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cleanliness

How often are you supposed to wash your sheets?

If you were to ask a random group of people, "How often do you wash your sheets?" you'd likely get drastically different answers. There are the "Every single Sunday without fail" folks, the "Who on Earth washes their sheets weekly?!?" people and everyone in between.

According to a survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Mattress Advisor, the average time between sheet changings or washings in the U.S. is 24 days—or every 3 1/2 weeks, approximately. The same survey revealed that 35 days is the average interval at which unwashed sheets are "gross."

washing sheets, bedding, how often should you wash your sheets, making the bedApparently, most Americans don't wash their sheets as often as experts recommend.Photo credit: Canva

Some of you are cringing at those stats while others are thinking, "That sounds about right." But how often should you wash your sheets, according to experts?

How often should you wash your sheets?

Hint: It's a lot more frequent than 24 days.

While there is no definitive number of days or weeks, most experts recommend swapping out used sheets for clean ones every week or two.

Dermatologist Alok Vij, MD told Cleveland Clinic that people should wash their sheets at least every two weeks, but probably more often if you have pets, live in a hot climate, sweat a lot, are recovering from illness, have allergies or asthma, or if you sleep naked.

washing sheets, bedding, how often should you wash your sheetsExperts recommend washing sheet every week or two.Photo credit: Canva

We shed dead skin all the time, and friction helps those dead skin cells slough off, so imagine what's happening every time you roll over and your skin rubs on the sheets. It's normal to sweat in your sleep, too, so that's also getting on your sheets. And then there's dander and dust mites and dirt that we carry around on us just from living in the world, all combining to make for pretty dirty sheets in a fairly short period of time, even if they look "clean."

Maybe if you shower before bed and always wear clean pajamas you could get by with a two-week sheet swap cycle, but weekly sheet cleaning seems to be the general consensus among the experts. The New York Times consulted five books about laundry and cleaning habits, and once a week was what they all recommend.

Sorry, once-a-monthers. You may want to step up your sheet game a bit.

washing sheets, bedding, how often should you wash your sheets, making the bedThe rest of your bedding doesn't need to be washed as often.Photo credit: Canva

What about the rest of your bedding? Blankets and comforters and whatnot?

Sleep.com recommends washing your duvet cover once a week, but this depends on whether you use a top sheet. Somewhere between the Gen X and Millennial eras, young folks stopped being about the top sheet life, just using their duvet with no top sheet. If that's you, wash that baby once a week. If you do use a top sheet, you can go a couple weeks longer on the duvet cover.

For blankets and comforters and duvet inserts, Sleep.com says every 3 months. And for decorative blankets and quilts that you don't really use, once a year washing will suffice.

washing sheets, bedding, how often should you wash your sheets, pillowsDo you need to wash your pillows occasionally? Experts recommend it.Photo credit: Canva

What about pillows? Pillowcases should go in with the weekly sheet washing, but pillows themselves should be washed every 3 to 6 months. Washing pillows can be a pain, and if you don't do it right, you can end up with a lumpy pillow, but it's a good idea because between your sweat, saliva and skin cells, pillows can start harboring bacteria.

Finally, how about the mattress itself? Home influencers on TikTok can often be seen stripping their beds, sprinkling their mattress with baking soda, brushing it into the mattress fibers and then vacuuming it all out. Architectural Digest says the longer you leave baking soda on the mattress, the better—at least a few hours, but preferably overnight. Some people add a few drops of essential oil to the baking soda for some extra yummy smell.

@suzieqssss

Baking soda absorbs moisture and or odor and breaks down any residue that builds up! If you have allergies you should be doing this more often! #cleaning #lifehack #tiktokshopcybermonday #tiktokshopblackfriday #mattressvacuumcleaner

If that all sounds like way too much work, maybe just start with the sheets. Pick a day of the week and make it your sheet washing day. You might find that climbing into a clean, fresh set of sheets more often is a nice way to feel pampered without a whole lot of effort.

This article originally appeared last year.

Under normal circumstances, hand-washing would make a boring topic for a video, but in the age of pandemic hyper-hygiene simple soap and water scrubbing has taken on a whole new pertinence. Add in a taste of Alton Brown's entertaining way of educating, and suddenly a video about something we've all (hopefully) done every single day of our lives becomes downright fun and informative family programming.


The "No Cleaver!" reference in the title apparently alludes to a previous version of this video, which involved a cleaver and some sort of grizzly ending. No idea. But this version is excellent, highly informative, and yet simple enough for anyone to understand. I'm not sure that I've ever learned these details about how basic soap and water work to destroy and remove viruses from your hands, despite spending four decades of my life soaping up and rinsing off, so even if you know you're supposed to wash your hands, this video helps drive home exactly why and how it works.

