What a silly article. Indeed, who are these "experts"? Some of the comments following the article were even worse - - people even just hanging their sheets out to air? If you're going to the trouble to strip the bed and remake it, why not just wash the sheets? And cold water washing for bed linens? NO chance in my house! I guess everyone needs a "schtick" - these experts proselytize like they just rediscovered fire and water. It's laundry and common sense - not that difficult. My mother washed bed linens weekly in hot water, used LCB (Clorox, Purex, or our local Brooklyn brand - Aqua Lina) only on whites and for the rare set of colored sheets, hot water and proper dosage of her detergent of choice (Cheer, Rinso Blue, Fab, Ajax or occasionally, Oxydol). Most of our bed linens were white muslin - most popular through 1950's and 60's.
I continue with the same practice today though most of my sheets are Land's End Oxford Cloth or Linen - surprisingly good values and quite durable. Of course, this is a very personal matter- even though I shower twice a day, sleep in gym shorts and T-shirts, and while I don't feel like I sweat during the night, I'm sure there is a little sweat here and there so going two weeks without changing beds isn't an option for me. Do I like making the bed? Absolutely not - I find it one of the most annoying chores, but it must be done.
One of my friends (an engineer and self proclaimed subject matter expert on everything from cooking to cinema, theater, opera, electronics and construction among other things) regularly ridicules me and accuses me of creating unnecessary drama and trying to "recreate" my mother's traditions. So I send him weekly photos of my clothesline (another point of ridicule) with my bed linens billowing happily in the breeze. Clean, fresh sheets just feel better and I sleep better in them. Enough said.
And yes, I use a fresh bath towel every day - based on advice from my dermatologist. But bath towels are a separate issue for another day...
One last comment - I know there are folks who like to have their pets sleep in/on their beds, Again, a personal choice but one I find unpleasant (to say the least). That is the one occasion (outside illness) where I would have to change sheets every day. So this brings me to those awful commercial for Gain detergent showing the family dog chewing on the towel or rolling around on the bed, then the family burying their faces in those items? My God, how much perfume is in that stuff to overpower the dog smell? How about less heavy perfume and more clean???
www.nytimes.com
