Sweaty bedsheets are inevitable at this time of year, no matter how militant we are with changing them. It’s not surprising when you consider the constant heatwaves which have resulted in sticky, disrupted sleep, aka the new norm. We toss, we turn, we sweat and then repeat. In the end, there’s nothing but gross yellow stains to show for it.
The question is: should we be washing our sheets more often to keep up with the sweaty demand? Or are we fighting a losing battle? We spoke to a microbiologist and a bedding expert to find out what’s really going on under our sheets, to explore the risks involved with a sub-par cleaning schedule and to conclude how often we should really be washing them in such heated conditions.
Why do my bedsheets smell?
Each night you spend in your bed, you’re leaving behind all kinds of bodily fluids and residue. Dr Primrose Freestone, microbiologist at the University of Leicester, explains:
‘Pillow covers and sheets collect your shed skin cells and oils, sweat, urine or faecal traces and any of the millions of bacteria and fungi that live on your skin – e.g. Staphylococcus, Corynebacteria and even E. coli – all of which can contribute to bed linen smelliness by the bacteria eating sweat deposited on the sheets and pillow and converting it to mal-odorous waste products.
‘If the bodily fluid and skin cell shedding are allowed to accumulate, the bacteria deposited onto your sheets and pillow start to grow in the moisture, which may give off even more odours, and your bedding will start to feel unpleasant.’
Residue may not come directly from our bodies either; you can also leave behind traces of makeup, body lotions, face creams and perfume. All of the above can contribute to bacterial growth, whatever the weather. But, with the heat and the sweat, the problem is accelerated. In laymen’s terms: the hotter your bed, the more the bacteria will thrive!
But what's so bad about this bacteria? ‘If you never cleaned your sheets, the bed would eventually smell awful, sheets be an off colour and unpleasantly tacky’ continues Primrose ‘You would also get skin and possibly lung irritations from the high level fungi and mites growing in your bed, and your sleep quality would be affected. This especially applies in the summer when we sweat much more to under-washed sheets, too.’
And then there’s dust mites to consider, which thrive on our sweat and dead skin cells. Dust mites are more prominent in our beds in summer as a result and will trigger allergies from their faeces, so these too need to be controlled.
How often should I be washing my sheets in summer?
So, considering this, how often should we be washing our bedsheets? In normal temperatures, GH would advise doing so at least once a fortnight. Although, if someone has allergies, once a week is best according to Allergy UK, or even every 3-4 days if there’s pets on the bed, so say the Sleep Foundation.
But, with nightly temperatures of mid-20 degrees, what’s best? We say, once every 3-4 days, or once a week at minimum. Having said that, it does depend on a few factors. First, there’s the ambient temperature of the room; the hotter the room, the more we sweat and so the more bacteria in the bed. Then, there’s the bedding you’re using and its breathability to consider as well as whether you’re sharing the bed. All of these factors make things hotter and means your bedding will need washing more regularly. You will need to use your best judgement – if you have a particularly sweaty night, give the bed a change.
How best to wash sheets in summer?
You will need to wash the bedding at 60 degrees to kill bacteria and dust mites. If you can, use a biological detergent which contains enzymes, for the best cleaning power. If the care label won’t allow such a high wash temp, you can also tumble dry on high for 30 to 40 minutes for the same effect. Failing that, there’s also the option to use a laundry sanitiser to disinfect your sheets.
‘Keeping your sheets clean also means you’re keeping what’s underneath them clean’ says Mike Handelsman, bedding expert, and CEO of FoamOrder ‘A lot of people think that only the sheets need attention but you need to regularly wash your mattress and pillow protectors, bedding layers, etc. because all of that moisture and fluid is going to transfer to your mattress and foam and they’re much harder to get rid of once they hit these layers.
‘Simple things like using washable mattress protectors or pulling back the covers for a short while each morning so that your mattress gets aired out and breathes all go a long way in reducing moisture trapping and getting rid of trapped moisture.’
To protect your bedding beneath the sheets from contamination, be sure to a use mattress, duvet and pillow protectors. And opt for cooling bedding where you can, as well as a summer duvet with lower tog (4.5 or less). Always pull pack the bed sheets for a few hours each morning to release residual moisture.
