Changing the sheets is one of our least favourite domestic chores.
Nobody wants to get involved with the head-wrecking palaver of the bed-change.
It’s not just the aerobic effort required to get the sheets on and off the beds that is so annoying; it’s also the absolute faff of trying to dry bed sheets in a tiny house in the dampest country in the world.
However, after hearing about these gross things that happen when we don’t do it enough, we think we’ll just have to suck it up.
1. It’s not just dead skin that builds up in unwashed sheets.
Laundry expert, Mary Marlowe Leverette 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 fecal matter in the fibres. If the (sheets) are not washed regularly, and the occupant has scratches or wounds, they can become infected.”
2. Sometimes just washing won’t suffice
“Athlete’s foot and other fungi can be transferred from fabrics,” says Mary. “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.” Now, what? Incineration?
3. A dirty bed is a veritable buffet for microscopic bugs
“You also shed skin cells in your bed, which attract dust mites, microscopic bugs that feast off human flesh.” Anyone else absolutely loving Mary’s pillow talk?
4. The microscopic bugs are doing more than feasting in your bed
The excrement of these critters can cause asthma and allergies. And also… EWWWWWW.
5. Sometimes sheets are beyond washing
“If you have ever pulled some sheets from the linen closet, and they smell slightly rancid and stale, that is body soil left in the fibres because the sheets were not cleaned thoroughly.”
