AIBU about changing my sheets?

[CarmineRose1978]

I had a conversation at work this week with a few of my colleagues about how often we change out bedding. I and several of my friends say they should be changed once a week, once a fortnight at least. But a couple of my younger colleagues (I'm talking 28, so not teenagers!) said they change theirs every couple of months to every four or five months. Ditto their towels because "they are clean when they get out of the shower". Were we unreasonable to a) practically boak and b) tell them they're old enough to know better, in no uncertain terms? Should we have held our peace instead of hoiking our judgey pants sky high?

Mind you, I don't have a tumble dryer... Maybe that's how you manage it you bunch of Stepford Wives

And ours Carmine

We regularly have poo conversations also.

Every four or five months????!!! My god, I thought I was slovenly! Once a fortnight in my house and towels similar.

a towel takes roughly 1 minute of handling between putting in machine, hanging it out and folding and putting in the hotpress. Hardly an all day affair that would prevent working.

I never realised you were meant to change them so often. None of my family ever have! I feel like a slattern. I have sensitive skin, so I change my silk pillow cases every few nights and use a different towel every other day, but I really only strip and wash bedding every 3-4 weeks.

Maybe I should admit that I am totally anal (OCD?) about my bedding anyway, with different matching throws and cushions for each set of bedding, made up every morning so it looks like a John Lewis display .

Bogeyface
3 loads of washing a day !!!!!!!
I don't think I do that most weeks... Poor environment. Unless you have 16 children this seems totally unreasonable. How on earth do you dry it all? How on earth is it all dirty?

OP it is none of your business therefore YABU

Hotpress???
I was all smug about washing mine frequently until I read hot press.

In the 90s my housemate had filthy sheets that made her room smell of BO.

I have some lovely new bedding... Should I wash it before putting it on the bed or do you put it on straight from the pack?

I am astonished that you managed not to say anything to people you lived with, but couldn't contain yourself with colleagues whose beds you will never see! I do sympathise - I couldn't keep the horror off my face when a colleague announced that she (or rather her mother-in-law with whom she lived) washed her towels every day. She claimed that it didn't cost anything, as the house had electricity in the walls anyway, so in fairness, this was not the only pronouncement on her part that caused my eyebrows to head north!

The comment about diseases was about them communicating anything through inter-office contact which would cause you to be affected by their lack of washing. It's one of those things that always seems to divide people, especially on MN, but doesn't actually have any impact on anyone else bed bugs and creeping mattress rot aside! ).

Hotpress= airing cupboard in ireland not some fancy schmancy job. Just a cupboard with a hot water tank in.

The whole leaving your sheets for weeks on end is pretty ming though.

I can remember reading on one of these threads before that someone changed their sheets every day. Some people have too much time on their hands. Give me a fucking break.

I like to let as many dustmites flourish as possible before I do a 60 degree wash, for the purpose of perpetuating arachnid suffering.

I want to get full value out of that electricity and water!

DoJo, it was the shock...I was face to face with them at the time. I was able to discover my flatmates' disgustingness gradually, in private, so my shocked horror face happened when they weren't there.

Cardi, there are 8 of us in the house, although I did just think about it and now DD is out of nappies it is more like 2 a day with sheet changing day being a 3/4 wash day!

Has to be once a week. I change all the kids beds on Sundays and our bed on a Monday. Heavens, I will change anybody's bed whenever they needed it even if every day.

I change my towels minimum of twice a week, everybody else's gets washed whenever they put it in the basket. Often after one use.

The changing every day was a joke by that poster I believe.

Mind I'm changing the husbands sheet daily as it ends up in a crumpled sweaty ball at the bottom of the bed and what's the point of straightening it to dry?

Spotnoodle most things I would just use straight away but bedding is the one thing I would wash first, mainly to get rid of the scratchiness but also because I want it to smell of my laundry conditioner!

APotnoodle! :o

Although "Spotnoodle" is a possible NC for you!

CarmineRose1978 Whoa there with your risky talk!

The offices I've worked in have been pretty hardcore too. We talked about many things.

I'm trying but I can't remember washing towels being one of the topics.

I'm going to go against the grain here and admit that I will happily go 3-5 weeks between changing the sheets.

I was always a once a week bed changer until I had a similar discussion at work and realised how many people didn't. I have it a go and actually my life hasn't changed in any way. Apart from I've saved myself a weekly job. I actually think the sheets are at their best a week in, they feel too crisp when just washed.

I may be a slattern but I'm far from filthy and life's too short.

I do know someone who changed her and her 2 kids beds every day. The was not "get up and make your bed" but "get up and strip your bed". Genuinely. No idea why, and her DD doesnt do it much to her mothers disgust!

Every dustmite produces around 20 dung pellets every night.. which is what causes that bunged up feeling up he nose on a morning on occasion... dust mite poop. Imagine months worth of that for the sake of doing it more often.

Ah yes, limited. I see your point. As well as TMI conversations, we have incredibly banal chats too, I confess. Our work is terribly dull at times... Sheets and towels can be seem more interesting.

Bogeyface

though your name reminds me of Rik Mayall and therefore makes me sad even though yes I know it was Snotface but still