'Far Too Often': Woman Who Changes Bed Sheets Twice a Week Sparks Debate

Curling into clean bed sheets is one of life's pleasures, but how often do you refresh yours? This is the subject that has sparked debate on the popular discussion site Mumsnet this week.

User SorryButThatsAFact shared how a friend recently came by for lunch and stayed longer than expected. While they were still there, the poster asked them to help change the bed sheets.

They explained: "Somehow we got onto the topic of how often bedding should be changed and I said I did mine twice a week. She was completely aghast and said she only changed hers once a fortnight and that twice a week was far too often."

A survey by Dunlopillo Singapore found that the majority of people change their bed sheets every one to two weeks, but just over 10 percent said that they only change theirs after two months of use.

Shocked that the discussion had caused such division, the Mumsnet user said they had always changed theirs twice a week—just like their mom did—and had never given it much thought.

"So now I'm wondering, what's a normal number of bedding changes?" they asked in the post that has since received over 200 replies.

Nicola Rodriguez of Essex House Dolly is a housekeeper and expert in all things cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. She told Newsweek: "My regular clients, I change their bedding weekly. I personally change my bedding every five to seven days.

"Your bedsheets become grubby which comes from your dirt and oil build-up which comes from contact with our hair and skin care products. Natural oils and when we are asleep, we sweat where we toss and turn."

The discussion caused quite a stir on Mumsnet where people rushed to share their bedding-changing habits.

"One a week here, I thought that was standard," said one commenter, while another wrote: "I love fresh bedding—aim for fortnightly but probably more like monthly."

"If you are confident to ask a friend to help, the sheets definitely don't need changing," joked one reply.

Another commenter said: "Unless you're unusually sweaty or dirty I think more than once a week is too often. It's quite environmentally intensive."

But it isn't just about that clean sheet feeling, Rodriguez believes that people should be more aware of the common pests found in our bed. "A huge issue of mine is dust mites and bed bugs. Dust mites are found commonly in our mattresses and pillows and often collect in our bedsheets due to the fact that it is the easiest place to find dead skin cells. The mites then will poo which is then breathed in by us humans and get lodged in our throats," she explained.

To keep bugs and mites at bay, she has a system. "Use a top sheet, regularly wash your sheets and vacuum your mattress regularly," advised Rodriguez. "Also, washing your pillows and putting all of these items on a hot wash."

Keeping your bed clean can keep you healthy, too. Rodriguez explained: "Not cleaning your bedsheets can lead to skin conditions, infections, poor hygiene, and also infestations."

"Substances build up their fibers and with you spending a whopping 49-60 hours a week in your bed. You wouldn't leave your dirty bathwater there and continually get back in it every day, so why get in dirty sheets daily," said the cleaning expert.