How Often Should I Change My Sheets?

I was having a discussion with a friend the other day about turning mattresses.  I suggested, as it was a new mattress she should turn it every time she changed her sheets.  That was the big question.  How often should she change her sheets?

Now if you ever stay in a hotel, you will note that to save water and electricity, sheets are changed weekly if you have a long stay in the room, otherwise it is between each new occupant.  That does sound logical and one could apply it to your own home, but the changing of sheets really does depend on the weather and the sleeper’s body temperature. 

If it is a hot night, the sleeper will perspire which means in the morning the sheets are slightly damp.  Of course, perspiring can also occur in winter, especially when the covers are too heavy.  In each case most of the bed covers, mattress and linen will have absorbed the moisture emanating from the body, but changing the sheets each day is not the answer.

Many South Europeans refocillate their bed clothes.   This means they pull back the top bed covers and let the sheets air, or they take off all the linen and hang it over a balcony to dry out and air in the sun.

Some people have electric blankets.  This does the drying for you.  In fact, in our house the electric blanket stays on the bed all year round.  In the winter it is set higher than in summer, but during the summer months, it dries out the bed clothing during the daytime and is turned off prior to climbing into bed. 

There is nothing worse than getting into a damp bed, and as mattresses absorb and hold a massive amount of moisture, when an electric blanket it first fitted to a mattress it can take a couple of days before all the moisture is removed.  If you always sleep on a dry mattress, thanks to an electric blanket, you will know what I mean. 

But that brings us back to how often should you change your sheets?  Because my sheets are kept moisture free with the electric blanket I change them once a fortnight.  Many people change them once a week.  I find I do change the sheets on a weekly basis during summer, but the answer is, never, never leave your sheets on a bed for more than two weeks.  Why?  Because they will start to smell; and that is not a pretty aroma in any bedroom.   By the way, we never sleep with the electric blanket on. 

Julie Finch-Scally

The Guru of Cleaning®

Author Stinking Cleaning

www.cleaningguru.online