Regularly sleeping on unwashed sheets does some nasty things to your body

Look, we’re busy, we work long hours, we share communal dryers and we’re just not that great at laundry in general.

If our mothers ask, we change our sheets once a week, but in reality it can be closer to once a month. After reading this, we’re definitely going to up the frequency at which we freshen up our linen. Mary Marlowe Leverette, a laundry expert for About.com, recently spoke to ATTN: about the nasty surprises that can be found on our sheets when we don’t wash them. "During sleep, we continue to perspire, and body oils and soil are released. It is possible to find saliva, urine, genital fluids, and fecal matter in the fibres. If the [linens] are not washed regularly, and the occupant has scratches or wounds, they can become infected. Athlete's foot and other fungi can be transferred from fabrics. Infrequent cleaning of sheets and pillowcases allows the fluids to seep into the pillows and mattresses, and those are MUCH more difficult to clean than tossing sheets in the washer." Gross! Worse still, you can also shed skin cells which will attract all kinds of icky creepy crawlies, particularly dust mites that like to feast off flesh. Their excrement can also cause asthma and allergies. Marlowe recommends washing sheets once a week. "Ideally, bed linens should be washed every week using the hottest water recommended for the fabric. If the weather is extremely hot, and the sleepers perspire heavily or the sleepers are ill, more frequent washings are recommended." Read more...