How Often Should You Wash Your Household Fabrics: Since we do not use household fabrics outside the confines of our homes, it’s a little difficult for us to tell when exactly they are dirty and need laundry.
For some of us, we determine whether the outfits we wear outdoors are due for washing if we sweated on them or got dirty during the day.
For household fabrics, however, this may not be possible. This accounts for the ongoing confusion about how frequently we should wash our household fabrics and for some of us, the sniff test is our go-to.
While a fabric might appear clean in plain sight, it may not always be clean. Of course, there may be germs and bacteria lurking on these fabrics that are not visible to plain eyes.
Household fabrics like bed sheets, pillowcases, curtains, kitchen towels, and bath towels, all require different cleaning schedules.
This article would help you get clear on how often you need to wash each of these household fabrics.
1. Beddings
Beddings include our bed sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, blankets, and even our pillows. For a fabric that we spend so much time on, beddings usually require frequent washing.
This is because there are high chances of them accumulating significant amounts of dirt, dead skin cells, body oils, sweat, dust mites, including their carcasses and fecal matter.
This accumulated dirt can, in turn, contribute to allergies, skin breakouts, asthma, skin reactions, among others.
You’ll be doing your skin and overall health a whole lot of good when you wash your bedsheets and pillowcases regularly.
It is advisable to wash your house hold fabrics like bedsheets and pillowcases at most once a week. If you have pets, and particularly if you let them sleep in your bed, a wash every 3-4 days is recommended.
Launder blankets and duvet covers once every 2 weeks to a month. If you have washable pillows, then launder them once every 4 to 6 months.
2. Curtains
You might be tempted to think that curtains do not accumulate as much dirt. After all, unlike beddings, they just hang there with minimum contact to the body.
We open them in the mornings and draw them in the evenings and that’s it. But in reality, curtains and drapes do gather dust like few other things in your home.
And when they do, they usually develop an unpleasant, musty smell and have a dull look.
While the sheer thought of having to take these curtains down, put them through the wash, get them dry, and then re-hang them could seem overwhelming for most of us, keeping an overall clean and hygienic home revolve around how clean these seemingly insignificant household fabrics (like curtains) are.
Clean curtains help to keep dust levels low, reduce allergies and they smell good.
It is advisable to wash curtains every 3 to 6 months to keep them fresh and clean. However, you may consider washing your curtains more frequently if you leave in a dusty area or near the sea, if you have allergies, or smoke often in your home.
Care should be taken when washing curtains made of silk, linen, or other sensitive fabrics. This is because the hot water, detergent, and constant rubbing action in the washing machine can easily cause damage and even make them fade.
If your curtain fabric is strong enough, you may consider machine washing.
3. Rugs
Generally, there are two kinds of rugs. There are ones used to cover up an entire room and there are the ones used mainly to enhance the décor, warm up your feet, or cover certain imperfections on the floor.
Rugs, whether large or not, trap airborne pollutants like dust, dirt, bacteria, allergens, and even bed bugs and dust mites.
Washing them at necessary intervals helps to remove these pollutants, thus ensuring the indoor air quality, as well as the rug itself, is at a reasonable level. In a large sense, rugs act as air filters.
It is, therefore, advisable to take out your rugs (or carpets) for cleaning and washing once every year.
For area rugs, however, wash them once every 3 to 6 months. If you have pets, then 2-3 months is advised.
What’s more, area rugs can be washed in a washing machine. This, however, depends on the rug’s fabric.
Rugs that are made of cotton or synthetic fibers (even those with rubber, non-slip backing), as well as small braided or woven rugs can safely be placed in the washing machine on a cold water wash cycle.
If the rug is small enough, place it in a mesh bag or a zippered pillowcase before washing.
4. Bathmats
Bathmats or bathroom rugs are like floor towels, used to help prevent us from slipping with wet feet after getting out of a warm bath or a cold shower.
They are typically designed to absorb moisture and are highly attractive to hair, lint, and other types of grime. This is why, unlike area rugs, bathmats require more frequent washing.
If your bathmat has a non-skid rubber backing, it is advisable to it every four weeks, otherwise, it should be washed every one to two weeks.
5. Bath Towels
When last did you wash your bath towel? If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that most of the time, we tend to think that since we use towels right after taking a bath, then they shouldn’t get dirty. This is, however, not so.
Damp towels tend to attract more disease-causing agents. It is therefore important that towels are washed regularly to avoid falling sick or developing skin infections from using dirty towels.
It is advisable to wash your towels at least once a week, under normal conditions. However, if you stay in a house where the humidity is appreciable high, then you may need to wash your towels more frequently.
This is because the towels are more prone to staying damp under this environmental condition. It is also important to occasionally, spread your towels outside to allow the sun to heat them.
6. Dish Towels
This is one household item that needs to be washed regularly. Dirty dish towels are a potential breeding ground for bacteria and when dirty towels are used to dry clean dishes, the germs in the towel are transferred to the dishes.
Using these dishes to serve meals poses a high health risk.
It is advisable to wash dish towels in warm water once every week or preferably, every few days. If you can, use paper towels that you can dispose of after every use.
Conclusion
Washing household fabrics regularly helps to keep them clean and fresh. You no longer have to depend on the sniff test or wait until they appear physically dirty before washing them.
Before you wash your household fabrics, however, it is important to always check the manufacturer’s care instructions, if possible.
This ensures that you don’t wash them in a way or under conditions that would damage them. If washing manually is a hassle to you, then go for an excellent washing machine to help you make the laundry process convenient and enjoyable. Take a look at some efficient washers we have over here.
