This is what happens when you don't wash your bed sheets for a week

You might not be washing your sheets as often as you should be.

While that in itself isn’t ideal, there’s actually a really important (and slightly disgusting) reason you should be doing it every week.

A laundry expert for about.com told ATTN:

During sleep, we continue to perspire, and body oils and soil are released. It is possible to find saliva, urine, genital fluids, and fecal matter in the fibres.

Pretty grim, right? Well, it gets worse:

If the [linens] are not washed regularly, and the occupant has scratches or wounds, they can become infected. Athlete's foot and other fungi can be transferred from fabrics. Infrequent cleaning of sheets and pillowcases allows the fluids to seep into the pillows and mattresses, and those are MUCH more difficult to clean than tossing sheets in the washer.

And somehow, there’s more. There are probably dust mites living in your bed too and their excrement can cause asthma and allergies.

Thankfully, washing your sheets once a week on the hottest recommended temperature will put a stop to any of that.

So no more excuses as to why you haven't done your washing.

More: Drying your clothes indoors could be seriously bad for your health