Americans spend more than a third of their lives in bed, and according to a New York University microbiologist, this place of rest can quickly turn into a habitat for thousands of bacteria and fungus.
“If left for too long, the microscopic life within the folds of our bed sheets can even make us sick,” said Philip Tierno, the microbiologist, to Business Insider.
According to Business Insider, the average American changes their sheets only once or twice a month when, in reality, people should wash their sheets once every week.
“The last time I changed my bed sheets was because they ripped in half,” said junior Grant Manock.
In a survey conducted by the mattress company Ergoflex, they found that 49 percent of males change their sheets only four times a year. 66 percent of students said that they only wash their sheets once every month or longer.
“I only change my sheets when I get impetigo from wrestling,” said junior Jordan Green.
Having clean sheets is beneficial to human health and hygiene. Sweat and dead skin become embedded in bed sheets over time, especially in the summer months when people sweat the most.
Dust mites hide in the crevices of sheets and feed off the dead skin and mold that accumulates. These tiny bugs can trigger an asthma attack or an allergic reaction and can cause sneezing, coughing, and skin rashes.
“That’s disgusting that some people don’t wash their sheets sometimes for months. I wash mine at least once a week,” said freshman Paige Fuqua. “I have a friend that is really allergic to dust mites and her eyes will swell up and get itchy if she doesn’t wash her sheets often.”
To get rid of the bacteria and other nasty organisms living within bed sheets, one should wash their sheets once a week in hot water and dry them on the hot cycle. If an individual in a household is sick, especially with the recent flu epidemic spreading rapidly, it is best to wash their bed sheets after the sickness has passed. This will reduce the chance of another family member getting sick.
“The fact that some people don’t wash their sheets for months at a time seems accurate for high school boys, but it’s still gross,” said junior Madi Rohm.