When it comes to your bed sheets, you might not give them much thought all the time. You sleep on them, they get the job done, and you wash them every once in a while (although most likely not as often as you should, but we’ll get to that in a minute). You probably also only own one, maybe two, sets of sheets, only buying another set if your old one is no longer usable. Believe it or not, though, there is a specific amount you should own, and most people don’t realize how many sets of sheets you actually need in your house.
The number of sets you should own might be a little surprising, actually. Food 52 spoke to Shannon Hines, a home organization and decluttering expert, who said that you should have three sets of sheets for each person in the household. So, three sets for you, three for your significant other, etc.
That number might seem a little bit excessive. After all, sheets are easy to wash, meaning you can simply keep reusing the same set until they get so old that they need to be replaced. Really, though, having three sets is a matter of convenience. One can be kept on your bed, one can be kept in the linen closet, and one can be in the laundry. This ensures that you always have a set of sheets when needed, which means that you’re always prepared. It might not be 100 percent necessary, but it’s a pretty great idea!
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That’s especially true when considering how often you need to wash your sheets. The Good Housekeeping Institute says that, on average, you should be washing your sheets at least once every two weeks. And if you sweat a lot, it should be once a week. You can also bump the washing up to once a week if you’re allergic to dust mites, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Oh, and if you’re sick? Change the sheets the second you feel better, or you could contract the illness again.
Many people are not following these guidelines. A 2017 survey found that only 44 percent of the 1,000 Americans surveyed wash their sheets once or twice a month. Another survey by Mattress Advisor found that most people waited an average of 25 days before cleaning or changing sheets.
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If that sounds familiar, you might want to switch up your habits. Your sheets get covered with dead skin cells, oils from the skin, saliva, and sweat — and that means you get dust mites. You know, those teensy, tiny little bugs that live in your bed, eat your dead skin flakes, and then poop them out. So, yeah, there are literally tiny, almost invisible bugs in your sheets, feeding and pooping. Fun times!
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This is exactly why three sets of sheets come in handy: they give you more time between washing days. It can also help your sheets last longer. You can rotate through three sets rather than constantly rewashing one set, which can wear them down faster. So while this new method might cost a lot in the beginning, it’s worth it in the end.