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Original poster

Should you change the beds every time you have guests?

216 replies

homecomingposy · 14/08/2023 09:25

I’ve always thought it is absolutely the case that a guest should have clean bed linen when they come to stay. I’ve been doing it for years. Even tho it means tonnes of washing. So when I stayed over recently at ( very good) friends I found a dirty sock in the bed. Someone had stayed in it before me.
Plus, a month or so ago I stayed at another friend and had to brush out hairs from inside the bed and off the pillow. Which I then turned over. Now to clarify, I said nothing. Got on with it. But for some ( justifiable ?) reason, I feel a bit queasy about this.
am i the only one who changes the sheets each time ???

OP posts:
EweGotToGrooveIt · 14/08/2023 11:22

Fresh sheets every time.

However, if a guest has only stopped one night, I might move that bedding to my own bed and 'use it up' for a few nights before washing it.

But guests always have fresh linens.

mondaytosunday · 14/08/2023 11:24

Unless it's my kids ( my son doesn't live at home so stays in the guest room) yes definitely change. If it's my son I may just wash the pillows. But normally people come for one night - if longer then definitely!

Sidking · 14/08/2023 11:29

Our guest bed is my bed, when people stay I go into OHs bed. I always wash the sheets ready for them (and fresh towels each on the bed) but I'm not remotely bothered the other way around and don't rewash before I go to back into the bed. People are usually only staying 2-3 nights and they are family so it doesn't feel icky.

Theoldwoman · 14/08/2023 11:38

Absolutely 100%.

Its weird and lazy if you don’t.

GalaApples · 14/08/2023 11:46

Feeling quite icky and anxious about this - as always assumed people put clean fresh bed linen on for guests, same as i would. I have never come across this before. if in doubt now I will secretly take my own sleeping bag. There is no way I would want to sleep in pre-used sheets. Ugh.

rc22 · 14/08/2023 11:47

Yes always clean sheets and towels for guests.

Echio · 14/08/2023 11:49

90% of the time yes.

I tend to be less fussy with kids/ close family/ repeat visitors though.

Eg - two adult friends stay over. 4 days later a teenage nephew stays. I'll change after the nephew.

Or - friend stays one night, away for a week, one night again. I'll pull back the covers for the bed to air in between but not change until after the second night.

But the general rule is, different guest, different sheets.

DutchCowgirl · 14/08/2023 11:50

Are you sure it was a dirty sock? My dryer always gets socks tangled into my sheets. I often find clean socks in clean sheets at my home.

PurBal · 14/08/2023 11:51

I always change the pillow cases. But I probably wouldn’t change the sheets if say my brother stayed for a (single) night and then a few days later my other brother came, but I’d tell them that. If it was a friend, or non-related family member (eg brother then MIL) I’d change them. Occasionally I’ve said to my mum “MIL stayed in the sheets for a night and I haven’t changed them yet, is that okay?” And she usually says don’t worry about it. But I also would leave the sheets on indefinitely, it would only be if they were staying a few days apart.

Summering23 · 14/08/2023 11:51

We once stayed at In-laws and went to bed very late (early hours) to find the bed full of bits, like someone had been waking in socks on dirty floors and then worn the same socks in bed. We asked for clean sheets only to be told that they were clean and that "only" DH's aunt had slept in them. It was disgusting and I had to wrap myself in clothes to bare sleeping there. DH's family are not the cleanest of people!

Dragonwindow · 14/08/2023 11:51

I always wash the bottom sheet and the pillow cases. But if they've only been slept in one night, I can't always be arsed to change the king sized duvet cover. It depends a bit whether the incoming guests are my friends/family or my husband's......

Oopsididitagain12 · 14/08/2023 11:53

God yes. Change the sheets! I am still traumatised from waking to find that the previous occupant of the sheets I had slept on had obviously had their period and not realised. It wasn't much blood but I was mortified explaining it to my friend in case her mum (whose house it was) thought it was me, and equally worried they would think I was lying. Typing this out, it shouldn't have upset me so much, but I was young at the time. The lesson I took from it was always to change the sheets between guests.

MrsMitford3 · 14/08/2023 11:53

Yes. It is utterly, utterly grim not to.

