Daily Rules to Function By
January 5, 2016 6:52 PM Subscribe
I'm writing this question because I have not put a set of sheets on my bed for about a year. I have clean sheets. I wash my comforter and pillows regularly. I just need a rule for actually putting the sheets on my bed! Here on MeFi there was a rule that helped me so immensely in terms of cooking and cleanup that I now actually cook and keep my kitchen clean ("Rule: Cooking is not finished until the cleanup is finished"). Can I get some rules for putting sheets on my bed, or life in general?
Also, I kind of know why I don't put sheets on my bed. If I put them on I'll just have to take them off again and it seems kind of pointless when I can just scoop the comforter and pillows into the washer and throw them back on the back, no tucking, stuffing required. However, I realize this kind of shortcut is not Adult Behavior and would like a rule to justify putting sheets on my bed. Before the Cooking Cleanup Rule I never bothered cooking, because it would lead to a messes etc, but the Rule literally changed my life!
Any other rules would be most welcome, because I'm living a kind of circumscribed life due to my shortcuts and there is probably a lot of stuff that doesn't occur to me. Thanks!
Also, I kind of know why I don't put sheets on my bed. If I put them on I'll just have to take them off again and it seems kind of pointless when I can just scoop the comforter and pillows into the washer and throw them back on the back, no tucking, stuffing required. However, I realize this kind of shortcut is not Adult Behavior and would like a rule to justify putting sheets on my bed. Before the Cooking Cleanup Rule I never bothered cooking, because it would lead to a messes etc, but the Rule literally changed my life!
Any other rules would be most welcome, because I'm living a kind of circumscribed life due to my shortcuts and there is probably a lot of stuff that doesn't occur to me. Thanks!
I find a good way to enforce this is, if you can manage it, is to find 3 sets of bed sheets you like more or less equally that all complement your room in slightly different ways. That way, putting new sheets on can be a fun thing you get to do to change your room up!
Downside - if you have 3 sets you *can* end up with one giant wash which is all sheets unless you keep on top of it.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 7:09 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
Downside - if you have 3 sets you *can* end up with one giant wash which is all sheets unless you keep on top of it.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 7:09 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
You put sheets on your bed because your skin sheds while you sleep. If you like sleeping in your own dead skin cells while providing a feast for mites, that's fine. If you don't mind the way the mattress feels on your skin that's fine. I change my sheets because I like the feeling of sleeping in clean sheets. It's worth it for its own sake. If that doesn't appeal to you, you don't have to do it. It's not quite the same as cleaning up after cooking as the only consequences are your own comfort; it's not going to smell bad, attract ants, etc.
posted by bleep at 7:10 PM on January 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by bleep at 7:10 PM on January 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
Another rule to put sheets on your bed would be if you had a visitor to your bed. It's ok to not bother if you don't mind, but other people would be uncomfortable.
posted by bleep at 7:12 PM on January 5, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by bleep at 7:12 PM on January 5, 2016 [6 favorites]
Honestly, the solution for me to this question, and others like it, was Habitica. It's simple to set up a repeat-every-x-days to-do for anything intermittent like this (for example, I have change sheets, change A/C filter and clip fingernails set to pop at appropriate times.)
(If you need a *reason*, then I assure you that even if you can't smell your own sheets particularly, guests certainly can, and one's own personal fug is not to be shared with people one wishes to impress.)
posted by restless_nomad at 7:21 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
(If you need a *reason*, then I assure you that even if you can't smell your own sheets particularly, guests certainly can, and one's own personal fug is not to be shared with people one wishes to impress.)
posted by restless_nomad at 7:21 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
A few years back I made a half hearted New Years resolution to make my bed everyday. I had similar sentiments to what you expressed (what's the point?!?). However, for whatever reason it has seriously changed my whole "at home" life. No matter what, there is always one perfectly organized thing I can glance at that is just so satisfying.
I'd start with making your bed daily. Make that the rule. By doing this you'll realize anything longer than two weeks between changing sheets gets pretty gross.
posted by KMoney at 7:25 PM on January 5, 2016 [9 favorites]
I'd start with making your bed daily. Make that the rule. By doing this you'll realize anything longer than two weeks between changing sheets gets pretty gross.
posted by KMoney at 7:25 PM on January 5, 2016 [9 favorites]
Best answer: My biggest issue with not putting the sheets on the bed is that it's much better sleep hygiene to have clean tidy not-moving-around sheets under you, and good sleep is turning out to be one of the largest drivers of overall health.
