How Often Should You Change Your Bed Sheets?

One of life’s simplest delights is slipping into freshly washed sheets with a relaxing cup of tea with nothing on the agenda for the evening. There are little fragrances in life that beat that freshly laundered bed linen smell, as you settle into bed to unwind.

However, do you find yourself wondering; how often should you change your bed sheets? Do you sometimes feel as though you’re not changing your sheets regularly enough and wondering how frequently you should be washing them? You’re not alone.

Most people are unaware of how often to change bed sheets. With lots of information on the different types of bedding and their various benefits and limitations, it can be overwhelming to understand what is best for you in terms of how often to change bed sheets.

Thankfully, Australia’s leading bamboo sheets retailer, Linenly, are here to break down how often to change bed sheets. So, without further ado - how often should you change your bedding?

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend that you change sheets at least once a fortnight.

Changing bedding any less frequently than this, and the sheets can build up bodily fluid and skin cells, and as a result of this, infested with bacteria, dust mites, and other microscopic creepy-crawlies we’d all rather not think about.

This article will break down how often should you change your bed sheets, depending on the type of material your sheets are made of and which season. First, we’ll outline how often to change bed sheets, depending on the type of material you have in your sheets.

You might be thinking how often to change bed sheets will depend on the material that your bed sheets are made of. Whilst it is true that natural fibres generally are better to sleep between, it is not necessarily true that all should treated in the same way, due to various levels of quality of each material. 

Polyester sheets do deliver water-resistance and are typically at a much lower price points than other types of natural fibre bed sheets. However, they can be irritating on sensitive skin and are therefore not recommended for those with allergies. Furthermore, they are more likely to absorb bodily fluids, oil, and grease, which can cause bacteria to build up. Therefore, the frequency at which you will wash polyester sheets will be far more than sheets of natural fibres.

Although cotton is a durable natural fibre, there are types of poorer quality, low thread count cottons on the market. Cotton blends with synthetic fibres can also be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. For poorer quality cottons, it is recommended that you wash sheets every 7 days, whereas higher quality 100% cotton sheets can probably be washed every 10-14 days.  

Linen sheets actually contain naturally occurring moisture wicking properties, which means that the bacteria from sweat that you might produce while you’re sleeping is reduced. Therefore, how often should you change your linen bedding is less frequent than other synthetic or poorer quality materials.  

Silk sheet sets are similar to Bamboo with their antibacterial properties. Both silk and bamboo have been known to have an incredible 99.9% bacterial kill rate due. Therefore, how often to change silk bed sheets will be similar to bamboo sheets. The limitation of good quality silk sheet sets is ultimately the price.

Bamboo contains an antimicrobial agent called Bamboo-kun that gives bamboo bed sheets their natural resistance to bacteria. They are both gentle and hypoallergenic, retaining their resistance to bacteria. Although we may be biased, we believe that bamboo sheets will deliver the best value in terms of cost and the ability to almost eliminate the risk of bacteria build up throughout any month of the year.

Not changing your sheets regularly will cause bacteria which is naked to the eye to build up within the materials. Sweating through sheets without changing them frequently can also cause staining and, of course, unpleasant odours.

Bacteria and skin cells that aren’t washed away in a frequent wash cycle provide food for dust mites and other little unpleasant critters that are best avoided – no thank you! What’s more, muggy environments caused by warm bodies and sweat throughout the evening are a breeding ground for the bacteria to multiply.

Our expert guide on how to wash sheets outlines how to care for and wash bamboo bed sheets to ensure the longevity of the sheets.

Whilst it’s important to understand how often to change bed sheets depending on the material they are made from, other factors, such as seasonality, can be just as important in influencing the frequency at which you change your sheets.

Seasonality is another factor that will contribute to how often to change bed sheets. The rise in temperature throughout spring and summer can be a bad time for your bed sheets. How often to change bed sheets during summer should be every 7-10 days. This, of course, should be adjusted according to the individuals between the sheets, the material of your sheets and personal preference.

Warmer nights can cause increased sweating and humidity by those who are sleeping within your sleep which is the perfect environment for bacteria to breed and multiple throughout the season. The more bacteria, skin cells and dust mites that build up in warmer climates, the more your sheets will suffer.

If you, your child, or the person your sleep with experience night sweats, or experience more sweat than the average person in general, you should consider increasing the frequency of which you wash your sheets to once a week.

For those who are prone to experience night sweats or generally sweat more throughout the night, Linenly strongly advise to buy natural fibres for your bed sheets to ensure that they are lightweight, breathable and less likely to encourage outbreaks of sweat. Ultimately, bamboo bedding is optimal for those who are prone to increased sweating in their sleep due to the antibacterial properties of the material.

In winter, Linenly advise that sheets should be washed at least every 14 days. Again, depending on the people using those sheets and the type of materials woven through the fabric, this should be revised and altered accordingly.

If you are not a sweaty person in general, it is unlikely that you will experience sweatiness during your sleep in winter, so although it is still important to change your sheets a reasonable amount, it’s simply not necessary to change your sheets as regularly as you would in summer.

However, if you do still sweat in your sleep throughout winter, it is likely that you will need to consider changing your sheets more frequently than every 14 days. Every 7-10 days (similar to summer timing) is a good rule of thumb to follow on how often should you change your bed sheets to stay healthy.

If you’re looking for a definitive answer on how often should you change your bed sheets, it really is dependent on many factors. However, if you’re looking for the best value in terms of the price and health benefits of particular materials, we can’t deny that bamboo bed sheets will be the best option in keeping you safe and allergy-free throughout every season.

In terms of bamboo sheets, you can find Linenly’s exclusive laundry guide here. Linenly are Australia’s leading provider of luxurious bamboo sheets and bamboo bedding. Manufactured under OEKO-TEX certifications, our bamboo sheets are naturally hypoallergenic, cooling and antibacterial. Check out our full range of bamboo bedding or get in touch with our friendly bamboo experts today to learn more.