So it’s been fun working from home in pajamas. But do you know what could happen if you don’t wash your jammies frequently?
The habit of wearing pajamas all day long was a weekend ritual until March 2020. As the world shut down and we were required to work from home and homeschool, we became comfortable spending too much time wearing the same pajamas and sweats. It was fun to watch videos of people wearing pajama pants and work shirts on Zoom and business calls and we’re probably going to reflect on these moments for years to come. But as much as it feels effortless to lie around in pajama and sweats, I wondered how often we should change into a different set.
There have been numerous online reports and data on how often we should change clothing, notably during the pandemic. But even if we spend lots of time indoors, we should aim to smell good and wear fresh pajamas. It’s essential to maintain the cleanliness of the clothes we wear at home, and how often you need to wash them depends on what you were doing while wearing them, the weather, and the fabric type.
Two-thirds of people sleep in dirty pajamas!
Real Homes
According to Real Homes, 2/3 of people sleep in dirty pajamas! If this news sounds gross, then you need to know this. Dirty pajamas and sweats affect your health and nighttime sleep. Since many of us are now wearing them 24 hours a day, we are at risk of getting sick at a time when proper hygiene is necessary, and here’s why.
Why should you wash your pajamas and sweats frequently?
There are many important reasons why you should wash your pajamas frequently. First, you don’t want the nasty dust mites, and bed bugs cling to your pajamas as you sleep. Plus, since we are spending lots of time in pajamas these days, they can easily collect dust and get dirty.
Pajamas get dirty because our bodies can shed millions of dead skin cells and 200 ml of sweat during the night and produce other bodily bacterial. Women during perimenopause and menopause generally experience hot flashes and sweat more than average. The growing bacteria in pajamas can infiltrate into the skin via cuts and ingrown hairs and cause problems such as upper respiratory infections, and pimple-causing germs and oils.
Clean pajamas help you sleep better.
Sleeping in dirty pajamas can keep you up because sneaking dust mites affect your respiration at night. Plus, it will make you feel itchy, oily, and smelly. A clean set of jammies feels fresh and cozy, which will help you get into dreamland faster and have a good night’s sleep.
How frequently should you wash your pajamas and sweat pants?
The American Cleaning Institute offers cleaning tips and guidelines on when you should clean clothes and apparel such as pajamas, sweats, underwear, bras, and even bed sheets. They recommend washing pajamas and sweats after 3 or 4 wears unless they get dirty with stains and food spills. In this case, you should clean them immediately. But what if your dirty pajamas are made from delicate fabric such as silk? In this case, you could use spot cleaning or hand-wash with mild detergent and cold water.
How often should you wash your bras?
According to ACI, you can wear a bra 2 or 3 times before washing it. I also learned that we should wait a day after washing a bra to allow the elastic material to regain its shape.
How often should you wash bed sheets, underwear, and socks?
The tips on how to clean different clothing types are simple, and you can find them below.
https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/clothes/laundry-basics/do-i-need-wash
Final thought
It feels comfortable working and studying in a set of pajamas and sweats all day. But it’s essential to change into cleaner sleepwear and loungewear frequently for sanitary and health reasons. Even better, wear lounge clothes in the day and clean jammies at bedtime.
Everyday is PJ Day
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