We hope you’re not eating right now, because we’ve just found out that a study has revealed a third of Brits apparently only wash their bed sheets once a year.
Just once.
It’s not entirely new information, as the survey is couple of years old now and seems to have reared its ugly head to do the rounds on social media once again, but the shocking research – which is based on a survey of 2,000 conducted by Hammonds Furniture – found that Brits are falling behind when it comes to keeping up with the laundry, as one in three (30%) have admitted to washing their bedding just once a year.
While we know that the rising cost of living crisis is sadly forcing people nationwide to have to reconsider the frequency of a lot of their energy-using practices as a way to manage finances, is this unsavoury habit taking it a bit too far?
According to experts, not washing bedding regularly enough can lead to bacteria build-ups, itchy skin, and mites – which doesn’t take much to believe.
ADVERTISEMENT
If that wasn’t bad enough as it is though, Brits’ gross habits apparently don’t just stop at the bed sheets either, as 36% of people claimed they only wash their blankets once a year, and 18% admitted to only washing jeans annually.
Winter garments such as scarves, gloves, and hats were reported to be rarely washed too, even though experts say they should be washed after every five to 10 wears, as gloves can very easily pick up germs, and dirt and oil can quickly get trapped in scarves and hats.
ADVERTISEMENT
A third of Brits apparently only wash their bedding once a year / Credit: Susan Wilkinson (via Unsplash)
Luckily though, there are some positives to take from these survey results.
People tend to be cleaner when it comes to their towels, with 40% of Brits washing these after each use and 45% ensuring they are washed after five uses, and thankfully, most of us are not quite as disgusting with underwear as 80% claim to wash garments after every wear.
But there are some significant gender differences.
ADVERTISEMENT
A quarter of men admitted to washing their underwear after every five washes, compared to just 13% of women and worryingly, one in ten men (10%) claimed to wash their underwear after every 10 washes, compared to just 3% of women.
Dr Giuseppe Aragona – GP and Medical Advisor at Prescription Doctor – claims that changing your bed sheets once a week is best for optimum cleanliness. He said: “Washing your clothing items and bedsheets regularly is important for overall cleanliness and ensuring your body remains clean and healthy.
Brits have been found to be falling behind when it comes to keeping up with the laundry / Credit: Marco Verch (via Flickr)
“If you do not wash clothing items often, you could be at risk of infection or just feeling and smelling unclean.
“Bed sheets and pillowcases should be washed as if they are dirty this could promote acne, spots and other skin issues due to the dirty bacteria on the sheets transferring to your skin.”
Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.
Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.
Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.
Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.
“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”
For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.
Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.
After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!
Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.
While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.
One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.
Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Emily Sergeant -
27th October 2022 
