A recent study carried out by Hammonds Furniture on hygiene habits in the United Kingdom has revealed some pretty shocking data. The study of 2,000 people found that 30% of people in the UK only wash their bed-sheets once a year. This means that they literally only wash the garments their body comes in contact with for roughly 8 hours every single night, once every 365 days. A further 36% said that they only wash their blankets once a year.
This was just one small insight into Britons' hygiene habits. 18% said they only wash their jeans once a year, while items such as gloves, mittens and scarves were rarely washed. Just like bed-sheets, gloves and scarves are some of the items of clothing that are most likely to be exposed at length to germs and bacteria. Indeed, it seems as if those things that need washed most frequently are those things being washed least.
Thankfully, it was also found that 40% of Brits wash their towels after every use and 80% of people wash their underwear daily. That 20% of non-daily underwear washers was across the genders a mixed bag, with women being somewhat more hygienic than men. 25% of men admitted washing their underwear every 5 uses, as did 13% of women, while an astonishing 10% of men only washed their underwear every 10 uses, as opposed to just 3% of women. When it came to bras 55% of women washed them every 5 washes, 17% washed them after every wear, and 6% didn’t wash them until after at least 10 wears.
Commenting on the findings, Dr. Aragona Giuseppe, a medical doctor, said that not frequently washing your bed-sheets or other garments can lead to a host of diseases and infections, as well as parasites and skin-disorders. It is particularly unhygienic if you are sharing your bed with a partner or other people. He said:
"Washing your clothing items and bedsheets regularly is important for overall cleanliness and ensuring your body remains clean and healthy. If you do not wash clothing items often you could be at risk of infection or just feeling and smelling unclean. Bed sheets and pillowcases should be washed as if they are dirty this could promote acne, spots and other skin issues due to the dirty bacteria on the sheets transferring to your skin."
[h/t: Metro]
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