I’m slightly neurotic when it comes to my pajamas. As soon as I wake up, last night’s sleep fit goes immediately into the hamper. I simply cannot imagine going to bed two nights in a row with the same pajamas on — for some reason, I feel like after sleeping in them they become gross.
Now, that doesn’t mean I’m running my washing machine every night. I love a cute pajama or nightie sets, so as soon as I dump one in the hamper, I have another one ready for the next night (and the next, and the next). It’s just what makes me feel the cleanest and most comfortable when I’m going to bed.
These practices aren’t so much based on science but rather what just makes me feel best. I didn’t even always do this — I randomly started doing it a few years ago and haven’t stopped since. But don’t worry, here is how often a clean person washes their pajamas.
How Often Should I Wash My Pajamas?
Raymond E. Kleinfelder III, DO, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist tells Betches that washing pajamas once every 5-7 days (or even just once a week) is what he considers best practices.
Your pajamas and sheets are pretty similar when it comes to what happens to them while you’re sleeping — but it’s all dependent on whether or not you shower before bed.
“If you’re a nighttime showerer, both your pajamas and sheets are going to stay fresh much longer,” Kleinfelder says. “If you don’t shower before bed, you will have more sweat, bacteria, and other ‘stuff’ from the environment that you will transfer onto your bedding and PJs.”
He explains that if you like wearing pajamas that cover more of your skin, your sheets are less likely to get contaminated. So you can basically wash your pajamas as often as you wash your sheets. But you want to play it more cautiously when it comes to your pillowcase.
“Pillowcases are the dirtiest part of our bed and should be changed or washed at least weekly,” he says.
What Happens If I Don’t Wash My Pajamas Enough?
As always, when you skimp on washing anything your skin touches, it eventually suffers for it. When you keep rewearing the same pair of jammies for longer than a week, you’re making them a cesspool of all the sweat and bacteria that gather in your sleep. And eventually, you’re putting all that bacteria right back onto your skin every night.
“This can increase risk of your skin becoming colonized with these microorganisms that can give rise to annoying bacterial skin disorders like folliculitis,” Kleinfelder says.
Plus, at the end of the day, bacteria create odor, and dirty pajamas will eventually smell. And who wants to go to bed in some stinky ass pajamas?
