![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/104078781-15313091-A_scientist_has_revealed_how_often_you_should_really_be_changing-a-15_17637299187.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nWhether it’s a sexy neglig\u00e9e or a comfy two-piece, pyjamas are worn by people around the world. But how often should you pop your favourite PJs in the wash?<\/p>\n
This is the question that has torn social media users this week, with some claiming that changing your pyjamas every day is ‘crazy and unnecessary’.<\/p>\n
Previous studies have shown that the average Brit wears their pyjamas for up to two weeks without washing them.<\/p>\n
But is this enough? Dr Primrose Freestone, associate professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Leicester, has settled the debate once and for all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she explained that it’s best to change your pyjamas every single day.<\/p>\n
If you shower before bed and aren’t very sweaty, you might be able to stretch that to three or four wears at a push.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, most people are putting themselves at risk of developing bad body odour and even harmful infections by repeatedly\u00a0wearing the same pair of pyjamas.<\/p>\n
Dr Freestone says: ‘The more one sweats, the more smelly the pyjama becomes, and this may mean the nightclothes need to be changed daily.’\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A scientist has revealed how often you should really be changing your pyjamas, and it’s bad news for people who don’t like doing laundry (stock image)<\/p>\n
On social media, the question of how often to change your pyjamas has sparked an intense debate.<\/p>\n
On one side, there are those who claim that wearing pyjamas more than once or twice is unhygienic.<\/p>\n
One commenter wrote on X: ‘I must be one of those water wasters cause it’s a fresh one every night and bed linen is changed weekly.’<\/p>\n
Another user chimed in that they ‘wear them twice maximum’, while another asked: ‘What about sweat? What about crotch odour?’\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, many other social media users were shocked to learn that people were changing their pyjamas more than once a week.’<\/p>\n
‘Thought we are meant to wear one for a whole week? Like c’mon it’s just to sleep in at night,’ one commenter retorted.<\/p>\n
Another added: ‘I thought pyjamas were basically a weekly subscription, not a daily change.’<\/p>\n
And one wrote: ‘Every night is crazy and unnecessary. Every 3-4 nights though is acceptable.’<\/p>\n
![\"On](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/104076969-15313091-On_social_media_the_question_of_when_to_change_your_pyjamas_has_-a-16_17637301438.jpeg\")
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On social media, the question of when to change your pyjamas has sparked a fierce debate, with some claiming it is best to change every day<\/p>\n
![\"However,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/104076977-15313091-However_other_social_media_users_were_shocked_to_find_out_that_p-a-17_17637302334.jpeg\")
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However, other social media users were shocked to find out that people were changing their pyjamas so often\u00a0<\/p>\n
How often should you change your pyjamas? <\/p>\n
If you sweat a lot at night, you should change your pyjamas every single night.<\/p>\n
However, if you shower before bed or don’t sweat so much, you can wear them for longer.<\/p>\n
At most, experts advise changing your pyjamas after three to four days.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some particularly unbothered commenters even argued that it was better to keep wearing pyjamas until they start to smell.<\/p>\n
‘Some change daily. Some change weekly. Some change when they get funky,’ wrote one commenter.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, one social media user claimed: ‘If I can still smell the laundry detergent on it I\u2019m wearing it again.’<\/p>\n
However, Dr Freestone says that people do need to think more carefully about their pyjama hygiene.<\/p>\n
She says: ‘Pyjamas are in close contact with the skin of the human body, which is naturally coated in millions of bacteria, fungi and viruses.’\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether you shower before bed or not, everyone produces about half a pint of sweat each night, almost all of which ends up in your pyjamas.<\/p>\n
This creates a warm, damp environment in your bedclothes that is perfect for microorganisms to breed.<\/p>\n
Microbes feed on the dead skin, sweat and oils that build up in our pyjamas and excrete smelly chemicals that produce the distinctive whiff of BO.<\/p>\n
![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/104077547-15313091-One_commenter_said_that_changing_your_pyjamas_every_night_was_cr-a-18_17637302822.jpeg\")
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One commenter said that changing your pyjamas every night was ‘crazy and unnecessary’, opting instead to change them once every three to four nights\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/104077549-15313091-One_commenter_joked_that_they_thought_pyjamas_were_a_weekly_subs-a-19_17637303358.jpeg\")
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One commenter joked that they thought pyjamas were a ‘weekly subscription’ rather than something that needed a daily change\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Some](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/104078563-15313091-Some_social_media_users_preferred_to_rely_on_the_old_fashioned_s-a-20_17637304182.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Some social media users preferred to rely on the old-fashioned smell test to see if their pyjamas were still wearable\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you eat while wearing your pyjamas, this can become even worse as particles of food get trapped in your clothes and provide a buffet for bacteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, Dr Freestone points out that sweat isn’t even the only source of bad smells in our pyjamas.<\/p>\n
She says: ‘If you have flatulence and release a lot of anal wind, you will be shooting tiny amounts of faeces into your pyjamas with each fart, which over time will start to smell.<\/p>\n
‘Most people have several milligrams of faeces in their underwear from flatus release each day. Multiply this over days into pyjamas and you have another level of odour to consider.’<\/p>\n
Beyond simply smelling bad, letting your pyjamas get too dirty can also create a genuine health risk.<\/p>\n
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that bedclothes and pyjamas can spread infections from person to person.<\/p>\n
In fact, pyjamas are more of an infection risk than other types of clothing since they are directly in contact with the genitals and bodily fluids.<\/p>\n
This is particularly true for infections associated with faecal matter, such as norovirus, with the NHS issuing specific guidance to staff to be careful while washing patients’ clothing.<\/p>\n
![\"Experts](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/104078779-15313091-Experts_say_that_you_should_change_your_pyjamas_every_day_especi-a-21_17637304607.jpeg\")
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Experts say that you should change your pyjamas every day, especially if you sweat a lot or eat food while wearing them (stock image)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Freestone adds: ‘Skin cells deposited into the pyjamas are unavoidable and will also act as food for any house dust mites and fungi present.’<\/p>\n
‘The more dust mites eat and reproduce, the more faecal droppings accumulate in your bed; mite droppings are allergenic and can trigger asthma attacks and skin.’<\/p>\n
Likewise, fungi can also eat human skin cells, leading to asthma attacks and a lung infection called Aspergillus fumigatus which can cause severe illness in people with weakened immune systems.<\/p>\n
If you want to make sure you are not putting yourself at risk of infection, it’s important to change your pyjamas regularly and to wash them thoroughly.<\/p>\n
A low-temperature wash might remove the dirt and sweat, but it won’t be enough to kill the bacteria growing in your night clothes.<\/p>\n