USEFUL TIPS
How To Make a Bed: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide
7 min read
7 min read
When it comes to making the bed of your dreams, it can quickly become more like a nightmare. Hospital corners? What in the world are those? A duvet? Is that necessary? How many throw pillows is too many throw pillows?
If these sound like questions you have asked yourself, you’re in the right place. It’s time to learn how to make a bed look exactly how you want it to.
What Are the Benefits of Knowing How To Make a Bed Properly?
You may wonder why making the bed even matters, especially if you’ll get back in it in a few hours. Believe it or not, knowing how to make a bed and adding it to your daily routine has a few great benefits.
Begin the Day With an Accomplishment
If you’re someone who loves a to-do list, making your bed right when you wake up is a great way to check something off before you ever step foot in your office.
By making your bed each day, you start your day with a nice accomplishment and set off on a productive and enjoyable trajectory. Even if nothing else goes right that day, you complete a task that can leave you feeling great when you return to your room later.
Lower Your Stress Levels
A made bed is tidy, and that can work wonders on your overall mood. Your room is a place you spend quite a bit of time each day, and your bed is likely the largest thing in your mood. When you make your bed, you essentially clean a big piece of your room.
It’s a simple act of self care that can have far reaching impacts. Try it out for a month or two and see if consistently making your bed puts you in a better mood. Many people who have tried this method have reported higher happiness levels from this simple task.
Encourage Additional Tidiness
When your bed is made, it can help encourage you to keep the rest of your room clean as well. Because the bed is such a big part of the room, when it is mess or has piles of laundry on top, it can feel like a big task to clear it off and make the bed. This can cause the slippery slope of extra piles of things around your room, on your floor, dresser, or chairs.
Taking a few moments to clear the foot of the bed of any items that may have found their way onto the bed is a great start into cleaning the rest of your room. It also gives you more time to focus on those other cleaning tasks later in the day.
You don’t have to worry about making your bed because you already did it in the morning!
Show Off Your Sense of Style
The choices you make with your bed sheets, duvet cover, pillowcases, headboard, and throw blanket can go a long way in the overall interior design of your bedroom. When you make your bed, it allows each of these unique choices to shine and pulls the look of the room together.
Whether you choose to add tons of decorative pillows or you stick to just your sleeping pillows, your bed is a great place to showcase your personality and personal style. You could even add extra touches like pillow shams or a bed skirt for an extra pop of personality.
Gather Supplies To Make Your Bed Properly
There are a few things you’ll need to make sure you have before you’re ready to make your bed. While a few items are optional, the basic list will be the same no matter what type of bed you have.
The basics will include the bed frame itself, of course (box spring optional), your mattress, flat sheets, fitted sheets, pillows, pillow covers, and your comforter or duvet. If you want to add in a few extra items, you’ll want a memory foammattress pad, mattress protector, blankets, and decorative pillows.
You will want to start the process with freshly cleaned sheets. Most experts recommend washing your sheets at least once a week, making it a great task to do each weekend, or setting a night of the week aside to wash your sheets and towels.
You can give yourself the gift of a few extra days between washes by investing in sheets like our Miracle Made Sheet Set, infused with silver that helps prevent up to 99.7% of bacteria growth; the main reason it's important to wash your sheets so often. These self-cleaning sheets help avoid gross odors and slow bacteria growth, so you can spend less time doing laundry.
How To Make a Bed Properly
There are many different ways you could choose to make your bed, and they’re all valid! Today we’re going to explain the traditional way of making a bed.
This is how people generally make beds and incorporates some classic steps like how to make hospital corners. You're in the right place if you’re ready for that knowledge.
Start Fresh
Before you even think about making your bed, you’ll want to start fresh. It can be tempting to take the easy way out and just kind of pull up your comforter and hope for the best.
However, that strategy won’t get you the nice, sleek look of a properly made bed. Remove all your blankets, stuffed animals, extra pillows, etc…Only then should you begin the bed-making process.
Put On the Fitted Sheet
If you’re making your bed after changing your sheets, your first step is putting on the fitted sheet. This part is definitely easier with a partner, but it’s not impossible to do alone.
First, identify the long and short sides. Then, simply pull it over your bed corners and tuck it in so it’s nice and tight. Don’t worry if it takes a few tries; you’ll get the hang of it in no time.
You may put your fitted sheet on top of a mattress cover or mattress pad. If that is the case, make sure your fitted sheet fits over the additional layers.
Add the Top Sheet: How To Do Hospital Corners
Your next step is to add the top sheet. This may be a controversial step as many people around the world skip the top sheet entirely. However, we’re big fans of the top sheet.
It adds an extra layer between you and your comforter and duvet. If you’re using a patterned sheet, put the dull side facing down so you can see the pattern if you pull it over your comforter later.
Here’s where those scary-sounding hospital corners come into play.
To make hospital corners, follow these steps:
- Tuck the bottom of the sheet tightly into the mattress at the foot of your bed.
- On the bottom right corner of the mattress, grab the sheets draping over the side, and pull them to the top of the mattress.
- Grab the extra part of the sheet that is still hanging down, and tuck that in under the mattress.
- Fold the final piece down, and tuck that under the mattress as well.
- Repeat on the other side of the bed.
Now that you know how to make hospital corners, are they really necessary? Hospital corners may take an extra few steps, but they provide a few great benefits. They help your sheets stay firmly in place instead of moving around or getting bunched up as you sleep.
They also make your bed look smooth and tidy. Originally used so that nurses could easily resize the sheet without disturbing the patient, they remain a great option for making your bed today.
Place Your Comforter or Duvet
If you’re using a duvet, you likely won’t be folding your top sheet down, so leave a little space between the top edge of the duvet and the top of the bed for layering pillows. If you’re using a comforter, you can pull it up higher.
Once you’ve pulled it up, you can fold your top sheet over the top of your comforter for a classic look.
Add Your Blankets and Pillows
Now comes the fun part. Once you have completed all the previous steps, it’s time to add some finishing touches.
This is when you can place all your throw pillows, throw blankets, or stuffed animals on the top of your bed. But first, you need to place your sleeping pillows on the bed. Fluff your pillows nicely before placing them at the head of the bed.
These final touches give your bed a bit of personality and can add extra coziness. When it comes to decorative pillows, just remember that they’ll need to go somewhere each night, so less may be more.
Strategically choose a few pillows that look great in your room but don’t cause a headache when it comes time to crawl into bed each night.
Conclusion
Making your bed is a great habit to begin, as it can alter the trajectory of your day. Whether you make your bed daily or not, this skill will be needed whenever you’re ready to change your sheets after the wash.
So it’s important to remember the basic steps for making a bed. First, put on the fitted sheet. Add your top sheet and decide whether to tackle hospital corners. Place your duvet or comforter on top, and then provide the finishing touches with blankets, pillows, and more.
When you complete this task in the morning, it can lead to a variety of benefits. You may feel happier and less stressed. You may find an extra burst of motivation to keep the rest of your room clean.
Or, you may just find that you love the way a well-made bed looks in your bedroom. Whatever your motivation, this is one small daily task that can truly change your life.
Sources:
The Mental Health Benefits of Making Your Bed | Verywell Mind
5 Reasons to Make Your Bed Every Day | The Spruce
How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets? | Sleep Foundation
