People have been urged to make sure they're washing their bedsheets enough, to lower the risk of health issues.
It can seem like a chore at times, but frequent washing can help you stay healthy and avoid the threat of three certain conditions - which can be deadly if not treated.
A third of people in the UK have admitted they only wash their sheets once a year, according to a survey by Hammond Furniture. But experts at Bed Kingdom recommend allocating time to washing your bedding at least once a week, the Mirror reports.
Studies have shown that mattresses can become full of pathogens over time if the sheets aren't kept clean.
According to researchers, this can set the stage for several deadly conditions, including pneumonia, appendicitis and gonorrhoea .
Experts at Bed Kingdom have claimed that the body excretes fluids and oils each night when we're asleep, along with thousands of dead skin cells.
This attracts dust mites which excrete faecal matter linked to allergy, asthma, rhinitis and eczema flare-ups.
"Changing bed sheets daily is recommended for people who are ill," explains Bed Kingdom.
These dust mites can also lead to allergic reactions in some people, including coughing, sneezing, rashes and a runny nose.
To avoid letting bed sheets become a vehicle of transmission, the experts suggest setting some time away for washing your sheets at least once a week.
They added: "As with any chore, it can be easy to procrastinate and leave it to the last minute, but the potential effects on your health are a great reason to dedicate the time.
"Sticking to a schedule of stripping the bed in the morning is useful to keep on top of your wasting as you will be rewarded with clean sheets the next time you get into bed.
"If you can dry your sheets in the sunlight, this will save you money on tumble dryer costs as well as killing germs further."
Dirty bedsheets have also been proven to transmit infections of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, which is especially dangerous because of how contagious it is.
It is also intimately linked with severe health conditions like pneumonia.
Another risk people face is appendicitis when bacteria or parasites enter the digestive tract. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that this could happen when the tube that joins your large intestine and appendix is blocked or trapped by stool.
If the appendix bursts, it can lead to "serious and deadly infections".
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