Normally, we like to start an article off with a catchy opening to grab your attention, but we're just going to get right to it because this is urgent—your bed sheets are full of germs and you need to wash them A$AP, Rocky.
This morning when you got out of bed, you left behind all sorts of dead skin, oils, saliva, and sweat. And as you're reading this, the dust mites that live in your bed are having a Golden Corral all-you-can-eat feast between your sheets. And no, they don't hop in their station wagon and head home afterwards, their home is your bed. And you know what you do after an all-you-can-eat situation? Yes, that's happening in your bed as well. Dust mite poo.
We're just going to leave this here: The 1.5 grams of skin shed by a human each day can feed 1 million dust mites. On average, every bed has around 10 million dust mites living in it. Rent free, eating free food, and watching Judge Mathis and Maury while you're out at work. They need to go—but you kick them out by washing them and we're guessing you're not staying on top of your landlord duties.
A 2017 survey by home textile company Coyuchi found that only 44 percent of the 1,000 Americans surveyed wash their sheets once or twice a month. Just 11 percent wash their bedding once a season while 5 percent clean them only once or twice a year. Mattress Advisor surveyed 1,000 people and found most people wash their sheets every 25 days, so basically once a month.
Just throw the whole bed away.
Well, that's not realistic, but what is achievable is actually quite simple—wash your sheets every single week using hot water. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, if you want to kill the dust mites, the water temperature should be 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 Celsius), or hotter, and laundering should be done each week.
We're guessing you already knew this, but hopefully now you'll actually do it.
