Bedsheets should be washed every fortnight, according to a leading microbiologist.

On The Hard Shoulder today, Dr Anne Burns said “dust mites are an issue” as they feed on skin which often finds its way onto sheets through friction.

She was speaking as a survey by Onlinebedrooms.co.uk found that bedsheets should be cleaned once a week.

Dr Burns said we “need to be logical and sensical” about it.

“I think you have to take a reasonable middle ground,” she said.

“Once a fortnight would be a nice number to aim for, it doesn’t mean you’ll arrive at that every time if you have a busy household.

“We live in a very clean country and don’t have dysentery or cholera to concern ourselves with so our bedding is quite clean.”

Magnified dust mites. Image: Tomasz Klejdysz / Alamy Stock Photo

While Dr Burns said Irish people can be “neurotic” when it comes to cleanliness, we do need to watch out for dust mites.

“They are kind of little beasts that feast on your dead skin cells,” she said.

“We’re discarding about a teaspoon and a half of our skin every day of the week – a horrendous notion.

“A lot of that is going to end up in your bed and your sheets are going to take the brunt of it with friction, so dust mites are an issue of course.

“But we have lived with them and unless you have an allergy to dust mites, they won’t harm you as they are very passive.”

Toilet brushes

Dr Burns said there is a “notion” going around that people should clean toilet brushes once a week.

“I don’t think most people would even think of doing that,” she said.

“The idea is from a bacterial perspective, that we should clean it once a week and discard it once every six months – that is a notion.

“If it’s the cheap and cheerful plastic version, which is probably the best to buy, that’s not a bad idea.”

Washing

Dr Burns said people don’t need to wash themselves once a day, as is typical in Ireland.

“Harvard Health will recommend two to three times a week for washing ourselves,” she said.

“The reason for that is it’s about the bacterial balance that exists on us, on our skin, and our insides and outsides.

“It challenges our immune system so if you’re really clean all the time, almost sterile, then you’re not testing your body against antibodies.”

Dr Burns added that “there is a risk of being too clean”.

Main image: Messy bedsheets. Image: JG Photography / Alamy Stock Photo