Imagine you’ve had a hard day at the office and all you want to do is cook dinner, chill out and just disappear into your duvet for a long and coma like sleep.
However what if I were to tell you that your “happy place” is most likely riddled with human bacteria? Yes it’s a sad but very true, fact that your favourite Egyptian cotton sheets can actually be a hazard, that could later lead to infections!
Where does this bacteria come from?
When we sleep our skin uses this time to regenerate itself, meaning in with the new and out with the old, which in turn requires the old skin to flake away. Although it’s not just dead skin cells we need to worry about! When you really think about it, our bed sheets are like a metaphorical fishing net catching thousands of different human cells such as body oils, saliva (if you drool), dirt from outside, sexual fluids and even urine and faecal matter.
To top it off humans secrete 26 gallons of sweat in bed every year, and at high humidity this moisture is considered as an ideal fungal cultural medium. Should you have a scratch or open wound then any of the above mentioned can actually cause infections. Dead skin cells attract dust mites which can affect those who are asthmatic.
So how many times realistically should we be cleaning our duvet sheets?
For all of these reasons microbiologists recommend that all duvets and pillowcases should be washed at least once a week on 60c to destroy bacteria. It’s also been recommended by others to dry bed sheets and pillow cases in direct sunlight if you can, as the UV light is effective in killing micro-organisms. Also run a hot iron over pillow cases on the cotton setting to kill any leftover bacteria.
Now you have all the facts, you can see how important it is to ensure that your duvet and pillow cases are cleaned regularly and also in the most effective way. Although in all honesty how many people realistically have the time to do this each week?
One solution to this is opting to use a quality dry cleaning service near you as it is a much easier way to get your dirty laundry done, that fits around your lifestyle and also gives you peace of mind that your duvet sheets are bacteria free.
The dry cleaning process uses chemical solvent other than water, which is typically toxic tetrachloroethylene and otherwise known as PCE, hence why it is only handled by experts. With the toxic solvent spreading through your bed sheets like a wave of antibacterial warriors, it’s almost guaranteed that your sheets and pillow cases will be properly sterilised and cleaned to perfection.
Another bonus of using modern day dry cleaning and laundry services, is that they are usually really flexible to fit around your lifestyle, meaning you can use your time more productively. This also means no more worrying about the dreaded pile of ironing looming in the garage. Since, a laundry service will have an experience of the washing items, so there is no risk to get your favorite clothing ruined. They are responsible for the laundry and will use the appropriate chemical or solvent that helps your dress last longer.
One last thought…..
The most important thing to remember from all of this is that our health should always be the first priority. Whether you can afford to spend a little money on dry cleaning, or whether you would prefer to clean your sheets yourself, your bed sheets and pillowcases must be cleaned regularly, at least once a week to be precise.
