Expert reveals how often you should wash your pyjamas and the answer will surprise you

Pyjamas are one of the essential pieces of a dressing room!

Soft, comfortable or sexy, they can be made of silk, fluff or flannel. On the market, there are pyjamas of all styles and shapes, from nightgowns to jumpsuits to shirts-and-trousers sets. Whether you wear them to sleep or to hang out at home, pyjamas are an outfit that everyone can agree on.

However, unlike clothes that you put in the washing-machine after wearing them for one or two days, pyjamas are a more rarely washed item. A British survey conducted in 2015 revealed that women waited an average of 17 days and men 13 days before changing them.

Questioned on this subject by French magazine Madame Figaro, Pierre Parneix, a hygienist at the Bordeaux University Hospital, said that this period was too long.

Pyjamas, a bacteria haven?

Sweat, dead skin, bad smells, dust... Pyjamas can be a hotbed of germs if they are not washed regularly.

Eventually, sleepwear that is not changed regularly can lead to respiratory problems or allergies, as French dermatologist Catherine Laverdet explains. Thus, the skin expert recommends changing your pyjamas every other day.

Other specialists believe that you can wear the same pyjamas for up to a week, if and only if, you take a shower in the evening to remove all the bacteria accumulated on the skin during the day.

Depending on the person and the quality of their sleep, some people may sweat a lot during the night. This sweat directly infuses in the fabrics of the pyjamas. The maceration can then cause bad smells as well as infections like staphylococcus aureus on the skin.

If you sleep without underwear under your pyjamas, specialist Pierre Parneix explains that germs from the perineal flora (coming mainly from stools) can cause urinary tract infections, a phenomenon that can increase if the nightwear is very tight and close to the body.

Should you sleep naked?

If pyjamas can be a hotbed of bacteria, wouldn't the solution be to sleep without any clothes on at all? It would seem so.

When you sleep naked, your body is cooler, which reduces sweating. Without pyjamas, the risk of developing infections is greatly reduced. Nevertheless, be sure to wash your sheets regularly to preserve their hygiene.

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.

Sources used:

MadameFigaro: À quelle fréquence faut-il laver son pyjama ?