The Surprising Item In Your Bedroom That You Should Replace Sooner Than You Think

When replacing items around your home, your bedroom may sometimes fall behind other priorities such as common areas like your kitchen or living room. Chances are, your bedroom could use a bit of TLC, though. On top of replacing your mattress at least every eight to 10 years, there are some other items you might not think to replace at regular intervals. Before you guard your wallet, know this surprising item is not a high-ticket piece of furniture. It turns out that your bed linens ought to be replaced at regular intervals or whenever they start to look and feel worn.

Often sold in sets, bed linens include your sheets, pillowcases, comforter, and duvet covers. Linens are not as expensive as other items in your bedroom, but they're not necessarily cheap, either. Although buying good quality linens and taking care of them can ensure they retain both their functionality and longevity, even higher quality linens still need replacement once in a while. That's because their fibers break down over the months and years as these are used and washed. You can certainly help extend the lifespan of sheets by following all care instructions, but you can still expect to swap them out for new ones after a few years. In some cases, you might wish to replace them sooner if you're looking to swap out bed sheet colors in your bedroom.

The exact timeline for bed linen replacements first depends on the specific parts of the set. Sheets and pillow cases face the most wear and tear. As a result, they ought to be replaced every two or three years as a general rule of thumb. There's some varying guidelines based on materials, though. Affordable polyester blend sheets may hold up for about two years, while higher quality cotton, bamboo, and other natural fibers may last at least three years.

Comforters and duvet covers may last a bit longer because they undergo a little less wear and tear. Expect to replace the average duvet cover after five years, though, depending on the comforter style and its overall appearance, it may last between up to 10 years. Some may even last as long as 25 years, if you don't mind having the same comforter style for that long. All in all, you can expect to replace your sheets and pillowcases a couple of times before the rest of your bed linens.

While the various types of bed linens have different life spans, it's worth knowing that these timelines are guidelines only. Linens can last longer or much shorter depending on their quality and care. When determining when you should replace linens, trust your senses. Feel free to recycle old bedding items and replace them if they no longer look clean or feel soft. Any frayed or hole-filled bed linens, or those with faded colors, will probably need to be replaced, too. Before you toss old linens, however, consider some of the clever ways you can repurpose bed sheets around your home.