There’s nothing better than opening a new pack of sheets. Most of the time, they’ve been ironed perfectly – almost crispy – and they’ve never felt softer or more luxurious than they did before the first use. While you may be looking forward to putting them in bed and getting ready for a good night’s sleep, you may be wondering if you should wash your new sheets first. But is it worth all the effort? It doesn’t look dirty, and no one has used it, so is it really necessary to wash the sheets before using them?
You might be surprised to learn that, yes, you should definitely wash your sheets before using them for the first time – here’s why, according to experts.
“Yes, you should wash the sheets before putting them on the bed,” says Daelin Arney of Cozy Earth. “Just to make sure you don’t bring any unfamiliar bacteria and unwanted chemicals into your bed or on your skin. There are some processes that need to be gone through before the customer receives the fabric. Even natural fibers can be affected by potential irritants.”
Hayley Goldbach, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, told BHG, “I always recommend washing sheets before using them. When you buy a product, the chemicals used in the fabric processing and dyeing process may still remain on the product. These chemicals can cause a variety of problems, from contact dermatitis (usually disperse dyes, etc.) to possibly carcinogenic (carcinogenic chemicals).”
It’s also important to understand that washing your sheets once won’t completely remove chemicals, but Goldbach says it’s a good start.
If you’re super sensitive to general chemicals, you may need to soak your new sheets in the washing machine alone for a few hours before rinsing them again, or simply wash them twice before using them. While it may take a few cycles to remove all the chemicals, it certainly won’t hurt to try to remove as many of them as possible before using them.
Goldbach also recommends choosing bed linen that is GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or OEKO-TEX certified. Keep in mind, though, that just because a product is third-party certified, doesn’t guarantee that you won’t experience an allergic reaction. “[These certifications] all test for certain chemicals, but they’re not perfect either,” she said.
After all, you may not know you’re allergic to something until your body reacts. Therefore, it is best to try to prevent this from happening in the first place.
It is best to wear it with bedding made of natural fibers. Goldbach liked cotton and linen. “Avoid things labeled ‘wrinkle-free’ as they may contain formaldehyde or formaldehyde releasers,” she said.
“We also recommend washing all new sheets before use, as sheets tend to change slightly after the first wash. This allows customers to experience what their sheets will always look like,” Arney says.