He also shows a helpful 30-second hand-washing demonstration. Show the kids. Tell them it'll turn them into a life-saving superhero. (Which might actually be true right now.)

Enjoy:

AB's Hand Washing Demo: No Cleaver!www.youtube.com

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Whirlpool

Every parent knows getting dirty and messy is practically part of a kid's job description.

Whether they're playing outside, coloring on the floor, or just eating, they'll definitely get covered in something grimy.

Given that inevitable result, there are at least two ways parents can react — obsessively clean their child and scold them for their actions or simply embrace the mess.


And while it may seem strange to do the latter, it actually can be beneficial for everyone involved.

Letting kids have the freedom to get dirty encourages a level of confidence around the unknown world out there. And such an attitude can make them much more capable of navigating their life ahead.

Harley Hawkins getting up close and personal with dirt. Photo via Zoe Hawkins, used with permission.

Plus, letting kids revel in the dirt actually helps boost their immune systems.

"If we are overly sterile and don't expose the immune system to the germs it's supposed to fight, that skews the immune system to an allergic and self-reactive response," explains Samantha Lin, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

That's why Lin lets her own son play and explore uninhibited.

"I don't jump to stop him if he wants to get in the sand, dirt, mud, leaves, water running out of the waterspout, etc.," Lin says. "If your immune system is working correctly, then these exposures should not make you sick."

And best of all? Being pro-dirt can make parents' lives less stressful since they don't feel compelled to police their kids' behavior as much.

Via iStock.

We spoke with six parents to learn why it pays to give kids the freedom to get dirty.

Their answers are as enlightening as they are hilarious.

1. Zoe Hawkins from Arizona encourages her daughter, Harley, to play with food.

Harley digging in at mealtime. Photo by Zoe Hawkins.

"Using their hands, babies learn to feed themselves, learning the difference in taste and texture between a piece of toast and a spoonful of yoghurt and a wedge of cheese or meat," Hawkins writes on her blog.

"No force feeding, no 'here comes the airplane,' just letting the little one figure out food in a positive, fun way, hopefully setting the tone for a future of wonderful dinner-time experiences and discoveries."

2. Minnesota native Emily Conigliaro made a mud kitchen, and now kids from the neighborhood play there.

Experimentation in the mud kitchen! Photo by Emily Conigliaro, used with permission.

"My daughter really loved to dig in the garden and get muddy," explains Conigliaro. "I poked around on Pinterest and saw the idea for a mud kitchen. So I dug stuff I had out of the garage and found pavers and bricks. Then took a trip with her to the thrift store to pick out what tools she wanted."

"The mud keeps her, as well as most of the other kids in our neighborhood, very busy! They all really love to get dirty," she continues. "They will even sometimes paint themselves with mud. This year we planted some wildflowers next to the mud kitchen so the kids can pick flowers and plants to add to their masterpieces."

3. Living in the infamously dirty city of New York, Andrew Dahl has relaxed into letting his daughter touch most everything.

"She loves grabbing subway poles, and I let her go to town," Dahl says. "She undoubtedly gets far, far more germs at day care, so it's not worth getting too concerned about some subway gunk. She's also all about putting rocks and dirt in her mouth."

Believe it or not, city kids tend to have stronger immune systems becauseof their exposure to busy public spaces like the subway.

4. Los Angeles mom Diana Metzger lets her baby get messy for the same reason she lets her dog do it — it makes them happy.

Izzy Metzger playing in the sand. Photo by Diana Metzger, used with permission.

"When Izzy was about 1 and a half, a bunch of milk got spilled on the floor, and we let her slide around in it and move it all around with her hands," Metzger recalls. "She was a total mess, as was the kitchen floor, but she was laughing and having so much fun exploring that, so why stop her?"

Metzger continues, "Also I have the same motto about Izzy at a playground as I do for my dog Harper at the dog park (or Izzy at the dog park for that matter). Dirty equals happy, which equals tired."

5. Julie G.'s experience cleaning her daughter's car seat is probably one that many parents can relate to.

Julie G's daughter on the playground. Photo via Julie G., used with permission.

"I use 'dirt is good' to justify just about everything," Julie G. explains. "Most recently, we've had a lot of rain, and my daughter got muddy footprints on her car seat cover. I decided to wash it yesterday for the first time in a year and a half. I was shaking it out over the grass outside first to get rid of crumbs. A Twizzler fell out into the grass, and my daughter ate it. Not too bad except she has only had Twizzlers once, on a road trip, in May."

It may sound gross, but hey, that sort of bold eating might help her be less picky when she's older.

6. And Carol Berkow from Pleasantville, New York, knows her daughter's messes are just part of the building blocks of life.

