How often should you change your bed sheets?

We'll tell you what they said in a mo - but first a word from the experts.

The Good Housekeeping Institute says you should change your duvet covers, pillowcases and sheets at least every 2 weeks.

That's because in a very short amount of time your beds can get filled with skin flakes, saliva and sweat - akin to the fun of a holiday in Ibiza for dust mites. To avoid this, you need to shove them in, ideally, one of the best large washing machines for families and wash away the build up.

Yep, leave it any longer and you're paving the way to dust mite heaven.

So, how do our MFMers fare?

How often parents change their bed sheets...

The mum who changes the bed sheets every day

Every day, you say? Yes, indeed.

"Every morning - straight in the washer in time to be slept in that night." says Karen J.

The mum who changes the bed sheets every 2 days

Close behind Karen is Naomi B who tells us she changes hers "every other day".

Again, Naomi was the only one who said she did this. There's no doubt Karen and Naomi are definitely outliers on this topic: we sincerely admire their bedding diligence ?

The mums who change the bed sheets once a week

The most popular frequency is washing sheets once a week - which is well within Good Housekeeping guidelines.

"Every week unless we have a poonami while changing nappies so it has to be done earlier

?" laughs Nadia B.

Lots of you really like to have a strict routine with it too. Linzi M does it every Friday, Emma A every Sunday.

And for Caroline L it's a non-negotiable: "Every week. Would never leave it longer that that...yuck!"

The mums who change their bed sheets every 2 weeks

While the mums who change their sheets more regularly might shirk at the thought of leaving them for 2 weeks, the mums who told us they do it fortnightly are still hitting the Good Housekeeping mark.

Rhianne F tells us she generally does it weekly to fortnightly, Raegan B does it every week to 10 days.

For some of you - it can depend on the weather, as Joanne T says: "Usually every 2/3 weeks or in the summer more frequently if I feel it’s been more hot and sticky at night."

And some of you do wonder if you're leaving it too long: "Every fortnight or sooner if it's been hot. Probably need to do it more often," says Claire S (don't worry Claire, you're a totally good housekeeper!)

The mums who leave it for more than 2 weeks

If this is you - take heart, you're definitely not alone! Lucy H reveals she does it "when I can be bothered" and she got a fair few nods of agreement. "Likewise, glad I’m not alone," says Sarah A.

And it's the same for Jen R: "Me too lol. I haven't got a tumble dryer, and I'm lazy." ?

And finally, one of our mums, Lynne R says she does it "every 2 years ? ? ? ? " - though we think that might be a joke?

Either way, we think changing them more regularly than every couple of year would be a good idea, even if it's not quite up to Good Housekeeping standards! Get them in the machine and peg them out to dry (or pop them for in a spin in one of the best large tumble dryer for families.)

What do you do?

How often do you wash your sheets? We'd love to know - but you have to tell us the truth! Tell us in the comments below or over on Facebook

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