I tried a bedding calculator and I'm disgusted by my duvet and pillows…

Do you remember the last time you replaced your bedding? If the answer is “I have no clue” or “I don’t think I’ve ever replaced my duvet or pillows”, you definitely need to try out the new Bedding Calculator from Happy Beds.

Having a comfortable and clean sleep set-up is key to getting the rest you need. Changing your bed sheets regularly and practising good sleep hygiene will only get you so far, as if your duvet is old or your pillows are yellowing, this can be detrimental to your health and wellbeing.

To find out more about this, I decided to give the Bedding Calculator a try and I’m slightly shocked at what I’ve been sleeping in!

• Want to upgrade your bedding? Check out our guides for the best duvet and the best pillow for our top picks

What happened when I tried the Bedding Calculator

Before trying the Bedding Calculator, I spoke to Rex Isap, CEO of Happy Beds. He explained the reason why the Happy Beds team created the Bedding Calculator was because of a study conducted in 2022. The study “saw volunteers swabbing their sheets over four weeks, and in that time, a pillowcase was found to have 39 times as much bacteria as a pet bowl, whilst sheets have 5.4 times more bacteria than a toothbrush holder.”

With further research, Isap found statistics that showed how often people in the UK wash their bedding, and it was pretty shocking. “62% of single women changed their bedding every two weeks, compared to only 29% of single men and 17% of people in relationships. Alarmingly, 45% of single men only changed their sheets once every three-to-four months!” With this in mind, Happy Beds made the Bedding Calculator, a 10 question quiz that determines if and when you need to change your duvet and pillows.

The questions in the Bedding Calculator range from how often you’ve owned your duvet and pillows to your sleep habits and condition of your bedding. For your sleep habits, you’ll be asked if you sweat a lot, what you wear to sleep in and if you wake up with any aches and pains. Regarding the condition of your bedding, the Bedding Calculator asks you if your pillow and duvet holds their shape, if they have any lumps and if you have to fold them for extra support.

Bedding Calculator: The Results

After answering all the questions, it turns out my pillows are fine but I need to replace my duvet! I can’t remember when I bought my duvet and although I take good care of it and change my sheets every two weeks as recommended, my duvet is probably a bit old and could definitely be in better condition.

Underneath the result, the Bedding Calculator gives you tips on how to take better care of your bedding. For example, the advice I was given was about how long your duvet should last for and signs it needs replacing. Regardless, I’m definitely heading over to our best duvet guide to pick out a new one!