How Often Should You Really Be Washing Your Sheets If Your Furry Friend Sleeps With You?

Shedding fur, muddy paw prints, and surprise "gifts" are the reality that pet lovers accept as part of the deal. It's likely that your pre-pet cleanliness standards relaxed once you welcomed a dog, a cat, or other fur buddy into your life. In particular, while sharing your sleeping space with these family members can be extremely cozy, it can also bring a new level of grossness into your bed. While keeping your bed linens bright white is probably no longer a priority, there are still some cleanliness conditions that you should be prioritizing.

From the dirt, or even bugs, clinging to the fur of your pets — not to mention how animals using litter boxes are basically stepping in their own toilets several times a day — to the fact their paws walk outside in dirt, mud, and grime, it could be time to rethink just how often you should clean your sheets. If your normal habit is a twice-monthly sheet changes, you might want to reconsider. Australian company My Butler Service, along with Sleep Foundation, recommend changing your sheets every three to four days when sleeping with a pet. However, this time-intensive practice could be difficult to squeeze into your schedule. With that said, some suggest weekly sheet washing instead.

If your furry family member sleeps on top of your comforter or duvet, you might consider laying another sheet over it to keep extra grime at bay. Just be sure to wash this sheet regularly with a deep-cleaning detergent. However, if your pet tucks in among the sheets, you're better off moving up from bi-weekly washings to more frequent ones. Clean bedding can help you have a more restorative sleep, while also keeping you healthier. Also, allergy sufferers who share sheets with pets will be better off with more frequent bedding changes. It's also worth considering more frequent sheet changes during hotter months. Warm weather often means more time spent outdoors, and the resulting grime you and your pet might bring to your bedding can necessitate more regular washings.

Also, keep in mind how you wash your bedsheets. For instance, bedsheets are among the types of laundry you shouldn't wash in cold water due to the lack of sanitization that can occur as a result of cooler water. Instead, wash your sheets at the hottest temperature the material can handle. Also, while it might be tempting to call in the forces of a harsh detergent to get your sheets as clean as possible, many of those products can expose your pet to harmful ingredients. Instead, opt for mild fragrance-free formulas.