When should sheets be changed daily twice a week every other day when they are soiled wrinkled or damp?

• The rise of the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the people's concern about hygiene standards considerably.
• Under such circumstances, health experts recommend paying more attention not only to our hygiene but also to the cleaning routine of our home.
• In the article below, we'll explain how often you should wash your sheets and what additional measures you should take in order to prevent your home from the virus.

We live in pretty uncertain times - the covid-19 pandemic has become our everyday news. Living in such an ocean of information, it's hard to separate genuine news from fake ones. The discussion about how long the virus can live on different surfaces - is one of those controversial topics.

However, one thing is clear - people are much more concerned about their hygiene and their home cleaning routines. Anti-bacterial washing detergents were definitely one of the things people grabbed from the shelves first.

So, how exactly often should you wash your sheets during the Covid-19 Pandemic? And are there any additional measures you should take while washing your linens? About all of this and more - in the article below.

How Often You Should Wash Your Bedding

Experts say that the virus does not stay long on the clothing and other textiles. Therefore, there is no need to go crazy about washing them after every use.

However, such linens as bed sheets, pillowcases, and towels (especially hand towels) - should be washed much more frequently during Covid-19 pandemic situations than before. If usually it is recommended to wash your bedding at least every two weeks, under current circumstances we'd suggest you change your sheets at least once a week. And there are a few reasons why:

• You should wash your sheets and towels more often because of the constant and intensive usage of them.
• Hand towels and pillowcases are usually used by more than one person in the household, therefore the chance for the germs to spread around naturally increases.
• Bed sheets are capable of carrying various types of dirt: sweat, dust mites, dead skin cells, body fluids, debris, etc. Besides, if a person tends to sweat a lot every night - the conditions for the bacteria to build up are even better.

Important: It would make much more sense to wash your linens more frequently if you would intensify your self-hygiene routine too: wash your hair more often, shower, change your own clothes, especially those you go outside with.

How You Should Wash Your Bedding

Sorry to disappoint you, but there are no magical cleaning solutions you could use to wash your linens during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The simple hot water, laundry detergent, and time is the only magical combination for washing your sheets.

However, there are some extra things you should pay attention to before washing dirty sheets:

• Don't shake the dirty laundry or touch your face with it (no matter if it's towels, bedsheets, or similar). That's necessary because if the virus somehow appeared on your textiles - shaking will spread it around.
• Use the hottest possible temperature when washing your sheets. Very hot water is a key element when it comes to removing the germs and various bacteria from fabrics.

TIP: It is still important to pay attention to the care label of your textile products, too hot water might damage your textiles. For example, if you have a high-quality linen bedding set - very hot water might cause the shrinking process, as linen sheets should be washed in mild, warm water. Therefore, in cases like that, you might want to look for specific cleaning measures for the natural linen fabric in order to comply with the hygiene standards.

• Dry out the linens completely. Don't leave your sheets soaking in the washing machine after the washing cycle is done. A damp and warm environment is perfect for the remaining germs to start spreading again.

TIP: If you don't have the washing machine and usually hand-wash your sheets and other linens - make sure you have enough bedding sets to change the dirty ones. If necessary - stock up on extra pillowcases, sheets and towels so that you would not have to wait every time you wash your dirty linens.

How You Should Wash the Bedding of a Sick Person

In case you or your family member got the virus, in addition to previously explained washing instructions, there are some extra measures you should take in order to prevent the virus from spreading around.

• Gloves. Make sure you have stocked up on disposable gloves because they are very important when handling the sheets of a person who's got the virus. Gloves can perfectly prevent you from catching one.
• Hot water. Now, this is a very important aspect of cases like this. Laundry detergent itself is incapable of removing all of the germs. In fact, it mostly gets rid of stains, skin cells, body oils, dust mite...but not the virus or bacteria. The combination of extremely hot water and laundry detergent is what actually kills the virus.
• No shaking. As we've already mentioned previously - it's not recommended to shake the dirty laundry, especially if it's of a person, who's got the virus.
• Drying process. Just like very hot water, very hot air also kills the leftover germs from the textiles. If you have a dryer - use it to dry out your laundry completely (that's very important because leaving the fabrics damp creates a pleasant environment for the virus to spread). Therefore, dry out your linens completely before using them again. If you don't have a dryer - simply air-dry your linens and make sure they also dry up completely.

TIP: Direct sunlight also has a great effect on removing the leftover bacteria and germs from the fabric. Therefore, if you have an option to air-dry your linens in the direct sunlight - that'd be great.

• Cleaning afterward. When you are done with the washing process - clean your equipment. First of all, disinfect the laundry hamper or any other basket where the dirty laundry happened to be. Second, clean the washing machine - empty the filter of it, disinfect the drum, clean the door seals. Finally, wash your hands!

TIP: To clean your washing machine faster and more effectively - simply run a cleaning cycle program. (most of the automatic washing machines definitely have that). For a stronger effect - pour some fabric softener before.

All in all, there is no strict schedule on how often you should change your bed sheets. It really depends on your lifestyle and organism. For example, if you go to the gym every day, you should probably wash your sheets more often. Also, if you tend to sweat a lot - you should change your sheets often enough to maintain an appropriate hygiene level. Therefore, the best way to decide how often you should wash your linens is to not only follow the media advice but also pay attention to your own experience.

