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The reason you should frequently change your sheets is gross

Let’s be honest, who has time to wash their bed sheets any more than once a month?

When we come home from work, we’re consumed with making dinner and washing the dishes, and by the time it reaches 9pm we’re exhausted - and all we want to do is pass out on our fluffy beds.

Do you know how dirty your bed sheets really are? Photo: Getty Images
Do you know how dirty your bed sheets really are? Photo: Getty Images

However, according to a laundry expert, you might want to stay up an extra 30 minutes to wash those sheets more often after hearing this:

"During sleep, we continue to perspire, and body oils and soil are released. It is possible to find saliva, urine, genital fluids, and fecal matter in the fibers. If the [linens] are not washed regularly, and the occupant has scratches or wounds, they can become infected. Athlete's foot and other fungi can be transferred from fabrics,” Mary Marlowe Leverette told ATTN.

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If that isn’t bad enough, Leverette says if you infrequently wash your sheets, bodily fluids can seep deeper into your pillows and mattresses, which are obviously much more difficult to clean than throwing your sheets in the washing machine.

Most of us are luckily enough to wash our sheets once a month. Photo: Getty Images
Most of us are luckily enough to wash our sheets once a month. Photo: Getty Images

"Ideally, bed linens should be washed every week using the hottest water recommended for the fabric. If the weather is extremely hot, and the sleepers perspire heavily or the sleepers are ill, more frequent washings are recommended." Leverette recommends.

If you fail to wash your bed sheets once a week, when you hop into bed at night, you could be rubbing up against more than you bargained for.

You should wash your sheets once a week. Photo: Getty Images
You should wash your sheets once a week. Photo: Getty Images

Dead skin cells in your bed can attract flesh-eating bugs like dust mites, and little do you realise they also poop in your bed, which can cause asthma and allergies.

Yum!

And that goes for pet owners who let their dog or cat snuggle up with them in their bed: while it's cute, it's certainly not hygienic!

Sleep with your dog? You better get washing! Photo: Getty Images
Sleep with your dog? You better get washing! Photo: Getty Images

So, plans tonight?

Why not make a date with your washing machine and clean those filthy sheets asap!

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