With all the extra sweating we’re doing, especially in bed, should we be washing our bedsheets more often during the sweltering UK heatwave, an expert warns
The sweltering summer nights can turn our bedrooms into saunas, leaving us tossing and turning as we try to escape the clingy embrace of sweat-soaked sheets.
But with the heatwave and our extra sweat levels following suit, it begs the question: should we be chucking our bed linens into the wash more often to combat the grime – and at what cost to our already soaring energy bills?
Sustainable cleaning whizz Paula Quazi reckons that during a heatwave, a weekly wash of our bedsheets isn’t just advisable, it’s essential. And while for some, this might seem like overkill compared to the usual fortnightly change, she insists that making it a regular seven-day ritual is beneficial throughout the year.
In her chat with The Mirror, the eco-friendly cleaning sage dished out her top tips for staying fresh during those hot spells without causing your wallet to sweat over additional laundry loads.
She explained: “With the average person spending around 49 to 60 hours in their bed every week, dead skin cells, body oils, and even faecal matter can all build up in your sheets – during a heatwave you can add to this cocktail an extra shot of sweat.
“Your dirty duvet cover and pillowcases can contribute to skin breakouts and allergies so keeping sheets clean is vital, especially if someone in your household suffers from any skin conditions or allergen sensitivities.
“However, unless you’re sweating buckets at night, it’s likely that you’ll only need to wash your sheets once a week – which you should be doing anyway!”.
Paula, the co-founder of eco-cleaning brand smol, also mentioned that while it’s typically advised to launder your bedsheets at 60 degrees, you can get away with washing at 30 degrees provided you have a quality laundry detergent.
She suggested that if possible, washing weekly at 30 degrees with a monthly wash at 60 degrees will help keep the cost of the cycles down, but will ensure dust mites are eliminated with the higher heat.
She further explained: “Washing at 60°c is usually what’s recommended for a weekly bed linen wash, however, by using a good laundry detergent, washing at 30°c will work just as well [and is] even recommended for washing with bio laundry capsules, as any higher will actually cause the cleaning enzymes to denature and work less effectively.
“I recommend a regular weekly wash at 30°c and a monthly wash at 60°c to help kill off dust mites and other nasties.”
Another tip from Paula is to opt for lighter bedsheets during the summer months, as the thinner sheet will allow you to fit more into your washing machine at once – meaning you won’t have to dedicate an entire load of washing solely to your bedsheets as you might have to do in the winter.
“Using a lighter bedsheet during the summer would allow you to fit more in your machine cycle to keep it cost-effective and if you can, make the most of the hot weather and drying sheets outside”, she advised, “the UV light from the sun will help to kill micro-organisms and not using a tumble dryer will also help to save you money and energy.”
While it might not directly save you money, Paula also emphasised the importance of letting your bed “breathe” daily by pulling back your sheets instead of immediately making your bed.
She elaborated: “Another tip to keep bacteria at bay is to let your bed breathe; rather than making your bed up first thing, leave sheets off in a well-ventilated room to help remove moisture from your bed – you can even hang sheets up near an open window for an extra boost of freshness.”