Bedsheets hygiene revealed - study

Wednesday 9th January 2013

Around a fifth of people in the UK don’t change their bedsheets for a month, according to the results of a new survey. Of the 2000 respondents to the investigation by retailer Dunhelm Mill, some 36% claimed to change their sheets fortnightly, while 6% washed and replaced them once a week or more. At the other end of the scale, 1% said that they left their bedsheets on for a year, and 3% didn’t know – suggesting that it wasn’t a particularly frequent occurrence.

The split between men and women revealed a slight difference, with an average of 40% of men claiming to change their sheets weekly, compared to 30% of women.

Regular changing of bedsheets is recommended to restrict the habitation of dustmites – also known as bedbugs – that feed on discarded human skin cells. An infestation of dustmites within a mattress can be a trigger for allergies and respiratory problems. Memory foam mattresses, with an effectively solid core, are more resistant to dustmites than traditional pocket spring mattresses that have hollow cavities.
 

Tags: bedbugs dust mites bedsheets hygiene memory foam mattress

Category: Sleep Research

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