But in lots of cultures, there's no top sheet, just a fitted sheet and a duvet. If that maybe would make the whole thing less difficult for you, you could adopt that.
Also, you can withstand pretty much any pain for 90 seconds, which is how it takes to put sheets on a bed.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:25 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
But in lots of cultures, there's no top sheet, just a fitted sheet and a duvet. If that maybe would make the whole thing less difficult for you, you could adopt that.
Also, you can withstand pretty much any pain for 90 seconds, which is how it takes to put sheets on a bed.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:25 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Oh, yeah, I never use a top sheet. If you wash your comforter regularly, it's fine, it's only "unhygienic" for people who use some sort of blanket that is rarely washed. Hopefully that makes it easier!
Rule Suggestion:
The bed is not made until there is clean cloth both under and above my body.
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:32 PM on January 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
Rule Suggestion:
The bed is not made until there is clean cloth both under and above my body.
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:32 PM on January 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
There's also the thing about people releasing sweat while they sleep. I think 1 litre is the amount mattress salespeople mention, but apparently it's more like 1/2 a litre. Still. You won't die from it, and obviously you can live and sleep however you like, but this is part of what's happening, just fyi. (To spare my mattress, I have a mattress topper that I wash a little less often than my sheets, because I dislike this idea. The topper is also super cozy.)
My rule is "change the sheets once a week". It's rhymey, even.
Do you have two sets of sheets? If you don't, get another set so that you've got backup when you wash your dirty sheets (once a week), so it all feels less fraught.
Oh - and what makes changing sheets so much less of a PITA obstacle course than it used to be is the fact that my bed frame has some sort of gliding mechanism on the feet of the legs - not this, but the same sort of idea. I use a minimal amount of force to pull the bed out - it really just glides - so I can access the corners, no sweat ;)
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:45 PM on January 5, 2016
My rule is "change the sheets once a week". It's rhymey, even.
Do you have two sets of sheets? If you don't, get another set so that you've got backup when you wash your dirty sheets (once a week), so it all feels less fraught.
Oh - and what makes changing sheets so much less of a PITA obstacle course than it used to be is the fact that my bed frame has some sort of gliding mechanism on the feet of the legs - not this, but the same sort of idea. I use a minimal amount of force to pull the bed out - it really just glides - so I can access the corners, no sweat ;)
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:45 PM on January 5, 2016
Try this - think of your physical self as an animal that you have to take care of. The animal needs fresh water, a clean safe place to sleep, regular exercise, grooming, and so on and so forth.
If you had a gerbil, then you would take care of its bedding, wouldn't you? If you had a golden eagle, then you would make sure to feed it with bits of fur and bone or effective substitutes for its crop, wouldn't you?
Just put together a book on the care and feeding of charlielxxv and then follow it.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 7:47 PM on January 5, 2016 [14 favorites]
If you had a gerbil, then you would take care of its bedding, wouldn't you? If you had a golden eagle, then you would make sure to feed it with bits of fur and bone or effective substitutes for its crop, wouldn't you?
Just put together a book on the care and feeding of charlielxxv and then follow it.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 7:47 PM on January 5, 2016 [14 favorites]
"There is no going to bed until the sheets are clean, every two weeks."
posted by SLC Mom at 7:50 PM on January 5, 2016
posted by SLC Mom at 7:50 PM on January 5, 2016
Best answer: Favorite general life rule: if you begin something, finish it.
In this case, just decide that laundry isn't finished unless clean sheets are on the bed. This could just mean a fitted sheet if you want.
posted by teremala at 7:56 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
In this case, just decide that laundry isn't finished unless clean sheets are on the bed. This could just mean a fitted sheet if you want.
posted by teremala at 7:56 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
I tie chores I don't like to listening to music I do like. Most notably flossing my teeth, because it's so boring. The reward of good music outweighs the arduousness of the task I don't enjoy.
When the clean laundry comes back from the dryer, pull the old sheet off your bed and throw it in the hamper. Put on a favorite song you haven't heard in a while, or start Pandora (or a podcast!), then put the new sheet on the bed. A podcast can actually be a good thing, because making your bed with clean sheets can be the dedicated time you listen to whatever weekly show you really like.
