Ideal temperature to ‘effectively' clean bed sheets - ‘guaranteed to kill bacteria!'

How often do you wash your bedding? Every week, two weeks or do you leave it longer before throwing the sheets into the washing machine? Over time – and especially with warm weather – bed sheets can become filled with bacteria and even dust mites if not washed regularly. Express.co.uk spoke to Ryan Thaker, Marketing Executive at MattressNextDay who revealed how often you should be hanging your sheets to dry.

Sheets are not the only thing to consider washing; duvets and duvet covers need cleaning as well as mattress protectors and sometimes mattress toppers.

Ryan said: “The general guideline is that those sheets and pillowcases should be stripped off and you should change your bedding at least once a week.

“Some people ask if it’s okay to change bed sheets once a month.

“If you don’t sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two or three weeks.

“The time of year also has a bearing on how often you wash your bed sheets.

“During the summer, you may find that you sweat much more than in the winter months.

“If your sheets feel damp and ‘clammy’ after a night’s sleep, it’s well worth putting them through a wash and dry so that they’re fresh for the next night.

“If you’re going through menopause and hot flushes or night sweats are part of your hormonal torment, popping fresh sheets on can make you feel better,” Ryan added.

“Plus, it can help you get a better night’s sleep, too.

“Some medical conditions require that your bed is as clean as it can be with no bacteria or dust to trigger allergies.

If you suffer from a skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis, or a respiratory condition like asthma, they may be aggravated by dust or bacteria.

“Therefore, you should wash your sheets as often as possible.”

When it comes to throwing the sheets into a washing machine, the temperature has to be considered.

“When washing bedding you want to wash at 60 degrees on a long wash to remove sweat, dust etc,” Ryan revealed.

“You can wash at a cooler temperature, but there is no guarantee it will kill bacteria effectively and remove sweat as needed.”

For anyone looking to wash their duvet and duvet cover less often, consider using a top sheet.

Ryan explained: “During the night, we shed dead skin cells and bacteria.

“A top sheet provides an extra layer between us and our blanket or duvet, meaning we don’t need to wash our duvet as often.”

If you haven’t already, now is the ideal time to wash your duvet too – Ryan says “every six months is sufficient”.

If you can fit it in your washing machine, he recommends: “Wash a duvet in 30 degrees water on a gentle setting.

“If you are looking to get rid of any stubborn marks, you can use your usual laundry stain remover.

“If there is no room in the washing machine fill your bath or a large plastic tub with tepid water and add detergent, mixing it in with your hands.

“Submerge the duvet fully, mix for a few minutes to remove dirt and debris, then rinse until the water is running clean with no soap.”