Man reveals he washes his sheets a maximum of twice per year

A 29-year-old man has revealed a foul tactic he has adopted as a rather disgusting way to reduce the impact of soaring living costs.

Jax Phillips only washes his sheets every nine to 12 months and reckons no one would know the difference.

The 29-year-old engineer, from Plymouth in the UK, revealed he bought his first one-bedroom flat three years ago in October 2019, The Sun reported.

“I’m a Mr Hinch type of bloke. I enjoy cleaning, I do all the vacuuming and washing up.

“In my house everything has its place.

“But when it comes to sheets I only wash them every six to twelve months or if I spill coffee or tea on them.

Jax Phillips sees no reason to wash his sheets regularly. Picture: Supplied

“And in case anyone is wondering, they don’t smell.

“I shower nightly and wear clean pyjamas.

“I pull back the duvet everyday, before making it to air it out.

“And if it’s sunny, I’ll pop them on the line outside to air then. I believe it’s the same as a wash.

“I call it ‘the shake, and remake method’ or if they get an airing the ‘shake, bake and re-make method’.

“The sunshine cleans away bacteria, plus I shower nightly.

“It’s a waste of money otherwise.

“It’s all free and with the rising cost of living it means I am saving money on water and electricity.

“Plus having to dry sheets in the dryer is a nightmare and expensive.

“I tend to wash them when it’s sunny, so once or twice a year.

The 29-year-old thinks his sheets are clean enough because he showers regularly. Picture: Supplied

According to Dr Philip Tierno, Jr., Director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, your bed sheets can accumulate an array of dead skin, bacteria, fungus and mites after just one night’s sleep.

With the average person producing more than 98 litres of sweat each year, dirty bedding can cause breakouts, skin irritations and even make us sick.

In a recent study, researchers found that feather and synthetic pillows between 1.5 and 20 years old can contain between four and 17 different species of fungus.

And according to cleaning guru Shannon Lush — quite a few of us are failing when it comes to keeping our linen clean.

“If you’re showering once a day, you can wash your sheets weekly,” Ms Lush told news.com.au.

“However, pillowcases should be changed every second day without fail. It’s against your face, and your hair holds more dirt than anywhere else on the body. It’s like a mop.”

Ms Lush said very few people realise how much skin cells and other nasties build up in a bed over time, recommending we wash the Doona every month along with our pillows.

“Most people don’t wash their pillows enough, and it’s really vile,” Lush said.

“It collects old skin cells, which we shed especially when we are asleep. The pillow is a major cause of blackheads.

“Human skin is protein, and lots of nasties live in protein. If you don’t use protectors, that will go in to the bedding. And you wouldn’t leave a steak in the middle of the bed, would you?”

– With Vanessa Brown

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Man reveals he washes his sheets a maximum of twice per year