I Never Wash My Sheets Weekly — My Mom’s Brilliant Trick Helps Keep Them Fresh

When I was growing up, my mom was diligent about maintaining a cleaning routine and made sure my sister and I never deviated from it. Every Saturday morning (after breakfast and cartoons, of course), my mom had us do the dishes, then clean our bedroom and make our beds. I’d always seen my mom make her bed in an unusual way: She’d strip everything off her bed except the fitted sheet, and then she took her top sheet and slapped every quadrant of the mattress with it. 

I assumed her “slapping” trick was just a funny quirk, but when I asked why she did it, she explained that it helps quickly clear away any dust, lint, and hair to keep her sheets fresh before making the bed. Since then, I’ve adopted this method well into my adulthood as part of my own cleaning routine. 

This surprisingly effective method is quite simple: Remove your top sheet and bunch it up or fold it so you can use it to slap all over your bed. You want it to feel thick so you can approach the mattress with as much force as possible to dispel the dust, hair, and dander; the heavier it feels, the more you’ll be able to clear away in just one motion. Repeat the movement all over the bed, focusing on the corners or whichever part is closest to a window. If you have an extra minute, it’s nice to do a quick loop around the bed with a vacuum to pick up everything you’ve shaken off.

Since I don’t typically wash my sheets every week, my mom’s “sheet slap” trick is an easy way to maintain my bed’s freshness and cleanliness, while also preventing dust mites. To keep dust bunnies from setting up camp on my bedsheets, I also own a dehumidifier, deep clean my mattress about every eight weeks, and vacuum my entire bedroom and wipe down surrounding surfaces (nightstand, vanity, and mirrored closet doors, to name a few) weekly. 

My mom’s method helps extend the time between sheet washes, which also preserves water and energy (utilities and my own!). Slapping away dust from my bed allows me to sleep comfortably without feeling the itch of hair or the worry of dust mites. It’s a simple habit that keeps the space cleaner in seconds and helps my bedroom feel like the sanctuary I want it to be. Thanks, Mom!