This is how often you should actually be changing your bed sheets, you dirtbags

Have you ever even done it?

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When you first moved into your room, you probably envisaged a paradise: a well decorated, spotless and fresh bedroom you'd be proud to show off, and one where you have plenty of time to change your bed sheets.

But, be honest, a few months down the line and the only time you take the sheets off your bed is to make a toga for sports night, and you can't remember the last time they had a good wash. Despite being horrifically stained, the same sheets have been on your bed for weeks, and you have no intention of changing that.

The question is though – how much of an absolute dirtbag does this actually make you? Is there a true answer to how often you should be changing your bed sheets? And what happens if you don't? Here are the answers.

So, how often should you change your bed sheets?

It's a general rule you should be cleaning and changing your sheets at least once every two weeks, but really it should be every single week.

According to Good Housekeeping, your sheets should be changed every fortnight, and once a week if you know you sweat a lot in the night.

Keep those sheets fresh

A YouGov survey showed the British public is divided on sheet washing. Some are weekly washers, some two-weekers and others are quite frankly disgusting, because they wash their sheets even less – some leave them for up to two months.

The survey found 33 per cent wash them weekly, 35 per cent do every two weeks and the rest wash them less often. That's apart from a tiny three per cent who say they change their sheets more often than once a week – they obviously have too much time on their hands.

Over a third of 18 to 24-year-olds admitted to washing their sheets less than they should do, making this age group officially the filthiest of them all.

What happens if you don't wash your bed sheets?

Laundry expert Mary Marlowe Leverette says not cleaning your sheets enough can lead to infections and dirt build up.

She told ATTN: "During sleep, we continue to perspire, and body oils and soil are released. It is possible to find saliva, urine, genital fluids, and faecal matter in the fibres.

"Athlete’s foot and other fungi can be transferred from fabrics. Infrequent cleaning of sheets and pillowcases allows the fluids to seep into the pillows and mattresses, and those are much more difficult to clean than tossing sheets in the washer."

No matter how tragic you might think your love life is, you are never truly sleeping alone at night. You could be sharing your bed with bed bugs, dust mites, mould, lice, fungus, ants, e.coli and MRSA – which are all pretty gross. Not much of a bed turn on there.

There are millions of dust mites living in everyone's beds, and these eat your dead skin cells and make your mattress heavier over time.

Leaving your sheets on your bed allows all the dead skin cells and sweat that comes off your body in the night to build up. This attracts more dust mites. Plus, some people sweat more than a litre every single night – grim!!

Do the bed sheets smell that bad?

We asked students how often they really are changing their bed sheets.

So the final answer is pretty clear, wash your sheets AT LEAST every two weeks – unless you enjoy living amongst bugs, filth, sweat and poo.

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