One third of Brits are said to wash their bed sheets only once a year, study reveals

In an incredibly off putting new revelation courtesy of a study conducted by furniture company, Hammonds, almost a third of British respondents admitted to only washing their bed sheets no more than once a year.

52 washings in a year is recommended

Although, it has been scientifically proven that washing your bedsheets on average once a week is the minimum, 30% of 2,000 British participants confessed to only doing so once in an entire year! Dr Aragona Giuseppe, GP and Medical Advisor at Prescription Doctor explains:

Washing your clothing items and bedsheets regularly is important for overall cleanliness and ensuring your body remains clean and healthy. If you do not wash clothing items often you could be at risk of infection or just feeling and smelling unclean.

Adding:

Bedsheets and pillowcases should be washed as if they are dirty, this could promote acne, spots and other skin issues due to the dirty bacteria on the sheets transferring to your skin.

Acne, bacteria and mites

And it turns out, pimples aren't the only thing that could arise from not cleaning your bedsheets often enough. More serious health issues could become a very real problem if cleanliness isn't taken more seriously. Dr Oma Agbai says that:

Skin cells coming off your body on a daily basis and settling into your sheets can breed the growth of certain bacteria and certain mites.

A better approach to keeping the place you spend many hours in clean, is to let it breathe in the morning after waking up. Keeping the covers off for some time after getting up is a good way to let your mattress breathe and not trap all the moisture that you let out during the night. Because as you know, bacteria and bugs love to make a home out of humid areas.