The Great Mumsnet Laundry Debate, Part I. £300 Love2Shop voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

To celebrate Fairy Non Bio’s sponsorship of the Mumsnet Talk App, we’re launching the Great Mumsnet Laundry Debate – as with all great series, it's a three-parter. Part I is about how often you wash your bed sheets (as we know, always a hot topic on Mumsnet).

We all know that washing bed sheets can be total faff: there’s stripping the bed, then there’s putting the wash on (are you a warm 40C or a hot 90C type?) Then there’s hanging it out and the struggle for drying space (unless you use the dryer ?) After that there’s folding - and, for the super-keen, perhaps even ironing. Finally, there’s getting the darn things back on the bed.

So - how often do you wash your bed sheets? And how often do you wash your DC’s bed sheets? Do you have a specific process? Perhaps you change pillow cases weekly, but sheets and duvet covers every two weeks? How often do you change your mattress protector ( again)? Do you use softener?

Whatever your bed sheet-washing process, do share it with Fairy Non Bio in the thread below, and maybe even give us a live update from the Mumsnet Talk App as you're waiting for the load to finish .

Everyone who posts will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

T&Cs apply

Every two weeks alternating our bedding and the kids. Wash at 40. Always wash the duvet covers inside out to make them easier to put back on. We've just got new kingsize bedding and it doesn't fit on our washing line. Never iron just fold it.

Every 2-4 weeks for ours and dc, more often in the Summer, 40 degrees long wash with non-bio, dp has sensitive skin, with Comfort softener.
Dry over banisters and airer on top floor, town house, don't iron.

I change the sheets every week, mattress protectors every other week unless it's been particularly hot and sticky, then I change them weekly. My system is to get everything off, sort by whites & colours and put each load in on a 60 degree wash to kill any bed bugs (not seen any so far though). The mattress protectors go in separately but still at 60. Everything gets hung up to dry except pillowcases, which go in the tumble dryer with clothes washing. They then get folded (no ironing here!) and put away. I make up new beds while that's going on, except mine, which I'm usually too lazy to do because it's a faff until I go up to bed, then feel annoyed that I need to make it and wonder why I didn't do it earlier.

Oh, and no softener used here ever. I've never really seen the point. I just use Tesco's own brand bio powder.

how often do you wash your bed sheets? And how often do you wash your DC’s bed sheets?
I have a super kingsize so changing the bed is a real chore, however I was rubbish at remembering when I last did it so now I change all bedding on the 1st of every month or thereabouts. So monthly, whilst I'm single...

Do you have a specific process?
I flip my duvet over after a couple of weeks and swap my pillows round so I get that nice fresh bedding feeling.

How often do you change your mattress protector?
Change as in wash it or replace it? Wash, erm I never have its 12 months old. The kids ones as and when they wet them, probably about once or twice a year.

Do you use softener?
Yes, always.
We always use Fairy as DD has eczema and I have a very sensitive skin.

Weekly bed change for us, 60 wash with softener. Live in a three storey house and it's only perk is being able to dry the bedding over the long gallery baulstrade and getting that fresh laundry smell through the landings

Before children I had a good routine going, washing the bedding every 2 weeks, always on the same day. They even got a slight iron once they were dry.

Now with young children, my routine has become more erratic. In theory it should still be fortnightly, for both myself and the DC. But sometimes it's more, sometimes less. And the iron has only left its shelf to iron hama beads.

Definitely use mattress protectors. They get washed when they get wet, be it from spillage, wee accidents or vomiting bugs.

Don't use softener for anything. Everything gets washed at 40 deg.

I don't have a set routine, it varies whether we've been away (so not slept in the beds as much... how lazy am I?!), what the weather forecast is (I like to try and dry the bedding outside as much as possible) and what shift dh is on as he gets grumpy if I strip the bed while he's sleeping in it, or if I put clean bedding on before his night shifts so I get the first 2 nights of lovely clean bedding to myself
When I do wash, the whole bed gets stripped and changed, washing is on a 40 wash with softener.
I'm encouraging dd to 'become more independent' now she's a teenager, i.e. sort her own bedding changes out, though I still do her washing and ironing.

Every week here. I love fresh bedding

Summer, weekly if possible - i.e. if I have the opportunity to get it dry - winter every two weeks. I strip the entire bed, including mattress cover and wash on 60, DH has allergies so we can only use Surcare powder, every other type whether bio/non bio/eco or whatever contains perfume. no fabric softener for same reason. Bedding gets hung out whenever possible. If the weather is poor then, as we have 3 double beds, they need to get done on separate days over the weekend. Best place to dry indoors is over the handrail at the top of the stairs - I can stretch out the entire duvet cover and with the heating on, it dries in an hour or so. never use the Tumble drier for bedding. If possible I just put the washed set straight back on the bed :) Pillowslips get ironed, sheets and covers don't - except for visitors.

