There's nothing quite like getting into a glorious fresh bed with brand-new sheets. You're showered, new pyjamas on, you're about to read some chapters of your favourite book - blissful! But after that initial hit of crispness, when will be the next time you wash your bedding?
That question was asked this morning (January 25) on Good Morning Britain, as on Hits Radio, Stacey Solomon said that she washes her sheets once a week - sparking a debate as to whether that was too excessive.
Stacey said people can 'wallow in their own filth' if they are single and 'enjoying that life', but she prefers to be ultra clean - but others don't agree.
A heated debate ensued on GMB between Lynsey Crombie, TV's Queen of Clean, and Narinder Kaur. Lynsey said two weeks was the maximum for a single person to go without washing the sheets if they switched sides of the bed after week one, and Narinder was baffled at the suggestion of washing sheets once a week 'during the cost of living crisis'.
Narinder said: "We're not pigs rolling around in mud - we shower. My bed's clean, I wash my sheets, and in summer I'll wash once every two weeks, but that's because I can dry them outside."
Presenter Ed Balls seemed horrified at the thought of only changing the sheets once a month, asking: "Don't you sweat?", and he may want to ask the same question to half of the UK's single men.
According to a survey by Pizuna Linens, almost half of all single men in the UK go a whopping four months without washing their bed sheets - yuck. Some of the reasons they don't change it are 'not being bothered', 'not having any other clean bedding', and 'forgetting'.
They found that in contrast, 62% of single women changed their bedding once every two weeks, but only 29% of single men can say the same.
Narinder then went on to explain that washing your sheets 'uses up your energy so much', stating it takes 500 watts for just one load of washing and 'because you're doing bed sheets, you have to do it at 60 degrees so it's going to use up more electricity'.
Presenter Susanna Reid then pointed out you need the dryer as well, because of the bitterly cold temperatures around this time of year.
Narinder said that her sheets 'look clean and smell so fresh' after two weeks, and was questioning why people would be 'that dirty that they need to wash their sheets once, or even twice, a week'.
She then said: "Once a month is fine - full pyjamas, showered, I'm clean!"
Lynsey disagreed wholeheartedly with Narinder, claiming: "You can't see the dirt, you can't see dust mites and you can't see bacteria."
She then claimed that if you buy a new pillow and weigh it, then weigh it again in six months it will have 'doubled in weight', attributing that to 'sweat, bodily odours, dead skin and dust mites'.
She said you 'sleep better' if you wash your sheets once a week and if you wash once a month you have to wash at 60, whereas she says she washes 'at 20 degrees and I add white vinegar to the wash because it's a natural disinfectant, and I'll do a short wash for 30 minutes'.
"Your bedding needs to be clean", Lynsey stressed, continuing: "There's nothing like a fresh-smelling ironed bed."
Susanna Reid then made a joke about ironing the bed sheets, hinting that maybe that was a step too far.
How often do you wash your bed sheets (be honest!)? Let us know in the comments.