I also always put clean sheets on DC beds when they are coming home from Uni etc-nothing so nice as fresh sheets.

DyslexicPoster · 14/08/2023 11:54

If ds has his mates stay over twice in quick secession, I might just bung the pillow and bottom sheet in for a fast turn around. I know that's a bit mingy but it's the same mate.

DollieBantrysPantry · 14/08/2023 12:09

Absolutely put fresh bed linen on for guests, it’s too gross for words to expect them to sleep in a bed that’s already been slept in!

MereDintofPandiculation · 14/08/2023 12:13

McOrange · 14/08/2023 09:33

I’m gonna go against the grain. I think it’s ok not to change them absolutely every time.

we have a spare room and occasionally I’ll sleep in there with clean sheets if the baby is having a rough night. If my parents came to stay the next night I won’t put fresh sheets on for them again, but I would switch pillow cases

what’s the harm - I’m not dirty, I sleep in pjs, about 8 hours in the bed and a clean pillow case is absolutely fine

You're not dirty, but like everyone you sweat during the night and you shade skin flakes.

MereDintofPandiculation · 14/08/2023 12:14

Dragonwindow · 14/08/2023 11:51

I always wash the bottom sheet and the pillow cases. But if they've only been slept in one night, I can't always be arsed to change the king sized duvet cover. It depends a bit whether the incoming guests are my friends/family or my husband's......

I I wasn't going to wash the duvet cover, I would use a top sheet.

Typz · 14/08/2023 12:14

Anyone who doesn’t give a guest clean sheets is a disgusting idiot with no respect for others.

Yea I know it is annoying changing sheets. Yes I know the washing and drying takes ages. Do it anyway.

I have twice been given dirty sheets to sleep in when staying with a friend, they may have looked clean but they did not smell clean it was disgusting lying there wondering whose dry sweat was against my skin.

Yuk yuk yuk

Also imagine what if one guest had threadworms and gave it to another guests because the minging host didn’t bother to wash the sheets.

Freneg98 · 14/08/2023 12:25

Yuk! Your friends are definitely in the wrong here. Bedsheets and towels definitely should always be washed after guests leave.

CKL987 · 14/08/2023 12:32

For me it depends who it is. For example, if I went to stay with family and my sibling had slept in the bed for one or two nights then I'd happily sleep in the same sheets. If it was a family friend I'd feel differently.

If people came to stay with me I'd always change the bed for them, although would maybe ask siblings how they felt, knowing that they would be honest and not polite about it.

IndysMamaRex · 14/08/2023 12:32

I do. I just think it’s an unspoken rule that if guests are staying you give them fresh bedding & a clean room to sleep in. When guests leave you strip bed down again

GingeNinga · 14/08/2023 12:35

Absolutely would change bedding between guests. The amount of sweat, shedding dead skin etc in the bed, it would be grim not to.

The only exception was when my 7 year old nephew slept over and his 6 year old brother then wanted to stay the next night. No chance of getting it all washed in between as we didn’t have any spare bedding since we’d only just got a double bed for the spare room, plus they usually end up sharing a bed at home anyway. But if it had been friends/adults staying on consecutive nights I’d be straight round to the MiL’s for her tumble dryer - she’d prob even wash it too, the woman is a saint!

Tessisme · 14/08/2023 12:44

I thought everyone changed the bedding between guests. I always do, even if it has only been slept on for one night. Now I'm slightly paranoid about staying over at someone's place ...😬🤮

Pineapples198 · 14/08/2023 12:45

Absolutely. It’s very unhygienic to sleep in a bed that someone else has slept in - you are effectively sleeping in their sweat and bits of skin. My parents in law don’t change them and it puts me off wanting to stay. I always suspected as my mother in law used to get cross if I stripped the bed when I left (I would do it to be helpful!) and the last time we stayed she made the bed we had slept in and left it for the next guests arriving that night. I always strip the bed and wash sheets as soon as guests leave even if they’ve only stayed one night

DumpedByText · 14/08/2023 12:48

Fresh sheets everytime. I stayed at a friend's house and the pillow was rotten with makeup and there were hairs in the bed. I had no choice but to sleep in it but I itched all night! 😵