Gross Things Happen When You Don’t Wash Your Sheets

Sheets can become an ecosystem of unhealthy critters that affect your health and appearance

Ideally you should wash your sheets every two weeks, unless you sweat a lot or are allergic to dust mites, then weekly is best. aslysun/Shutterstock

How often do you wash your sheets and put fresh ones on your bed? That’s OK, you don’t need to let anyone else know; you can keep the answer to yourself. However, the best answer is no longer than two weeks, and less in some cases.

If you and your family are sleeping on sheets that have been on your bed longer than that, then there are some gross and unhealthy things that may be happening in your bedrooms. So be prepared: What follows may not be for the faint of heart.

What’s Happening to Your Sheets

The human (and pet) body is constantly shedding skin cells. How many is a matter of some debate, but it is significant, like millions of cells a day. Since you spend about one-third of your life in bed, plenty of cells are accumulating in your sheets.