How to make your bed neatly, with hospital corners

To make your bed, put the fitted sheet on with the seams facing down, lay the flat sheet face down with the wide hem at the headboard, tuck it in at the foot with hospital corners, add the blanket or duvet and square it up, fold the top sheet back over it, then set the pillows. Once you know the order, it's about 3 minutes.

What order do the layers go in?

From the mattress up:

1. Mattress protector
2. Fitted sheet
3. Flat sheet, if you use one
4. Blanket or quilt
5. Duvet or comforter
6. Sleeping pillows, then any decorative ones

A duvet with a cover can replace the flat sheet and blanket. The cover is the part you wash, and the bed gets made with one pull.

How do you make a bed step by step?

1. Fitted sheet. Find the tag. It usually marks a bottom or side corner. Pull one top corner over the mattress, then the opposite bottom corner, then the other two. Doing diagonals stops the first corner from popping off while you stretch for the last one.
2. Flat sheet. Lay it pattern side down, so the nice side shows when you fold it back. Line the wide hem up with the top edge of the mattress. Let even amounts hang off both sides.
3. Tuck the foot. Tuck the bottom edge under the mattress across the foot of the bed.
4. Hospital corners. See the next section. Do both sides.
5. Blanket. Lay it 6 to 8 inches down from the top of the mattress and tuck it in at the foot with the sheet.
6. The fold. Fold the top of the flat sheet down over the blanket. That clean band of sheet is what makes a bed look made.
7. Duvet or comforter. Center it, square the corners to the mattress corners, and smooth it from the middle out.
8. Pillows. Shake each one, then set the sleeping pillows flat or standing against the headboard. Decorative pillows go in front.

How do you make hospital corners?

1. With the foot tucked in, stand at the side of the bed near the foot.
2. Pick up the side edge of the sheet about 16 inches from the corner and lift it straight up, so it lies on top of the mattress in a 45-degree triangle.
3. Tuck the part of the sheet still hanging below the mattress under it.
4. Drop the triangle back down over the side and smooth it.
5. Tuck the rest of the side under, working toward the head of the bed.

It feels fussy the first few times. By the end of the week it's automatic, and the sheet stays put all night.

Should you make the bed right away?

Give it a few minutes. Pull the covers back when you get up and let the sheets air out while you shower or get dressed, then make it before you leave the room. A bed that's made the minute you get out of it traps the night's warmth and moisture under the covers.

How often should you wash sheets and pillows?

• Sheets and pillowcases: once a week is a good rhythm, and every two weeks at the outside. Sooner after a sick day, a hot spell or a night with the dog on the bed.
• Duvet cover: every week or two, with the sheets.
• Blankets and quilts: every month or so, more often if pets sleep on them.
• Pillows: check the tag. If it allows, wash them a few times a year. Fold a pillow in half. If it doesn't spring back, it's done.
• Mattress protector: every month or two, and after any spill.

Wash day is also the day to vacuum the mattress. Our guide on how to deep clean a mattress has the full routine.

What about kids' beds?

Keep it simple. A fitted sheet and a duvet in a washable cover means a child can make the bed with one pull and one pillow. For kids, "made" means the cover is up and the pillow is on top. Hotel corners can wait until they're older. Our kid's bedroom clean-up checklist puts making the bed as step one of five.

What a house cleaning covers in the bedroom

On a Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, bedroom floors are vacuumed and mopped, reachable surfaces and furniture are dusted, mirrors and glass surfaces are cleaned, and window sills are wiped. Counters, shelves and tables are wiped where they're clear of clutter.

See what's on the list at House Cleaning.

FAQ

How do you do hospital corners? Tuck the flat sheet in at the foot of the bed, then lift the side edge about 16 inches from the corner to make a 45-degree fold on top of the mattress. Tuck the hanging part under, drop the fold down over the side and tuck that in too.

Should you make your bed right after you get up? Pull the covers back and let the bed air out while you get ready, then make it before you leave the room. The time it takes you to get dressed is enough for the sheets to air out.

How often should you change your sheets? Once a week is a good rhythm, and every two weeks at the outside. Change them sooner after a sick day, a hot spell or a night with the dog on the bed.

What is the easiest way to get kids to make their bed? Give them a duvet instead of a top sheet and blanket, so making the bed is one pull and one pillow. A made bed means the cover is pulled up and the pillow is on top, not hospital corners.

Book a house cleaning

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