Tips on How to Make Your Bed the Right Way

Making your bed the right way is not just about your bedroom being aesthetically pleasing. It can have a dramatic effect on out mental well being and affect our daily performance.

How to Make Your Bed the Right Way

Although many people don’t give the subject much thought, learning how to make your bed the right way is a life skill everyone needs to know.

Sleep is an important part of our lives and where and how we sleep can make a huge difference to our mental and physical performance throughout the day.

It is important to create a peaceful and aesthetically pleasing environment to sleep in. Make sure the room is the right temperature and maybe have some sleep inducing soft music playing.

The average person spends about 26 years of their life sleeping and may devote a further 7 years trying to get to sleep.

That’s 33 years of bed-time and we owe it to ourselves to spend those years in beds that are clean, comfortable, and nicely prepared.

Retiring to a well-made bed is a simple pleasure anyone can enjoy. 

But do you know how to make your bed the right way?

The fact that you are reading this article suggests you may have some doubts and are looking for bed-making tips or trying to lay your mind to rest.

Either way, in a few moments you will have the answers you seek.

How to Make Your Bed the Right Way – A Step-by-Step Guide

The most important part of any bed is the mattress so it’s appropriate we begin there.

Essential Preparation: Protect Your Mattress and Pillows

A mattress protector helps extend the life of your mattress by shielding it from spills and stains. It also helps reduce wear and tear to the surface of the mattress.

Fortunately, once it’s safely tucked over your mattress, a mattress protector need not be part of your daily bed-making routine. You can pretty much forget about it. 

The same is true for pillow protectors. Once your pillows are safely tucked inside, there is unlikely to be any need to worry about them unless you spill something.

However, although using pillow protectors will help you avoid the need to wash your pillows so often, you will still need to wash your pillow slips as normal.

Mattress and pillow protectors are an especially important bed addition for anyone who has allergies.

The fabric mattress and pillow protectors are made from block allergens that would otherwise enter your pillows and mattress.

Step 1: Strip the Bed and Replace the Sheets

Your daily bed-making routine should begin with stripping the covers from the bed. It will probably make things easier if you remove the pillows as well.

These days, most sets of bed sheets provide a fitted sheet for the mattress. This type of sheet is a big improvement on the simple sheets that used to come with such sets many years ago.

Unless you are planning to wash your sheets and replace them with fresh ones, most days a good fitted sheet will require little or no work at all.

At most, you may have to smooth the sheet with your hands, tuck it a little tighter under the mattress, and make sure the corners are still correctly placed.

Next comes the top sheet. It’s pretty much an optional extra these days. A lot of people prefer not to use one. In fact, a lot of bedding sets don’t even provide a top sheet.

However, if you prefer to make your bed the old-school way—with a top sheet—you will need to apply it neatly so it does not stick out.

Begin by laying the sheet over the top of your mattress. Make sure the top of the fabric is facing down. If there is a pattern, it should face the mattress.  That way, the pattern will be visible when you turn down the sheets.

It’s important to center the top sheet correctly and ensure the sides hang evenly all around the bed. Then it’s time to create the hospital corners.

How to Do Hospital Corners

The term “hospital corners” may bring to mind pictures of bland-looking hospital beds but don’t let the name fool you.

The same bed-making technique is also common practice in luxury hotels.

Begin by tucking the sheet under the mattress at the foot of the bed.

Then go to the right corner, lift the hanging piece of sheet and lay it on the mattress. You will see an extra flap of fabric hanging down. That piece needs to be tucked under the mattress.

Next, take hold of the area of sheet you placed on top of the bed and tuck it neatly under the mattress as well.

After that, move to the left corner and repeat the process there as well. If you have made your hospital corners correctly, the top sheet will be nice and tight.

Step 2: Layer Your Covers

From here on in, the bed-making process only gets easier. It’s time to add your duvet, quilt, or comforter.

Throw your bed cover over the top sheet, with practice you may be able to get the position right first time.

If you don’t, it’s not a big deal. Just tug it into a position so the sides hang evenly all around the bed.

Next, fold over your chosen bed covering at the top-end of the bed, being sure to leave adequate space for the pillows.

If you have a top sheet, now’s the time to fold that over as well to create a nice, neat, layered look.

Step 3: Add the Pillows

Now its time to add the pillows. Depending on your personal preference, you may only have one pillow per person or you could have two.

Either way, the pillows at each side of the bed should sit against your headboard.

If it’s a wash day, you may need to replace the pillowslips first. If it’s not, you might have to straighten the pillows in their cases or smooth the fabric with your hand.

If you use pillows with feathers inside, you may need to plump them up as well.

Step 4: Finishing Touches

If you like to adorn your bed with throw pillows, cuddly toys, or something else; now’s the time to add them to your bed.

Some people like to add a throw blanket and fold it neatly so that it lays across the foot of the bed.

An appropriate choice of throw blanket can add a little extra character to even the best made of beds.

Choosing the Best Time to Make Your Bed

Due to work commitments or other factors, many of us have to make our beds just after we get up. There’s a lot to be said for doing so. Nobody relishes the idea of returning home to an unmade bed.

However, if your circumstances permit, it’s a good idea to pull back the cover and air your bed for a few hours before making it.

The human body can perspire quite a lot during sleep, adding extra moisture to the bed. Giving your bed time to air helps the moisture to escape. It also discourages the presence of dust mites.

Although dust mites are harmless, the faeces they produce can cause some people to experience allergic reactions.

So, although knowing how to make your bed the right way is an important skill, it helps if you can also make your bed up at the best time.

How to Make Your Bed the Right Way Summary

Hopefully this article will give you some guidance to making your bed right way.

It will also resonate that a neat and tidy bed is not just pleasing to look at but have a real positive bearing on your mental health.

A well made bed will ultimately give you a better nights sleep!