How Often Should I Clean It? (Bedroom Edition!)

For me, cleaning is all about finding balance. If I’m not cleaning something enough, it’s dirty, which frustrates me. On the flip side, I sometimes catch myself spending too much time cleaning something that really doesn’t need it. Asking yourself, “How often should I clean this?” helps you be more efficient, rather than just cleaning out of habit. So, how often should you be cleaning things—specifically, things in your bedroom? We’re going to address these items so that you can spend your time doing something else besides cleaning.

cleaning bras

Bras

I know men might find this really hard to believe but our lady friends tend to sweat as well! That means that our bras need to be cleaned fairly regularly. Now, this is a contentious subject on the interwebs—there is no shortage of opinions! I’ve done a lot of research over the years and I’ve come to this: I wash my bras after every two to three wears. I also leave a one-day gap between wearing them at which time I’ll just air them out. I have a really handy tri-sorter in my bathroom, and I just lean them over the edge to let them breathe.

bedhseets

Bed Sheets

Bedsheets can definitely affect the way a bedroom smells. I used to own a student property as an investment, and one day I went in for an inspection, and honestly, the bedrooms smelt like nothing I had ever smelled before (and not in a good way)! A key contributor to that smell was probably the fact that the students hadn’t washed their bed sheets since the school year had started! The point is, you need to wash those bed sheets—not only because you’re shedding dead skin cells, sweat and body oils—but your sheets are touching your body on a regular, prolonged basis, and just like clothing, they need regular laundering.

Now, in the summer, you’re going to sweat more. So, you might want to up your washing frequency just to make sure that your bedroom doesn’t start stinking, and in the cooler months, you can slow down how frequently you wash your sheets. Once a week is a good frequency to follow in your cleaning routine. If you’re traveling or just end up being super busy and have to let it slide to two weeks… we won’t tell anyone! And when you’re in-between washes, try out my DIY linen spray to refresh your sheets!

shower curtain

Shower Curtain & Tub Mat

When I was growing up, my mom was adamant that we close the shower curtain and pull up the non-slip shower mat from the bottom of the tub after each use. If we didn’t, we heard about it, and there’s a really good reason why! If you don’t close your shower curtain after each use, that pink, mildew moldy stuff starts to grow in the creases. In terms of frequency, you can look at the inner shower curtain liner and you can see if there’s any chalky white build-up (that would be soap scum), and that build-up eventually starts to feed that pink mold and mildew stuff that starts to grow. So, if you see that stuff it’s a good indication that it needs a cleaning. In general though, if you keep your bathroom well ventilated after each shower, and make sure you close those curtains, a thorough cleaning once a month should be sufficient. We have a whole video on how to clean a shower curtain and mat so be sure to check that out.

towels and washcloths

Towels

I once read that Martha Stewart changes out her bathroom towels every day! That must be nice, but I think that’s overkill. For the rest of us, I think it’s totally fine to change out towels once or twice a week. It really depends on how frequently the towel gets used, and of course, the time of year. In the summer I tend to change my bath towel out more frequently because there’s more humidity in the air—this means that towels tend to get musty quicker. In the cooler months, I generally go a full week before changing it out.

bath mat

Bathroom Floor Mats

Bath mats are a really nice way to pep up your bathroom, but if they’re not clean, they can get really disgusting. Your bath mat can absorb a lot over the course of a day, or a week, or a month, which is why I think they should be laundered monthly. They can absorb hair, dirt, debris, dust, things from the bathroom—and God forbid—if it’s by the toilet and you happen to stand up while you’re peeing… you get the idea. So, throw it in the washing machine, follow the care instructions, and hang it to dry. You’ll feel so much better, your bathroom will smell fresher, and of course, it’ll look a lot cleaner.

