Changing bedding - how often is too often?

[SorryButThatsAFact]

So, a friend of mine recently popped over for lunch and as she stayed a little longer than expected, I asked her if she wouldn't mind giving me a hand to change the beds.

Somehow we got on to the topic of how often bedding should be changed and I said I did mine twice a week. She was completely aghast and said she only changed hers once a fortnight and that twice a week was 'far too often'

I've always done mine twice a week, just like my mum did, so have never given it much thought.

So now I'm wondering what's a 'normal' number of bedding changes.

Any thoughts?

There’s nothing wrong with it. Especially if you had planned to change them the day your friend was visiting and time ran away with you.

Yes. She did. She was having a horrendous menopause and the clean bedding everyday made getting into bed at night really nice for a couple of hours before night sweats worked their magic on them.

I believe nowadays it’s twice a week just because she can.

Yes. She did. She was having a horrendous menopause and the clean bedding everyday made getting into bed at night really nice for a couple of hours before night sweats worked their magic on them.

I believe nowadays it’s twice a week just because she can.

I change them twice a week in summer and once a week in winter.

If you didn't want people to comment on you asking your friend to help, why mention it? It didn't add any worthwhile context to your question beyond 'My friend says she changes the bed once a fortnight. I do it once a week. Which is normal?' (or you could have looked at one of the gazillion threads on this subject).

Anyway... I change mine once a fortnight. Imo twice a week is a waste of water, energy and effort.

Why are you so upset over comments about your friendship? Why is it something you feel insecure about?

Late to the thread, but apart from sheets etc, how often do people wash their duvets?

I have a summer and winter duvet, and just didn't get round to washing the winter duvet when I made the change over in summer as the weather got hot. I have to wash it at a laundromat and it is such a pain, somehow all through summer on my days off I couldn't bring myself to traipse off and do it. Anyway the onset of cold weather spurred me into action. Went to the laundromat last weekend. Couldn't be bothered to do more than one cycle in the drier as I felt I needed to stay there incase anyone knicked my duvet. It felt dry but the weight was a clue. Clumps of damp feathers and I've spent all week airing it on the heated rack and outside in the sun when possible. Changing over today.

But when I mentioned this at work a colleague said "Tsst, I NEVER wash duvets, I just throw them away and get a new one". She gets a new duvet EVERY year!
I didn't dare tell her how old mine is. It's an expensive goose down super king size, I wouldn't dream of replacing it every year.

I don't wash my duvet...it's king size and would never fit in my machine. I cannot be bothered to go to a launderette. I'm still alive! I might wash the kids duvets once a year though.

You can get a microfibre king size duvet for only about £50. A standard large size wash is £5-7 and it can be £15 for the tumble dry. If you wanted to wash it twice a year you may as well buy a new duvet.

Yes, the laundromat charges have gone up. It was £8 plus a £2 1/2 hour dry and really needed another half hour. I did my electric blanket at the same time so no change from £20 that I had cashed in coins.
The service wash for a king size duvet was £21

Washing instructions are for "professional clean" only, don't know what dry cleaners charge these days.

But for a cheaper duvet the economics of our throwaway society start to make sense.

Is anyone on this thread considering REDUCING their frequency of washing bedding for environmental reasons?

What about frequency of washing clothes that aren’t worn directly next to armpits/pubic areas? I’m aiming to get 6 wears out of jeans instead of 3 and through the winter when it’s not hot, 2 wears if a T-shirt snd 6 wears if a jumper or sweatshirt that is over the top of a t shirt. Obviously if I spill something down myself that will reduce. I’m looking to reduce laundry if bedding from fortnightly to every 3 weeks. Seems right.
Isnt it the case we need to recalibrate our thinking about dirt and get less sensitive and more green?

For duvets, how about an airing on the washing line?

I too have feather and down duvets. I don’t wash them to be honest, and have only had them dry cleaned if a pet or child weed on them. I’d expect to get at least 15 years use from them…probably 20.

Apparently, a third of people in the UK only wash their sheets once a year.
metro.co.uk/2020/10/16/a-third-of-people-only-wash-their-bed-sheets-once-a-year-13431864/amp/

It's a good point. I was shocked when I discovered how expensive launderettes were!

😱😱😱

That is grim. And I feel sorry for people missing the joy of freshly laundered bed linen!

I was brought up to do weekly changes, though that was in the days of blankets, so not quite accurate, it would be top sheet put to the bottom and a new top sheet and pillow case.
I always did weekly before children but then sank under mounds of washing and my standards slipped. Now I usually do every fortnight though I think a pp suggesting weekly clean bottom sheet and fortnightly duvet cover is a good idea.
I won't be doing less than fortnightly.

Clothes I often wear many times. Tbf I change into uniform at work so clothes only worn for a few hours, so unlike my colleague of the new duvets, who dresses smartly for her short walk to work, I throw on the same jeans and sweatshirt every day. As I still wear them in the evening I might notice the sweatshirt smelling of cooking or otherwise stale towards the end of the week and put a clean one on. Clean clothes on Saturday also worn on Sunday. And possibly flung on "the chair" for next weekend.

That's so funny! I would take that as a PA way of telling me I'd stayed too long

My duvet is probably about 15 years old. And the "summer one" is actually an even older one that has just gone thin with age! 😂

I might get a new one this winter though. I have long wanted a Baavet - a duvet filled with wool.
There was one at a holiday cottage we stayed at and it was lovely. Might check out washing instructions first though. I imagine hot washes and a drier would ruin it.

And yes to airing on the line.

Why not put the duvet in the tumble drier that will kill most bugs I would have thought.