How many nights can you sleep in the same pajamas?
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Should you wash your pajamas every day or can you leave them on for a few nights in a row to sleep? And if so, how long can you do it without harming your health? Expert answers.
Do you wash your pajamas every day? Some do, but many do not. So are you putting your health at risk if you only change it once a week?
There are people who wash their night clothes every day, according to testimonies. The reason ? Many people go to bed without washing at night and prefer to shower in the morning. Yet they fall asleep in their pajamas soaked in sweat from the day before.
Women wait 17 nights to change their pajamas
A 2015 survey, conducted by mattress company Ergoflex, of 2,500 people between the ages of 18 and 30 found that men wait 13 nights on average to change their pajamas, while women spend 17 nights in the same night clothes.
When asked by the company about the reasons for the delay in washing, 41% of women and 50% of men said that if their pajamas did not smell bad, they did not see why they should be washed.
We carry potentially harmful microbes with us
How to tip the balance? "We all carry certain organisms that are potentially harmful to health, but only if we find them in the wrong place," says Professor Sally Bloomfield, president of the International Scientific Forum on Household Hygiene (IFH).
These can be skin bacteria, one of which is Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of skin infections, fungal organisms such as the one responsible for athletes foot, fecal bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, which sometimes cause an upset stomach, and fungi. , which can trigger canker sores.
Sleep naked
The ideal according to Sally Bloomfield? Sleep naked. For those who wear nightwear, she recommends washing pajamas and sheets once a week.
Remember that some people are more vulnerable to infections, while others are at greater risk of carrying bacteria that are dangerous to health and therefore of transmitting them. If you live with young children or if someone you live with is sick, wash your bedding and pajamas more often.
Lower health risk in singles
Singles, on the other hand, are at less risk if they keep their pajamas on for weeks. "The dirtier the pajamas are, the more likely bacteria are to pass from the gut into the urinary tract, for example. You can not say it is safe, but it is relatively low." However, you have to consider the issue of personal hygiene. "Your underwear and pajamas will start to smell and feel unpleasant if you do not wash them regularly," according to the expert.
Clothes should be washed at 60 ° C or 40 ° C with a product containing active oxygen bleach, to kill and destroy bacteria. Do not overload your washing machine: you could spread the bacteria on other fabrics.
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