Hygiene expert reveals 'unhealthy' truth behind making your bed first thing in the morning

It's an age-old question: how often should you wash your sheets? 

A hygiene expert has revealed the best bedsheet habits, and the answer isn't as straightforward as you might think.

"Doctors have laid down the law, saying we should wash our sheets once a week, of course, but not make the bed first thing in the morning because it seals in the bacteria," David Campbell explained on Today Extra.

Watch the video above.

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Panellists Osman Faruqi and Jane Caro reacted to the news on air, discussing their bedding etiquette.

"My husband mostly washes the sheets these days because he's pretty much fully retired. And, look, we don't wash them once a week," Caro confessed.

While it is recommended you change your sheets weekly to keep bacteria at bay, it turns out making your bed first thing in the morning isn't healthy. 

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Despite the messaging that completing this humble task is the best way to start your day, it turns out that it is an unhygienic habit. 

Any moisture that accumulates overnight creates the perfect breeding ground for dead skin cells and dust mites, so it's important not to trap the germs. 

Instead of tucking bacteria in for a busy day of repopulation, experts recommend waiting an hour or so to allow the space to breathe. 

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"We're always told, 'Get up in the morning, make your bed. It's a great thing for your mental health.' And now they're saying, 'No, don't make your bed'," Campbell remarked.

"So that's confusing for my kids."

Faruqi found the discovery to be vindicating for him as a non bed-maker.

"My girlfriend Charlotte is very good at making her bed very diligently every morning," he said.

"It's good to know that that's actually wrong and unhealthy."

Referencing Caro's bed-changing habits, Faruqi added: "Don't take any offence at this, Jane. It's weird to not wash your bed more at least once a week, like, I'm a weekly guy. I think you've got to."

While changing your sheets every week, consider leaving your bed to air out for an hour each morning before making it. 

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