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It's a collective agreement that laundry is either a relaxing and satisfying experience or the biggest chore of your life. However, whether you like it or not, someone has to do it and your belongings won't clean themselves! Whether you're washing clothing, bed sheets, or even your bath mat, they all need a good washing or they could run the risk of harboring harmful bacteria. Here are 10 household items that deserve a good, thorough washing and how often they should be washed! 1. Bed sheets pxhere According to experts, we should be washing our bed sheets every 1-2 weeks. Weekly cleanings are recommended, but if you wait a second week out, it won't be enough to harbor anyway unwelcome bacteria. 2. Mattress pad Shop Borgata This is one thing that many people forget needs to be cleaned (and FYI we mean the protective covering underneath the sheets). Thankfully it only needs to be cleaned every month or so and it's not as demanding of a wash as bed sheets are! 3. Pillows Wikimedia Commons You have your pillowcases and then you have your actual pillows. While pillowcases should probably be washed along with your sheets weekly, your actual pillows need a good cleaning, too! You should throw them in the laundry about every six months. 4. Bath towels Wikimedia Commons It's smart to hang up your bath towels to dry after the first use so you can reuse them the following day. However, they still need a good cleaning before they start to smell all musty. Bath towels should be cleaned after three uses. There's nothing better than wrapping yourself in a clean, warm bath towel! 5. Bath mat Crate and Barrel The bath mat is used for when you're sopping wet straight out of the shower, so it's absorbing all of the water and doesn't dry very well. This calls for a weekly cleaning! Read more helpful cleaning tips on the NEXT page... 6. Pajamas Popsugar Alright, a show of hands. Who wears the same pair of pajamas every night? Experts say that we should wash our sets of pajamas after three wears! Or at least invest in an additional pair of pajamas throughout the week to replace our favorite pair. 7. Bras pixabay Ladies! This one's for you. Your bras should actually be washed every 3-4 wears. Make it a habit to throw your go-to bras in with the rest of your laundry weekly! 8. General clothing items maxpixel There's a lot of different time spans in which certain clothing items should be washed. Shirts should be washed after every wear, whereas dresses, skirts, and pants, can last up to three wears before they need a cleaning! 9. Throw blankets Didriks / Flickr It's easy to forget that even the coziest of items need a good cleaning, too. Throw blankets, including the ones on your bed or couch, need a wash every three months. 10. Dish towels Ali Express We saved the big one for last. Dirty dish towels can harbor food-borne illnesses like E. coli if not cleaned. Instead of cleaning it every single day, it's best to just replace it with a new one every day and throw the old one in the laundry. Were you surprised by these cleaning tips? Be sure to SHARE this article to spread awareness about proper cleaning times!