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Faced with microscopic dirt, it’s sometimes hard to know when to wash our sheets. The healthcare professional provides the washing instructions and informs us about the frequency of administration.
The bed is a place of privacy, but we’re not the only ones in control of our sheets. When you slip in to sleep or spend the night, millions of microorganisms sit there and multiply. So how can we ensure the hygiene of our sheets? How often should you machine wash them?
Allergenic site
Although dead skin, saliva and sweat residue are “harmless” from a dermatological point of view, infectious disease doctor and hygienist Stefan Gaye recommends washing bed linens at least every two weeks to eliminate these tiny dust mites in the family; “If they are naturally present in our homes, even the most refined, they feed on our dirt to multiply,” explains Stephane Gaye.
If you don’t wash your sheets often enough, they become a nest for dust mites and can cause very severe allergies in some people. “Non-stop sneezing, itchy eyes, difficulty breathing,” lists the specialist. If you are sensitive to them, these parasites can become real enemies of sleep, and then lead to states of fatigue during the day.
A healthcare practitioner also suggests paying attention to the composition of your sheets. “Cotton, linen, hemp, wool… Vegetable and natural fibers are more attractive to dust mites,” says Stéphane Gaye. We will find much less on synthetic textiles such as polyester or polyamide.” Even if this one is less ecological.
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Be careful not to overwash
However, the best is the enemy of the good, the doctor of health gives nuances. If you want to get rid of these parasites, you don’t need to turn the drum every two days, because mites don’t reproduce as fast as bacteria, which usually reproduce every half hour. “Mites have to mate and then lay eggs. It can take a few days before it becomes problematic,” explains Stéphane Gaye.
Washing too often will also cause other inconveniences. “Passing through the machine, the sheets gradually become more irritated due to the chemicals contained in the laundry, which are not completely rinsed and evacuated after each wash,” says the medical worker.
Wash at 60°C
When adjusting the temperature of the washing machine, the infectious disease doctor urges much less moderation. “60 degrees is the threshold for thermal disinfection,” he emphasizes. Microorganisms will not be killed below this temperature.
Once the cleaning is done, Stéphane Gaye advises not to let the laundry hang in the drum for too long and to choose a quick drying method, either in the machine or in the open air, to prevent possible mold and mildew growth from moisture.
Source: Le Figaro
