Opinions can be divided when the topic of washing your bedding comes up, with some - like Stacey Solomon - washing weekly, while others will wash their sheets every fortnight or so.
However, everyone would agree that years, and then decades, and maybe even a century is just too long. However, that was the case for a woman named Cornelia Bayley who had never washed her bedding - even though it was thought to be 100 years old.
As reported by the Mirror, her home featured on a 2013 episode of Channel 4's Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners back in 2013 in which the hosts dubbed the property their "greatest challenge yet".
Aged 74 at the time of the show, the retired antiques dealer was struggling to maintain the 10-bedroom Grade I listed 17th century manor in north Wales by herself. She enlisted the help of cleaning obsessives Hayley and Dann.
An eye-opening confession which left both the cleaners stunned was that Cornelia had never washed her bedding or mattress – which is believed to be 100 years old.
After being shown the bedroom, Hayley asked: "Cornelia, when was the bedding last washed," to which she replied: "Never".
Hayley added: "It's never been washed? What about the mattress? Do you clean the mattresses?"
Dan then asked: "How old is the mattress," to which Cornelia replied: "It could be 100 years old, or something. You know, this is how people used to live years ago – and I still live like that."
Cornelia's one rule was that Dan and Hayley weren't allowed to use any cleaning products. They were instead only able to use water and a sponge.
When Cornelia said this, Hayley asked: "It doesn't kill the bacteria then, does it?" to which the homeowner replied: "The bacteria can live here, I couldn't care less."
Looking back on her experience in the house in a YouTube video in 2020, Hayley said she had a "bit of a breakdown" at this point.
She added: "That was the first hurdle for me, and instantly I was like, 'This is going to go downhill very, very quickly'.
"Because I was thinking in my mind things like, 'How am I gonna get these toilets clean? What am I gonna use to clean the sink drains and put down the drains and stuff?'".
After scrubbing everything with water - and a little bit of washing up liquid - Cornelia said she was "happy" with all the pair's hard work.
Plas Teg is currently closed to the public while they complete structural repairs, but Cornelia still lives there.
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