How Often Should You Wash Pillowcases: Many things around us are full of bacteria. To maintain good health, people clean their rooms daily, but some things are neglected. This includes your pillows. While it is not possible to wash pillows frequently, their covers should be washed weekly. If you haven’t washed your pillowcase in months, you’ll be surprised to know that it harbors more bacteria than a toilet seat. These bacteria can disrupt a good night’s sleep and make you sick.
A report by the National Sleep Foundation of America states that if a pillow cover is not washed for a week, it collects more bacteria than a toilet seat. Pillow covers can accumulate 17,000 times more bacteria in just one week. While not washing bedding for four weeks can accumulate millions of bacteria. Soiled pillowcases contain bacteria such as gram-negative rods, gram-positive rods, bacilli and gram-positive cocci. Some of these bacteria are harmless, but many can cause skin infections or respiratory illnesses.
According to the report, dust, sweat, oil and dead skin cells that accumulate on pillowcases, along with bacteria, can damage your skin. It can clog your pores and aggravate problems like acne, eczema or rosacea. Mold can also grow on damp pillows, leading to infections such as ringworm. Dirty pillow covers can collect dust mites, mold and pet hair, which can aggravate allergies and asthma. This can cause symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes, difficulty breathing and nasal congestion. Prolonged exposure to such environments also increases the risk of chronic respiratory disease.
Dirty pillow cases can spread bacterial infections like staphylococcus and streptococcus. If you have cuts, pimples or sores on your face, these bacteria can easily spread the infection. Not changing pillow cases for a long time can also lead to problems like head lice and bed bugs. To avoid these problems, pillow cases and sheets should be washed weekly. Washing in hot water kills bacteria and fungi. Drying pillows in the sun also reduces the risk of these parasites. A clean bed is not only good for your skin and respiratory health, but also improves the quality of sleep.