How Often to Wash Bedding to Keep Dust Mites Down

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says to wash bedding in hot water once a week and dry it completely to keep dust mites down. That advice sits in a short weekly routine with covers, vacuuming, and damp dusting, which fits on one laundry day.

1. Why bedding matters: dust mites

The EPA's asthma triggers page explains that dust mites are tiny bugs too small to see, and that every home has them. They feed on human skin flakes and live in:

• Mattresses and pillows
• Bedcovers
• Carpets
• Upholstered furniture
• Clothes, stuffed toys, and other fabric or fabric-covered items

EPA's home checklist adds curtains to that list. It is not the mites themselves that cause trouble, but their body parts and droppings, which EPA says can trigger asthma in people allergic to dust mites. EPA also notes that exposure to dust mites can cause asthma in children who have not had symptoms before.

Since a bed combines a mattress, pillows, and bedcovers, and you spend hours there every night, it is the logical place to focus.

2. The EPA routine

EPA's list of actions for dust mites:

• Wash bedding in hot water once a week, and dry it completely.
• Use dust-proof covers on pillows and mattresses.
• Vacuum carpets and furniture every week.
• Choose stuffed toys you can wash, wash them in hot water, and dry them completely before a child plays with them.
• Dust often with a damp cloth.
• Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter on carpet and fabric-covered furniture to reduce dust build-up.

EPA adds that people with asthma or allergies should leave the area while it is being vacuumed. Its home checklist gives the same advice for sweeping and dusting.

3. Turning it into a weekly schedule

Here is one way to fit EPA's steps into a week, built around a single bedding day.

Bedding day (once a week)

1. Strip sheets, pillowcases, and any washable blankets or duvet covers.
2. Wash them in hot water, as EPA recommends.
3. Dry them completely. EPA repeats "dry completely" for both bedding and stuffed toys.
4. While the bed is bare, wipe down the headboard and nightstand with a damp cloth, which traps dust instead of scattering it.
5. Remake the bed over the allergen-proof mattress and pillow covers.

Vacuum day (once a week, can be the same day)

1. Vacuum bedroom carpets and rugs.
2. Vacuum upholstered furniture and fabric-covered chairs.
3. Use a HEPA-filter vacuum if you have one.
4. If someone in the home has asthma or allergies, have them stay out of the room while you vacuum.

Stuffed toys

EPA says to choose toys you can wash, wash them in hot water, and dry them completely before a child plays with them. Washing them on bedding day is one way to remember.

4. Covers: wash them on their own schedule

EPA's home checklist says to clean allergen-proof mattress and pillow covers according to the manufacturer's instructions. Check the tag when you buy them and add their washing schedule to your monthly or seasonal list, so they do not get forgotten under the sheets.

5. The humidity connection

EPA's home checklist notes that dust mites prefer humid environments, and that regular use of a dehumidifier may be a sign that a home runs humid. The checklist recommends using a device to measure relative humidity at home. The same checklist says to keep relative humidity around 30 to 50 percent, and it supports the weekly washing routine.

6. What to buy, and what to skip

Based on EPA's list, the useful purchases are:

• Allergen-proof zippered covers for mattresses and pillows.
• Washable bedding and washable stuffed toys. EPA's home checklist specifically recommends washable bedding for people allergic to dust mites.
• A HEPA-filter vacuum for carpets and upholstery.

If dust mite allergies are suspected but not confirmed, EPA's checklist suggests talking with a health care provider about whether allergy testing would help.

7. Key takeaways

• EPA says every home has dust mites, which live in mattresses, pillows, bedcovers, carpets, upholstered furniture, and stuffed toys.
• Wash bedding in hot water once a week and dry it completely.
• Use dust-proof covers on mattresses and pillows, and clean them as the manufacturer directs.
• Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture weekly, ideally with a HEPA filter, while people with asthma or allergies stay out of the room.
• Dust with a damp cloth, choose washable stuffed toys, and keep an eye on bedroom humidity.