Ideally, we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed. And, not to be gross, but all that time adds up to a lot of dead skin and bugs. Ick!
Most people change their sheets pretty regularly {the standard rule of thumb is weekly}, but what about the rest of the bedding…and actual bed? While you definitely do not need to wash the entire bed once a week, you do need to wash/clean it somewhat regularly.
Here’s a quick guide on bed cleaning time frames:
Blankets and Comforters
3-4 times per year. It’s easiest to remember to do this with each season change. Remember to read your labels to see if your comforter can go through the machine {if you don’t have a big enough machine, you risk ripping it or messing with the batting inside}.
Mattress
Every six months. Remove and wash the mattress cover, if you have one. For the actual mattress, all you really need to do is run the vacuum over it with the upholstery attachment over the mattress. It will help to remove dead skin, mites, etc. If you need to, you can spot clean with a mild detergent and toothbrush. And, if the mood strikes, you can sprinkle baking soda with a few drops of lavender essential oil mixed in all over the mattress–let it sit for an hour or so and then vacuum it up.
Pillows
Every 3-6 months. If you sweat a lot at night, you may want to hit the every 3 month mark. Wash them with just a scant amount of detergent on the gentle cycle and then dry them on low. For gel pillows, or other un-washable materials, just run the vacuum over them as you would the mattress.
Underneath the Bed
I like to vacuum underneath the bed every 3 months. If you have hardwood in your bedroom, you may have to do this more often. I crawl all the way under there, vacuum along the base board and the flooring. Dust collects down there like crazy, and it could probably be done more often, but who has time for that sort of deep clean every time they vacuum?
Since sleep is one of the commandments of good health, I figure following a basic cleaning schedule only enhances the process {to be fair, though, I tell myself stuff like this all the time to justify my OCD cleaning tendencies ;)}.
How often do you clean the entire bed?
~Mavis
Randi says
So timely! I have (newly) been affected by allergies. Boo! I took the time last weekend to clean every surface and soft item on our bed. It really helped. The duvet, dust ruffle and others really do look better-and the allergies were noticeably better that night.
I always do the sheets each Sunday. I love the feeling of clean sheets. I remember watching Oprah say that she sleeps on clean sheets every other night-although she admitted she didn’t launder them or put them back on the bed. 🙂
Jenn says
When the hubby and I bought our current house we had all of the carpet ripped up and put down hardwood through the entire house. I’m used to carpet almost everywhere and under the beds, never even crossed my mind. That is until the other day when I dropped a pen under our bed. I about died at the dust and dog hair under the bed. Grossest thing ever!
suzanne says
I wash my blanket and quilt monthly, sheets weekly. That’s about as often as I wash my boxer who shares the bed. Hey don’t judge. It’s chilly here in PNW ;-). My bed is on castors so I pull it from the wall about once a month to get the worst of the stuff. I haven’t had carpeting in years but it’s in this new to me old bungalow bedroom. No more quick swiffering into the nether regions.
D Lovely says
I’m with you in that! At least once a month for blankets and sheets weekly. Share the bed with the HH and two large mutts. Sometimes the cat too. And maybe the kid. 😉
Rebecca says
I wash sheets, blankets and mattress pad as well as pillow covers weekly, the comforter monthly, bed skirt and pillows quarterly. I don’t do anything to my actual mattress as I have always had a plastic mattress protector under the mattress pad to avoid having those dead skin cells accumulate there, and well, that’s just what I grew up with. I vacuum under the bed and attack the baseboard quarterly as well.
Pam says
I sleep with a sweater (don’t think cardigan – think works hard and sweats hard). Sheets get washed every 3 days. Blanket and duvet cover weekly. I have the comforter dry cleaned at the end of the season. Pillows (his) get washed every 2 weeks and mine once a month. I vacuum the mattress every time I change the sheets and then spray it with Febreeze. I always tease my hubby about how much he sweats but his skin is GORGEOUS and he heals in half the time I do.
Lana says
Allergists say to wash everything on the bed in hot water every 10-14 days. But, if you are not allergic to dust mites then that is just wearing out your bedding. We are on a weekly sheets and mattress pad, every six weeks on blankets and 3 months on the quilt bedspread schedule. We also have an encasement on the mattress which comes off and gets washed every six months. I do the baseboards once a month and the hardwood floor under the bed every week because all of the dust and dirt in the bedroom seems to end up there. we run our pillows through the dryer with heat every time we wash sheets to kill dust mites. I do not wash pillows because one time I wondered why they felt damp after washing and drying them for THREE HOURS so I cut the thing open and it was completely wet inside. YUCK as this is just a breeding ground for dust mites when they have this much dampness and this explained why I always felt stuffy and itchy after washing them. So, we replace pillows very often to have fresh ones.
Lana says
We DO have zippered dust mite encasements on our pillows and they get washed with the sheets weekly.
RebekahU says
Every time I wash the sheets, I wash the mattress pads. While everything is in the machine, I spray the pillows and the mattress with Lysol and let it air dry. It makes me feel better about all the germs… I have zippered covers on the pillows, and I used to wash those when I washed all of the sheets, but my pillow covers fell apart, so either I am buying ones that are totally worthless, or I am not supposed to wash them that often. Now, I wash them about once a season, or after someone has had a cold or illness.
Lana says
f you purchase your pillow covers from National Allergy Supply they will have a lifetime warranty and when they fail you can get new ones for the price of shipping. Ours last for several years with weekly hot water washes.
Genus says
OMG! This question reminds me of a co-worker who with pride revealed that she changed her sheets only ONCE PER MONTH!
We all started laughing — me being the loudest. Noticing that her face did not change I was forced to ask if she were kidding. The answer was NO! I then asked about her dogs, that even when banned, they always find a way to get on couches and beds. She said they don’t & I asked how did she know? She said she checks. Now I left this conversation alone because it was getting real risky and I wanted to spare myself any further . . . nastiness.
Growing up, our house was thoroughly cleaned EVERY Saturday while listening to tunes provided by Soul Train & American Bandstand. This included changing the sheets, mopping & waxing floors, dusting etc. Our blankets got washed once each month. Our dog was not allowed in the bedrooms. All windows were done in the Spring and Fall. Thanksgiving & Christmas the house was cleaned in every nook & cranny, new curtains etc. God forbid a visitor would show up.
As a married, working woman, my sheets get changed once a week, unless there is some “ACTIVITY”, then those sheets come off and that mattress get aired out. No offense intended on this share — LOL! Peace.