The annual spring clean is upon us and with Brits spending an average of 11 hours per household spring cleaning [1], luxury online bedding brand DUSK are on hand with their expert cleaning tips to help you get a head start.

DUSK carried out a survey to explore the UK’s cleaning habits and discovered just how often the nation washes common household items like bedding, towels, duvets and pillows.

The survey captured the cleaning habits of over 2,200 respondents, revealing some surprising trends – from how many of us are washing bedding and towels incorrectly, to the number of people sleeping on pillows that have never been washed.

It’s safe to say that we all get excited about diving into a freshly made bed, with 93% of people saying they sleep best in freshly washed bedding and more than half (55%) saying a clean bedroom helps reduce their stress. But how many of us know exactly how we should be washing our bedding.

How Often Should You Wash Your Bedding?
91% of respondents agreed that bedding should be washed every 1 – 2 weeks which is how often the DUSK cleaning experts recommend.

Factors including allergies, sensitive skin and whether you have a pet all impact how regularly bedding needs to be washed.

We know how often we should be washing our bedding, but are we really paying attention as to HOW we should be washing it?

More than half of people surveyed (53%) admit that they don’t pay full attention to cleaning instructions when washing their bedding with 11% saying they simply ‘hope for the best’ when it comes to washing their bed linen.

6 EXPERT Expert Cleaning Tips from DUSK Buyer Farah Arshad
Always follow the care label.
Separate your whites and treat any stains straight away.
Use the correct heat, size and washing machine settings.
Avoid overloading your washing machine.
Use pillow protectors to extend the life of your pillows and keep them cleaner for longer.
Allow your pillows and duvet to air outside regularly and shake to get rid of any dust.

Should You Wash Your Duvet and Pillows?
According to Verity Mann, Head of Testing at Good Housekeeping, duvets should be “washed at least twice a year.”

Small stains on your duvet or pillows can be spot cleaned. Farah recommends, “moving the filling down and away from the area you need to spot clean, and then dabbing it with cool water, try to avoid using warm or hot water as this can set stains and don’t use bleach.

Drying thoroughly is very important even when spot cleaning. Always make sure the area is completely dry, even when it feels dry to touch the filling can hold moisture which can lead to mould if not dried thoroughly. We would recommend tumble drying on a low heat.”

The survey revealed 1 in 5 people don’t realise they can wash their duvets in the washing machine and almost a quarter of respondents (24%) have never washed their pillows.