Now that you know what the general washing recommendations are during such a period of time - you can adapt them to your own schedule. Remember, mental health is crucial in this time, therefore do not get lost in all of the information and simply keep following the hygiene recommendations approved by experts.

I have a secret to confess: Sometimes I go a month (or close to it) without changing my sheets. It’s mostly due to how inconvenient I find the whole task. First, there’s stripping my queen-size bed and wrestling the slightly-too-small spare fitted sheet onto the corners, a job that usually requires my boyfriend’s help. Then I have to lug my laundry down three flights of stairs to the laundromat across the street (that’s New York City apartment living for you).

It turns out that I’m far from the only one with this habit. A Mattress Advisor survey of more than 1,000 Americans found that, on average, people go 24.4 days before swapping their dirty sheets for fresh ones. Some of the other highlights from the survey:

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• Men are more likely to wait longer between sheet changes than women (29.6 days vs. 19.4 days).
• On average, single people go 37 days before changing their sheets, while those in relationships go 21.8 days, and married couples go 19.9 days.
• 43% of men said they’d wash their sheets before a night out if they believed sex was a possibility, while 33.4% of women said they would do the same.
• On average, men wait 11.7 days to wash their sheets after sex, while women wait 4.3 days. (Here’s how to find the best mattress for sex.)

What Happens When You Don’t Change Your Sheets?

“What people really need to understand is that we’re all walking bags of microbes,” says Jason Tetro, aka “The Germ Guy,” a microbiologist in Canada and author of The Germ Files. “Every single hour, we’re going to be shedding bacteria—and the numbers vary, but it’s in the millions every hour.” Yes, you read that correctly: millions.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology found that the highest amounts of bacterial contamination on sheets was in the areas of the head, groin, and legs. If you’re a side sleeper, your breath could also contaminate that side of your sheets and pillowcases with bacteria as well.

Preventing viruses and bacteria growth

Bacteria need three things to thrive in your bed: water, food, and warmth, says Tetro. “Unless you’re living in an igloo, you’re going to have warmth—and the likelihood is you’re going to have food because the bacteria live on you,” he says. “They like what you’re giving off, which includes skin and oils.”

Whether or not the bacteria live well comes down to the water concentration in your sheets. Tend to sweat buckets overnight? Making your bed as soon as you wake up provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

“If you sweat a lot, you’re going to want to give your sheets a few hours to dry out before making your bed because that will reduce the likelihood that the water will be there for the bugs to grow,” explains Tetro. (Sheets made of breathable materials, like Saatva’s new line of organic cotton sheets, will wick moisture and keep you sleeping cool.)

When the bacteria are all coming from your own body, they’re relatively harmless. “The worst possible thing is that your sheets are going to smell,” says Tetro. But once you start introducing bugs from the outside—say you take a flight, skip the shower when you get home, and immediately head to bed—minor issues could arise.

In this case, “the majority of concerns are going to be skin infections,” Tetro says. “You might end up with more acne or dandruff.” If you enjoy sleeping au naturel, you may have more to worry about, though. “For those naked sleepers, something may crawl up you and you may end up with a UTI, but there’s a very, very low likelihood of this happening,” he adds.

Viruses die in a matter of hours, so you don’t have to be concerned with them lingering on your sheets—although the norovirus can survive for about a month, says Tetro, who rightly notes that you’ll probably want to change your sheets ASAP if you’ve come down with this icky illness.

How Often Should You Change Your Sheets?

If you properly allow your sheets to dry out in the morning, then bacteria will grow for roughly two weeks, with a peak amount on your sheets at around the 14-day mark, says Petro.

“So scientifically speaking, 14 days is probably when you’re going to want to change your sheets,” he says. If you’re someone who makes their bed first thing in the a.m. without letting your sheets air out (or you don’t shower every night before bed), then it’s best to change them a little more often—every seven to 10 days, suggests Tetro.

The best way to clean dirty sheets

“From a cleaning perspective, hot water is your friend,” says Tetro. Research from the American Society for Microbiology found that washing bed linens in 140°F for 10 to 13 minutes is ideal for destroying bacteria.

RELATED: Guide to Cleaning the Bedroom via Saatva.com

“If you’re using cool water and you’re not using a detergent that is known to kill these bugs, they have a nice bit of a rollercoaster ride, and then they end up somewhere else,” Tetro points out. “And if you don’t put your sheets in the dryer, then you’re not getting the heat that’s necessary to kill them.”

Although hot water will effectively kill any microscopic creepy-crawlers on your sheets, most bed linens will come with instructions to launder them in cold water to preserve the fabric and extend their life. So if you prefer to use cold water, make sure to toss your sheets in the dryer after. Just be sure not to ruin all of your hard work by putting clean sheets onto your bed with dirty hands. “For the love of goodness, wash your hands before you handle clean laundry,” Tetro says.

With classic innerspring, ultra-premium memory foam, and natural latex mattresses, Saatva is where the search for a better night's sleep comes to rest. For more sleep tips and advice, visit Saatva's sleep blog.