About every month or so the duvets and pillows also get a wash. We use between 2.5 and 4 tog duvets all year round so even a King fits in the washing machine.

honestly I try to do it once every week but most of the time I don't and it fortnightly ,

if it is a nice day and I'm not in work I will try and get them all done because I love them coming in off the line ( even though I'm way to lazy with everything else it goes in the tumble :-\ )

but I do hate stripping and make the beds back up it really is on top of my list of most hated household chore , I don't why I just hate it lol ,

but always use fairy non bio powder and softener I love it

after the stress and annoyance nothing quiet bets getting into bed to lovely fresh smelling clean sheets

I am disabled, so this affects my ability to change the beds. I try to get DH to change the bed at least once a fortnight but sometimes it stretches a little beyond that. My eldest two DC are 21 and 18 and so they are responsible for sorting their own bedding - DD (21) usually changes her bed weekly and puts her bedding into the machine herself and relies on someone else to take it out and dry and fold it. DS (18) changes his bed fortnightly and puts the dirty bed linen in the dirty laundry for me to sort out and get washed, dried and returned to him.

My younger two DD are a bit of an issue. DD (16) has ADHD and shares her bedroom with DD (9). They have bunkbeds with the youngest on the top. Their bedroom is an absolute tip (a whole topic on its own) and I therefore cannot get in there to sort their beds. Therefore, they change their beds as and when they want - if they haven't changed them for a couple of weeks, I ask them to do so, but it can easily slip to 3-4 weeks before they are changed - I know this is gross but with all the battles I have with them, this is one that isn't my highest priority.

The coloured duvet covers, pillowcases and sheets (only DS has coloured sheets) all get washed with my normal detergent at 40 degrees - in good weather, DH hangs them out to dry but otherwise they go through the tumble dryer. Never ironed but folded neatly and put away. The white sheets and a few white pillowcases are washed as part of my general white washing - this is a longer wash and I add a whitener to the programme, as well as my usual detergent - occasionally they are washed at 90 degrees but usually they are washed at 60 degrees. Again, the drying and folding process is the same as for the duvet covers.

It used to be weekly, but now I change the bedding every other week, 40 degrees with non bio and conditioner! Mattress protector gets done once in a while. Obviously if baby is sick on the bed, the whole lot goes in the wash (minus baby!) pillows and duvets get washed every summer so they can hang out to dry, again unless there's an accident and they need washing.

All bedding changed and washed every Saturday. Line dried if possible, but the tumble drier gets used if it's raining. So quite often..
As for ironing bedding, say what? I'm confused. No. This does not happen.

Weekly or fortnightly depending on weather/usage. Bed fully stripped each time, 60degree wash with softener. Mattress protector replaced annually, or there abouts...

Sheets are changed a couple of times a week, but I do have cats that sleep on the bed too.

Tend to wash most at 60 degrees, except my lovely thick cotton ones which shrink so go on a 40 degree.

Love the feeling of clean sheets, I feel riffy sleeping in sheets that haven't been cleaned for a few days.

I wash all the bedding once every two weeks. I would do it more often, but without a dryer it often takes too long to wash and dry everything.

I wash all the bedding on 40 (unless one of the kids have had an accident, in which case I wash on 60) but with sheets, I normally add a scoop of Vanish in to keep the sheets white.

Sheets changed daily, duvet covers 1-2 times per week. Dh strips our bed every morning and makes it up at night. Dd and ds strip and make their own. Youngest has Disabilities and can have 3-4 changes a night but I tend to use a waterproof and cover sheet on top of the other bedding so it's not a whole change each time.

Dc all have a skin condition and the cream gets on the sheets so they like them changed. Dh just likes a fresh bed.

All washed on 60 with non bio powder. Mostly line dried but tumbled if the weather is bad. Have quite a large machine so two loads does it all.

My process is wash every two and a half weeks. Give them a good wash at 60... If anyone is sick in the house add a bit of dettol.

Every Friday, wash at 60 degrees and either dried outside or in the dryer. I don't really change the mattress protector :o unless obviously something gets spilt on it or leaky nappy etc.

Bedding gets washed weekly. It all gets washed on a 40 and hung out on the line if possible, if not it will go in the tumble dryer. We have blankets/ bedspreads instead of duvets so they'll get washed of a morning and back on the bed once dry.

Omg fresh bedsheets are the absolute best thing! Weekly washed, with a spare set (we don't have a dryer so sometimes same day turnarounds are a bit much to achieve!)

Should be once a week here, on the "bed and bath" setting on my machine which I think is 60 degrees, line dry if I can or tumble.

Hate actually putting the covers back on, think this is my worse domestic job.

For some reason I don't know why, I am more strict when it comes to washing my childrens bedclothes. They have so many different duvet covers each, and I change their bedcovers once a week without fail. Its always done on a monday. I wash their covers on 40degrees as they don't really sweat and I use fabric softener and dry them on the line if the weathers fine. I wash my sheets every 2weeks, I think its because I have a king size bed so king size covers, and I hate changing the bed covers. I generally wash mine on 40degrees, but in the summer months I sometimes wash them on 50degrees if my partner gets hot in the night. Both my children have a mattress protector which I wash once a month, on 40degrees, and dry on the line as you cant put them in the tumble dryer. I don't iron bedclothes, and as soon as I strip the covers, I put some fresh ones on straight away, as if I dont I know I wont be bothered to do it later