Are you washing your pajamas as much as you should be? You could be in for a rude awakening.
Experts have warned that not changing your pajamas regularly enough could make them a breeding ground for nasty bugs and illnesses.
They recommend changing your sleepwear at least every three wears. This is because some of the common bugs on our skin can become troublesome if our PJs aren’t washed enough.
Bugs, such as Staphylococcus aureus, can cause a raft of illnesses from skin infections to meningitis in extreme cases.
Most of the time these bugs are harmless, unless they get into an open cut.
Professor Sally Bloomfield, Consultant in Hygiene and Infectious Disease Prevention, said: “Pyjamas are worn right next to the skin – and we shed skin cells, filled with micro-organisms, at a vast rate.”
“These organisms are usually harmless but if they get into the wrong place they can cause problems.”
Not only that, the way we wash pajamas is important to prevent the bacteria from growing and spreading on our clothes.
Professor Lisa Ackerley, from the University of Salford, told Mail Online: “Wash pajamas at 160F or do so with a laundry product that has a disinfectant to kill 99.9% of bacteria.”
A recent study revealed the average 18-to-30-year-old man wears the same sleepwear for an average of 13 nights.
Women are even less likely to change their nightwear and don’t both changing their PJs for 17 wears.
Experts insist the absolute bare minimum you should wash your pajamas is once a week.