While our beds are there for sleeping, they’re also a kind of catch-all. You might toss your coat here as soon as you’re home, or maybe there’s a hanger or two left behind as you got dressed this morning. There might even be a pet toy that’s been abandoned here.
Some of these items are perfectly fine to touch your sheets, but others aren’t so hygienic. To shed some light, we’ve listed 5 of the most disgusting things you’re likely to place on your bed, and how you can deep clean your sheets for a refresh.
Coat and handbag
Your coat and bag are most likely getting chucked on to your bed each day, ready to be filed away in your wardrobe before you get them out again in the morning. But did you ever stop to think about the residue these items carry?
Your coat is subject to the outdoor elements, absorbing rain, pollution and smells. It’s also likely smelly on the inside considering you will have applied body oils and sweated around the neckline, armpits and cuffs. Long story short, there’s bacteria both inside and out, and considering coats are rarely cleaned, this can easily transfer over to your sheets.
We recommend washing coats once or twice a season according to the care label. If it’s machine washable, stick to a cold, delicate cycle with a non-bio detergent (or one designed for wool if applicable). If dry cleaning is recommended, that’s what you need to do.
The handbag is even worse. We put these down on all sorts of disgusting surfaces, including splattered bathroom floors and sticky restaurant tables. So the idea of putting that same bag on your bed should be an obvious no-no. Leather cleaning wipes are ideal for cleaning the underside of a leather handbag, while synthetic leather and plastic can be cleaned with soapy water.
Trousers
Wearing your trousers outdoors subjects them to similar residue as your coat. In fact, it might be worse if muddy puddles have splashed up or you’ve been sitting on a busy train. So you don’t want to get home and have a quick lie-down, or even just perch on the end of your bed (especially if you’ve made your bed and the sheets are pulled back) – your body weight would end up pressing any residue into the sheets.
Wash your trousers according to the care label. If washing denim, turn them inside out and do up the zip to help the dye last and to prevent catching.
Suitcase
Bunging a suitcase on the bed marks the start of a holiday, but it also marks the bed, literally. Those wheels have likely been rolled over all kinds of surfaces and debris: airports, bathrooms, restaurants, and then there’s what’s outside to consider. They may have rolled through puddles and mud, not to mention bird poop.
In the end, those wheels are carrying copious levels of dirt and bacteria, and they’re going straight on your bed. Try to pack your suitcase on a more suitable surface or use a dedicated luggage rack instead and clean the wheels regularly with warm soapy water and an old toothbrush.
Pets
While our pets are adorable and we love to snuggle up next to them, they’re not exactly hygienic on the bed. This is mainly because they secrete and leave behind their own kinds of residue, just like we do. Drool, body oils and faeces can all remain wherever pets choose to settle, so you don’t really want them in the sheets or joining you on your pillow.
It’s better to keep pets off the bed where possible. A dedicated pet bed will encourage them to sleep elsewhere or if your pets are determined to join you on the bed, you can designate a space for them with a blanket that can be washed more easily than a bed sheet.
Wet hair
With all the fears surrounding heat damage, you might sleep with damp hair to save you from the hairdryer. While this isn’t a filthy thing on your bed, it does leave your pillow and sheets damp and encourage bacterial growth and mould as a side-effect. That in turn leads to musty smells.
According to the Sleep Foundation, sleeping with wet hair also makes it fragile and more prone to breakage. Plus, it can irritate the skin and scalp from the excess humidity at night. If you do sleep with wet hair, the Sleep Foundation recommends sleeping with a hair wrap to protect it from damage.
How to deep clean your bed sheets
To give your bed sheets a thorough, deep clean, you need to wash at as high a temperature as allowed by the care label – ideally 60 degrees to kill bacteria. A full-length cycle (don’t cut it short with a quick wash) with a biological detergent is best, followed by using the hot setting on the tumble dryer for 30 minutes (again, if the care label allows). Alternatively, drying in the sunlight can also help to kill bacteria, and brighten whites.