pillow cleaning

Pillows

If my pillow isn’t comfortable I cannot sleep, period. There was a time when I struggled so much with finding a comfortable pillow that once I found one, I vowed to take the very best care of it. My sleep is just that important. We get asked a lot about how frequently you should be cleaning a pillow and the general answer is, think about cleaning your pillow three times a year. Now, the really important thing about a pillow is to get a pillow protector. These prevent staining, dust mites, bedbugs, oil, skin cells and any other gross things that you don’t want seeping into your pillow, from getting in there. Then, when you wash your linens, you simply take off that pillow protector and throw it in the washing machine. Oh, and bonus—we have a whole article on how to clean pillows!

duvet

Comforters & Duvets

And while we’re on the topic of bedding, we might as well talk about comforters as well. To begin, there are two kinds of comforters; There’s the comforter made up of a duvet and a duvet cover, and then there’s a traditional one-piece comforter. Interestingly, a lot of the one piece comforters are not machine washable, which means they’re a little more high-maintenance, and you have to take them to the dry cleaner to have them cleaned. Your care label will tell you exactly how to take care of your duvet cover or your comforter. What I recommend is, to clean your comforter twice a year, or if you’re like me, and you let your pet sleep on your bed with you, you might want to up that to four times a year.

Now, if you have a duvet cover, you’re in luck. It’s a bit of a pain to take off and put back on, but you can easily launder your duvet cover when the mood strikes. I recommend every month or so so that the actual duvet is well protected.

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on amazon.com.

Looking for a BETTER & EASIER Way to Clean Your Home?

Cleaning Expert Melissa Maker is here to help with her game-changing 3 Wave Cleaning System that will help you clean your house faster and easier than you ever thought possible!

Learn More About The 3 Wave Cleaning System

Melissa Maker is an entrepreneur, cleaning expert, founder of Toronto’s most popular boutique cleaning service, and star of the Clean My Space channel on YouTube (but she still hates to clean!). Every week, Melissa delivers new videos dishing expert advice on cleaning products, tools, DIY substitutes, and practical, timesaving solutions to everyday problems. Melissa has appeared on the Today Show, and has been featured in InStyle, Real Simple, and Better Homes and Gardens.

9 COMMENTS

  1. I have a problem with dust build-up under the bed. It is wall-to-wall carpet and I hate to vacuum. I am allergic to dust build-up. Other than getting a platform bed to the floor, what are my options?

    • Hi John, unfortunately your only option is vacuuming! Dust buildup happens to all of us, and vacuuming is the best way to manage it, especially on carpeting. I would recommend buying a great vacuum for upholstery, which will make vacuuming under your bed much easier. Check out Which Dyson Vacuum Should You Buy? for suggestions.

  2. Thank you so MUCH Melissa, you have taught me so much that you change my life. I’m mother of two (5 years old and 10 year old) and they are helping cleaning with all the diy cleaners. We all love cleaning. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We are from Houston, Texas.

  3. Hi Melissa and Chad and sweet baby!!! I love your channel. I was so happy to know that you confirmed what I feel about cleaning, especially about the sheets on the bed. I do the sheets twice a week during the summer and once a week during the winter. My husband told me that he heard on CBC radio (so it must be true!!!) that the average time for people to leave their sheets on was something like 67 days. EEEEWWWWW! I should not judge, I suppose it matters what you might do for a living as well in how you feel about changing sheets not to mention, some people take a shower before they go to bed, others do not. For my husband and myself, getting into a clean fresh smelling bed one night a week helps us sleep better…is that only in our minds? I absolutely loved Chad’s sleeping positions. We have some pics of our children when they were young and wow, he’s got it down pat. I really laughed out loud when I saw the final shot…we are all kids at heart and I love how humorous you both are. Laughter has kept my husband and I together for 41 years. And I can see you both will be able to say that one day. God Bless!

  4. i never, ever leave a bath mat on the floor. once it is used, i hang it over the towel bar in the shower w/door left open. as a matter of fact, i never close the master bath shower door unless i am using it. never have i stepped on a skanky mat. arrrrgh! that’s me screaming in agony at the thought of taking a shower, stepping out on to a dirty mat. yikes

  5. I could not understand what she said was one of the ingredients in cleaning my toilet, I got the baking soda, water, tea tree , peroxide but what was the one on side of the peroxide?

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here