How often should one wash bedding?

[Excelsior! Academy]

Comforters, bedspreads, etc.?

[Elizabeth in MN]

It depends on the health of the person and time of year IMO. Right now we're having a heat wave so the sheets and pillow cases get washed weekly. The pillows need it monthly as does the thin quilt. The dust ruffle gets washed twice a year. In the winter time it's all less often because we don't sweat so much.

 

I am suppose to strip all of my fabric bedding out of my room and wash it in hot water once a month due to Asthma and dust allergies.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Once a month? Yikes we are behind.

 

Sheets do get washed weekly. Bedding monthly? We haven't been. I guess we need to bump it up quite a bit.

[fraidycat]

I just do it all when I do the sheets, because more often than not, the top sheet gets kicked down and only the top quilt gets used in direct contact with our bodies anyway. Right now, with the heat though, we are only using a flat sheet as our covering, if any so the wash loads are smaller.

 

We all have platform beds, so there are no extras like a bedskirt to worry about.

[AvasMom]

We wash ours only every few months and that's really too much for ours. We use quilts that my mom has hand quilted and washing really takes its toll on them. :(

[Joker]

I do ours weekly, but my older dd has an allergy to dust mites and has asthma. If I let it go too long she has to use her inhaler and we risk a visit to the dr, so I make every Monday bed linen laundry day.

[Lily_Grace]

Our comforters get washed about once a year, but the duvet covers get done monthly and the sheets/pillowcases weekly.

[Ellie]

I wash sheets and pillow cases weekly, but blankets and comforters/bedspreads not nearly so often. Since we use top sheets, blankets don't get dirty easily. Comforters/bedspreads are washed when they look dirty. :-)

[ondreeuh]

Oh my. We use duvets and I wash the covers about every couple of months. I hardly ever wash the duvets themselves, only if something spills. I only change sheets every 3-4 weeks. We aren't sweaty and they don't smell, and we don't have any allergies. I'm obviously not a strict housekeeper LOL.

[DaffodilDreams]

Dust mite allergies and asthma so we wash all bedding on hot weekly here. If I forget, I'm quickly reminded by a reaction.

[Jpoy85]

Sheets- 1x a week

Blankets/Covers- 1x a month

 

I dont wash the pillows or pillowcases as often as i should though, but TBH, i dont think about them~!

[WiseOwlKnits]

We wash sheets weekly. It's so hot here we're not using anything other than a top sheet on the bed. Once we're using blankets, we'll wash them weekly too.

[IsabelC]

Sheets, pillowslips and duvet covers - once a week

Pillows and duvets - as needed, usually when the kid has wet the bed, been sick, had a bleeding nose or a hot and sweaty night.

[Pawz4me]

Sheets/pillowcases -- weekly

Blankets/bedspreads -- about every two to three months

Pillows -- twice a year

[SKL]

We don't have any allergies etc. here, so I wash the blankets etc. when they seem to need it. Probably a few times a year, but I don't really keep track.

 

Sheets are more often, but basically when I feel yucky about them. Generally every 2-3 months give or take.

 

We aren't big sweaters.

[earthyfamily]

Dust mite allergies and asthma so we wash all bedding on hot weekly here. If I forget, I'm quickly reminded by a reaction.

 

I'm curious as to what kind of reaction you have? I wonder because every so often I wake up in the middle of the night and which ever side of my face it was that was buried in the pillow has the oddest reaction. My eye is all red, watery and swollen and my nostril on that side is all stopped up, runny and itchy. It takes a while but if I go wash my face and stay up for a bit it will go away and then I can go back to sleep. I'm just not sure if it's a dust and or dust mite reaction or if I'm getting lotion in my eye....or what. Really weird. I do have a lot of allergies...soooo?

[Kelly1730]

I used to be somewhat fanatical about sheets. All sheets were washed weekly. Now, I wash them every other week. The boys one week, ours the next. I did tell dh that when I am in the nursing home to make sure that I have clean sheets!! The outer bedding is washed less often,but I like to hang it outside to air out on nice days.

[In the Rain]

I guess how often you *should* wash bedding depends on how clean you are when you go to bed and if you have allergies. People who shower before bed and sleep in pajamas will have cleaner sheets than those who shower in the morning or sleep in their clothes.

 

We have dust allergies, which means we *should* wash all bedding in hot water every week, and change pillowcases twice a week. :glare: I aim for that, but it is a lot of work, and hard on blankets, quilts and comforters. The sheets and pillowcases are pretty easy to manage. Blankets get washed every 2-3 weeks. The loft bed sheets are a major hassle. :tongue_smilie:

[Dory]

Sheets - once a week

Blankets and duvet covers - every 2 to 3 months

Duvets - Maybe once a year but I try to avoid it as it's hard on the down.

Pillows - I wash them once a year and get new ones after 2 years. The old ones go to the dogs for another year.

[applethyme]

All bedding gets washed weekly.

Pillows every month.

I vacuum bedrooms twice a week and I move and vacuum under all of the beds every other month.

[Wheres Toto]

Sheets are every other week, I alternate between ours and the kids. This will include pillow cases. Pillows are washed much less often, basically if something is spilled or if we took them camping or to a hotel (we like having our own pillows places).

 

Our comforter needs to be dry-cleaned so I do it maybe twice a year - right before winter when it's used more often and spring - unless something is spilled on it.

 

The kids comforters can be washed at home, along with the million fuzzy fleece blankets we have around the living room. Those are all washed as needed, probably about once a month.

[Whereneverever]

Weekly.

[DaffodilDreams]

I'm curious as to what kind of reaction you have? I wonder because every so often I wake up in the middle of the night and which ever side of my face it was that was buried in the pillow has the oddest reaction. My eye is all red, watery and swollen and my nostril on that side is all stopped up, runny and itchy. It takes a while but if I go wash my face and stay up for a bit it will go away and then I can go back to sleep. I'm just not sure if it's a dust and or dust mite reaction or if I'm getting lotion in my eye....or what. Really weird. I do have a lot of allergies...soooo?

 

Dd has dust mite allergies. She will wake up with red, watery eyes and stuffy nose. If I continued to let it go, she would end up with a sinus/respiratory infection (before we knew she was allergic, she was constantly sick and in and out of the ped).

 

I have asthma, and I will begin to have trouble controlling my asthma if things get too dusty (I don't THINK mine is related to dust mites but just a general "surroundings need to be pretty clean and fume free" plus a few other triggers not related to housekeeping), and the steps we took/take to help control dd's allergies also help(ed) me.

 

It sounds like it wouldn't hurt for you to try washing your bedding on hot to see if your symptoms disappear. Or you might be allergic to whatever detergent or softener you use, though, and perhaps it becomes really evident when your eyes and nose are in contact with the allergen.