Of all the places in your home that could be considered gross, you probably wouldn’t rank your bedroom up there.

But you’d be surprised, especially if you don’t wash your sheets on the regular. Even if you live alone, you’re not sleeping solo. Joining you in bed are millions of dead skin cells plus ground in perspiration, pollen, pet dander, fungi, and mold.

According to Joshua Zeichner from New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital, “Not washing your sheets regularly puts all of this in close contact with your skin for several hours at a time while you sleep.”

The dermatology doctor recommends tossing the bedding into the washer weekly.

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