a little extra effort. But, the rewards are a crisp, clean feel on your skin as you slip into bed – and a fresh air scent impossible to bottle.
Line drying is terrifically green way to save money, and you’ll naturally benefit from the Sun’s brightening and sanitizing effects. Keep in mind line-dried bed linens will have a rougher nap. Fluff them in the drier for a few minutes for a lustrous soft finish.
Flat as a Sheet
The idiom comes from the days when bed sheets and linens where ironed to within an inch of their lives – and not just at Downtown Abbey. The extra-high heat achieved from ironing your sheets serves to kill off the last of the allergens, and aforementioned creepy crawlies (reason enough to start washing sheets weekly), before they ever make it back to your bedroom.