Helen Berkow enjoying a meal. Photo by Carol Berkow, used with permission.

"She likes to squish things between her fingers, rub them all over her face, stick her face into bowls of food, rub food in her hair, throw everything, and feed the dog," Berkow says. "As much as I'd like things to stay neat at mealtime, and not to have to wash the baby, the table, and the chair three times a day, she needs to learn to feed herself, and she won't learn any other way."

As you can see, dirtiness can have so many benefits, most of which would never be realized if parents force their kids to stay clean.

Of course, getting dirty often requires regular laundering, and some families don't have that luxury. Without easy access to a washing machine, cleaning clothes takes time, energy and money — things some families can't always afford.

The good news is that there are companies like Whirlpool who created the Care Counts™ laundry program – installing washers and dryers in schools to give families in need access to clean clothes.That way, every parent can let their kids get dirty without worrying how they're going to eventually get their clothes clean.

Via iStock.

Learn more about how the simple act of laundry is helping improve attendance by visitingWhirlpool's Care Countsâ„¢ website.

Having the freedom to get dirty should be something every child enjoys. Not only is it fun, it allows them to explore their world with reckless abandon and learn about themselves. This is just one way to help turn what's become a privilege into every child's right.

Jake Austin has been volunteering with the homeless in St. Louis, Missouri, for years. But he just recently had a huge epiphany.

Meet Jake. Photo by Shower to the People, used with permission


"Most of my life I've been volunteering in different capacities," he said. "One group was doing food and clothes, and I went down there to help out. They had a hygiene table that was in disarray. So I asked if I could take it over."

Austin started bringing in donations — soaps, shampoos, etc. — and handing them out to folks in need.

But one day, a man politely turned Austin and his donated soap down. And that's when he realized: Donated hygiene items don't do people any good unless they have a safe, comfortable place to use them.

"People will say, 'I have 10 blankets and a bag full of sandwiches, but I haven't showered in months,'" Austin told Upworthy.

For folks who are homeless, a shower can be a rare and sometimes life-changing luxury.

Photo via iStock.

A hot shower might not trump the need for basic things like food and shelter, but that's exactly what makes hygiene such an overlooked need for many people who are homeless.

The fact is, being able to maintain basic hygiene is an absolute must for anyone hoping to secure or hold down a job. It's also a huge factor in warding off disease and infections.

Plus, it's hard to deny the fact that you just feel better when you're clean.

That's why Austin wants to make it easier for people in his city to get clean using an incredible mobile shower truck.

It's like a food truck, but for showers! Photo by Shower to the People, used with permission.

The brilliant name for his new nonprofit? Shower to the People.

Jake bought an old truck off Craigslist for $5,000, and after a successful GoFundMe campaign and help from a bunch of really smart people, he retrofitted it to house two private shower stalls with sinks and mirrors.

The unit hooks up to fire hydrants and heats the water using an external generator, meaning the truck can travel and provide free, warm showers pretty much anywhere in the city.

Photo by Shower to the People, used with permission.

According to Austin, St. Louis has plenty of homeless shelters, but the showers are usually only open to official residents.

"Folks will save up what money they can find and try to get a gym membership. Beyond that they'll use public sinks, libraries, the river. Or they'll go into people's backyards to use the hose," he says.

The Shower to the People truck is an awesome, low-cost solution that offers more privacy, more convenience, better-kept facilities, and shower services for 60 people every day.

So far, Shower to the People and other programs like it are making a big difference.

Austin and his crew, in partnership with FOCUS North America, had the cameras rolling during their truck's first day on the streets, and the reactions said it all.

He recalled one powerful moment:

"A couple of weeks ago there was a girl that came up to the truck. She was kind of crabby. Upset. Rightly so, given her experience. She had kind of an attitude, but we were being as polite as possible. She wanted to shave her legs — we were trying to be efficient, but I said, 'Hey, take as much time as you need.' When she came out, she was glowing. It was such an amazing experience."

GIFs via Shower to the People/YouTube.

It's a little early to tell if increasing access to showers will directly lead to big turnarounds for the folks who participate, but helping them feel a little better is a good start.

Shower to the People isn't the first group to provide showers for folks who are living rough, either.

There are also programs like Lava Mae in San Francisco and Think Dignity in San Diego that offer similar services. And Austin wants to take his own version of a mobile shower unit into more cities soon too.

Austin says, "Our goal isn't just to have clean people on the streets. Our goal is to help get people off the streets."

A hot shower won't solve everything for people living in extreme poverty, but it can be a step in the right direction on the path to a better life.

Kudos to Jake Austin for finding a simple solution to an underserved problem. Let's hope more smart people will be following in his footsteps real soon.