How Often Should You Wash Bed Sheets? What a UK Survey Found

Originally published 2021-03-03.

Most hygiene and allergy advice arrives at the same answer: wash sheets and pillowcases about once a week, or every two weeks at the outside. A UK survey from 2020 suggested that many people are nowhere close. In a poll of 2,000 adults commissioned by the bedroom furniture retailer Hammonds Furniture, three in ten said they put their bed sheets through the wash only once a year.

Here is what that survey actually reported, how much weight a brand-commissioned poll can carry, what builds up in bedding that is left too long, and a realistic laundry routine for sheets, towels and everyday clothes.

What the Hammonds Furniture survey found

The results were released in October 2020 and widely covered in the British press, including by Metro. Bedding came out worst. Around 30% of respondents said their sheets were washed just once a year, and 36% said the same about their blankets.

Clothes that sit against the skin for long stretches were not much better. About 18% said their jeans got an annual wash, and gloves, mittens and scarves were rarely laundered at all, even though they touch the face, nose and hands throughout the cold months.

There was some reassuring news too:

• Towels: roughly 40% said they washed a towel after every single use.
• Underwear: about 80% said they put on clean underwear every day.
• The gender gap: among the minority who did not, men lagged behind. A quarter of men and 13% of women said they washed underwear only after around five wears, and 10% of men compared with 3% of women stretched it to ten.
• Bras: 55% of women said they washed a bra after about five wears, 17% after each wear, and 6% only after ten wears or more.

The pattern is the striking part. Items that spend the most hours in contact with skin, especially bedding, were the ones people seemed to neglect most.

How much should we read into a poll like this?

A survey run for a furniture brand is a useful conversation starter, not a national health statistic. Polls of this kind are usually carried out online among people who sign up to answer questionnaires, and the full question wording is rarely published alongside the headline figures.

That matters. "Once a year" might be how some people described a spare-room bed, or a duvet rather than a fitted sheet. Others may have answered quickly without thinking carefully. Self-reported habits are also shaped by memory and embarrassment: some people overstate how clean they are, while a few may exaggerate for effect.

So the fair reading is not that 30% of everyone in Britain sleeps in year-old sheets. It is that a noticeable share of people in one commercial sample admitted to washing bedding far less often than experts suggest, which is enough to make the topic worth a closer look.

What builds up in bedding you rarely wash

Most of us spend seven to nine hours a night in bed. During that time the body sheds skin cells, releases sweat and natural oils, and leaves behind traces of saliva, hair, skin products and, if there are pets around, fur and dander. Over weeks and months all of that collects in the fabric.

Shed skin is food for house dust mites, tiny relatives of spiders that thrive in warm, humid homes. Their droppings contain allergens that are strongly associated with allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic eczema. For people with these conditions, bedding that goes unwashed can make night-time and morning symptoms noticeably worse.

Speaking about the survey, GP Dr Giuseppe Aragona pointed to infection risk and skin problems, warning that people who do not wash clothes often "could be at risk of infection or just feeling and smelling unclean." He also suggested that dirty pillowcases can contribute to spots and acne, because oil and bacteria sit against the face all night. Sharing a bed doubles what goes into the sheets, which is another reason to keep them on a regular cycle.

A few common myths

• "If it doesn't smell, it's clean." Skin flakes, mite allergens and oils build up long before bedding starts to smell.
• "Old sheets will make a healthy person seriously ill." For most people the realistic consequences are irritation, allergy flare-ups and an unpleasant bed rather than dramatic illness. The picture changes when someone is unwell, has broken skin or a contagious skin condition, and in that case more frequent washing really helps.
• "Airing the bed is as good as washing it." Leaving covers pulled back so moisture can escape is a good habit, but it does not remove what has soaked into the fabric.

If you have persistent skin problems, breathing symptoms at night or an itch that will not settle, talk to a doctor rather than relying on laundry alone.

How often to wash sheets, towels and clothes

There is no single official schedule, but the following ranges reflect common advice from cleaning and allergy organisations and are easy to live with:

• Sheets and pillowcases: every week, or every two weeks at most. Go weekly if you sweat heavily, have allergies or asthma, let pets on the bed, or eat in bed.
• Duvet covers: with the sheets. The duvet or blanket itself only needs a wash a few times a year, following the care label.
• Pillows: every few months if the label allows machine washing, and replace them when they lose their shape.
• Bath towels: after about three or four uses, as long as they dry fully between uses. A damp towel left in a heap is what turns musty.
• Underwear and socks: after every wear.
• Bras: every few wears, with a rest day between wears so the elastic recovers.
• Jeans: when they are visibly dirty or start to smell, which may be every five to ten wears. Spot-cleaning in between is fine.
• Gloves, scarves and hats: several times during the cold season, and straight away after a cold or flu in the household.

Washing smarter, not just more often

A few habits make a regular routine easier and more effective:

• Own two sets of bedding. Swapping straight onto clean sheets removes the temptation to "do it next week".
• Use a hotter cycle when the label allows. Hotter washes are better at removing mite allergens and body oils from cotton. If you prefer cooler, energy-saving cycles, use a good detergent and dry the bedding thoroughly.
• Dry completely. Sheets put away slightly damp can develop mildew. Sunlight and a breezy line are a free bonus.
• Let the bed breathe. Pull the covers back for a while in the morning so overnight moisture can escape before you make it.
• Shower in the evening. Going to bed clean means less sweat and grime ends up in the sheets in the first place.

Why the habit slips, and how to fix it

Changing a bed is one of the more tiresome household jobs, especially wrestling a duvet into its cover. Laundry also costs money in energy and detergent, and people in small flats may have little space to dry large items. Those are real reasons, not just laziness.

The simplest fix is to tie the job to a fixed point in the week, such as every Sunday morning, so it stops being a decision. Lighter quilts, zip-up duvet covers and a second set of sheets all cut the effort. Whatever the true national figure is, a weekly or fortnightly change is a small routine with a clear payoff: a fresher bed, fewer allergens and better-feeling skin.

Sources: survey by Hammonds Furniture (October 2020), as reported by Metro, including comments from Dr Giuseppe Aragona; House dust mite (Wikipedia).