Household cleaning: how often should you change the bedding?

How often should you change the bed linen in a bed where adults or children sleep? How often should you wash bedding and at what temperature do bacteria, mites and fungi living on duvet and pillowcases die? On the forum, parents also ask how often to change the bedding for infants and children who suffer from an infection. 

If you are wondering how often to wash and change bedding, this article will dispel all your doubts.

The bed linen should be changed every so often: why is it important to keep your sleep area clean?

Contrary to appearances, bedding gets dirty relatively quickly because every night it accumulates a large amount of exfoliated epidermis, hair and sweat from sleeping people. For this one rarities Unfortunately, various types of microorganisms await, e.g. mites, bacteria and fungi, which start to multiply in the bedding after just a few uses.

In turn, mite excrement and toxins secreted by bacteria and fungi may cause or worsen including: skin irritations and diseases, as well as skin and inhalant allergies. How often should you change and wash your bedding to avoid the unpleasant consequences of sleeping in the unwanted company of pathogenic microorganisms?

Many experts also point out on the forum that how often to change bedding, i.e. a duvet and pillows. Here, too, there is no universal rule regarding the frequency of replacing the duvet and pillow with new ones. It is definitely worth paying attention to:

• filling elasticity,
• unpleasant smell, which persists despite washing,
• permanent yellowness,
• destruction of the material, with which the quilt or pillow is sewn.

How often should you wash your bedding? It is worth refreshing duvets and pillows once a quarter, at least every six months, following the washing instructions on the label.

How often to change bed linen in the beds of babies and small children: we answer frequently asked questions forum by parents

The skin of newborns and infants is particularly sensitive to irritation, which is why new parents often wonder how often they should change the bedding of small children.

It is worth recalling that in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics, for the prevention of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in the first year of life, it is not recommended to use a duvet or pillow for the child at night, as they may accidentally cover the child's face during sleep, making breathing difficult. .

Therefore, the answer to the question: How often should you change baby bedding?, mainly concerns replacing clean sheets and a special sleeping bag or swaddle in which the baby sleeps during the night.

How often to wash bedding, how to do it correctly?

Proper washing of bedding will not only extend its durability, but above all it will help get rid of all the microorganisms living on it. How often should you wash your bedding?

It is best to wash the bedding after each replacement with fresh one, i.e. every week or once every two weeks. It is recommended to wash all pillowcases at a temperature of min. 2℃, preferably 60℃.

How often to wash bedding and what to do if the instructions on the label recommend washing at a low temperature?

Bedding made of delicate fabrics should also be washed regularly, every 1-2 weeks, following the manufacturer's recommendations on the label. To effectively remove mites, fungi and bacteria from bedding, you can iron the washed bedding with an iron or, in the case of more delicate materials, use a steamer, which is very good at disinfecting bedding.

Illness of a child or adult: what how much bedding should be changed?

If one of the household members is sick and spends a large part of the day recovering in bed, the bedding should be changed even every 1-2 days, especially if the sick person sweats profusely. Remember that the composition of sweat and moisture favor the multiplication of bacteria and fungi, which may further worsen symptoms such as: runny nose, cough or shortness of breath.

How often to wash bedding sick person?

It is recommended to wash frequently to avoid the multiplication of microorganisms in the basket for dirty clothes and underwear. It is best to immediately wash heavily sweaty or dirty bedding at high temperature and iron it before reusing it.

In the case of bedding made of delicate fabrics, parents and doctors recommend using a steamer. Steam perfectly disinfects and refreshes bedding, duvets, pillows and mattresses, making it easier to keep them hygienically clean not only during infections of one household member, but also on a daily basis.