There’s nothing quite as comforting as a clean and cozy bed when you’re feeling under the weather. But with all the coughing, sneezing, and sweating – your sickness sanctuary quickly becomes a haven for germs and bacteria. Without proper cleaning, this could cause an illness to return to you or spread to others.
Learn how to eliminate lingering germs from your linens and get back to sleeping in crisp, clean comfort.
Step 1
Strip the bed of all pillows, pillowcases, sheets, comforters, and shams. Even take the dust ruffle or entire crib set off of the sleeping area and load them into the washer according to colors. If you have all whites, load them all in at once. If you have colors and whites, load the colors in the first wash and then wash the whites separately.
Step 2
Turn the washer to the hot-wash, cold-rinse cycle for laundering colors and whites. If you have thick sheets and blankets, use a setting for hot wash and cold rinse on a heavy wash. This will be sure to scrub out any of the lingering bacteria. If you do not have a hot-wash, cold-rinse cycle on your washing machine, set it to the hottest wash cycle you have.
Step 3
Measure the laundry detergent and bleach (either regular or color-safe, depending on the bedding in the washer) per manufacturer instructions. Pour these into the washing machine and start it.
Step 4
Remove the bedding from the washer once the cycle is complete and load into the dryer. Dry on the hottest temperature, which is permanent press (it is normally found on old and new dryers). Move your heat selector to permanent press and dry for at least 1 hour.
Step 5
Check the laundry for dryness, and leave in the dryer for 20 minutes after the fabrics are completely dry to kill any remaining bacteria. Then replace it on the bed.