We ask a lot of our bodies in a single day: commute to work, sprint to meetings, squeeze in a workout , drive or ride public transit, and, at least for me, hoof it down those gloriously grimy NYC sidewalks. Even if you shower before bed every night (gold star), you’re still bringing an invisible entourage with you under the covers . We don’t think about it because sleep is non-negotiable, but dead skin, sweat, and yes, a little saliva end up on our sheets and pillowcases . You can’t see it—but it’s there.

I’m not hear to induce fear, I’m just saying all this as a reminder that clean sheets do matter. I didn’t know that the average bed sheet can collect up to 17,000 times more bacteria than a toilet seat in one week until I spoke with Dr. Kathrin Hamm, founder and CEO of Bear

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