Once the process is started, you're in a groove and have a clean place to lay out the laundry you're folding!
(This works best if you have two sets of sheets, so there's only one task with two steps that happen at the same time, versus two tasks that happen at different times.)
posted by itesser at 7:57 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
When the clean laundry comes back from the dryer, pull the old sheet off your bed and throw it in the hamper. Put on a favorite song you haven't heard in a while, or start Pandora (or a podcast!), then put the new sheet on the bed. A podcast can actually be a good thing, because making your bed with clean sheets can be the dedicated time you listen to whatever weekly show you really like.
Once the process is started, you're in a groove and have a clean place to lay out the laundry you're folding!
(This works best if you have two sets of sheets, so there's only one task with two steps that happen at the same time, versus two tasks that happen at different times.)
posted by itesser at 7:57 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Another life rule that helps with this: life's too short to fold a fitted sheet. Ball that thing up proudly.
posted by infinitewindow at 8:03 PM on January 5, 2016 [16 favorites]
posted by infinitewindow at 8:03 PM on January 5, 2016 [16 favorites]
Best answer: What makes me groan about the prospect of changing sheets is the fact that there's too much furniture in all of our bedrooms and it's hard to maneuver in and do it. If it's hard to access the corners of your bed, think about rearranging things to allow an unobstructed approach.
posted by lakeroon at 8:08 PM on January 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by lakeroon at 8:08 PM on January 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
Huh. I can't imagine sleeping without a bottom sheet. Even with a sheet (which is, admittedly, washed maybe once a month but that's probably being optimistic) there is a faint greyish brown oval under where I sleep and a slightly darker one on my husband's side, so I hate to think what it would look like if I didn't have that buffer layer. I'm surprised you're concerned with cleanliness enough to wash your comforter (which I never do) but the other side doesn't bother you, especially since gravity works to get more gunk onto the bottom than the top. Anyway, it probably helps that I like my mattress so I have a large resistance to "messing it up". If the sheet isn't for you, then it's to keep the mattress clean, and you have to swap it out every now and then else you're just grinding old dirt in.
posted by aimedwander at 8:10 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by aimedwander at 8:10 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Consider: if you put the clean sheets directly on the bed, you don't have to fold them! (useful rule if you want to own/use one set of sheets) Pro tip - when you clean your bathroom, start a load of laundry that includes sheets, towels, and the bathmat, then put the sheets on the bed, put the clean towel on the hook and the bathmat on the floor.
Consider: if you want to change your sheets at least twice a year, get a set of cotton sheets that are crisp and cool in summer but feel icy in winter, and a set of flannel sheets that are cozy and warm in winter but feel suffocating in summer. This will increase your "can't stand it any more" probability.
posted by aimedwander at 8:15 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Consider: if you want to change your sheets at least twice a year, get a set of cotton sheets that are crisp and cool in summer but feel icy in winter, and a set of flannel sheets that are cozy and warm in winter but feel suffocating in summer. This will increase your "can't stand it any more" probability.
posted by aimedwander at 8:15 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Fifteen minutes of cleaning once a day is easier than 1 day of cleaning once a month.
A task ain't finished until everything you used on the task is put back where you expect to find it next time.
posted by Homer42 at 8:36 PM on January 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
A task ain't finished until everything you used on the task is put back where you expect to find it next time.
posted by Homer42 at 8:36 PM on January 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
On Chore Day I get to go to bed saying this: "Clean room, clean sheets, clean pajamas, clean me." It makes me happy that for at least one day, my room, sheets, clothes, and me are all perfectly clean at the same time, and doing a major clean including all the laundry every two weeks or so works for me.
Also, my skin is better when I change my sheets on this schedule and wear a clean sleep shirt every night.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:51 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
Also, my skin is better when I change my sheets on this schedule and wear a clean sleep shirt every night.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:51 PM on January 5, 2016 [7 favorites]
Get striped sheets. I only recently bought some and it was then that I realized that stripes tell you which way to put the sheets on so you don't put them on sideways first and then curse and fix them. I swear it used to take me three tries like a USB thingy.
posted by artychoke at 8:57 PM on January 5, 2016 [11 favorites]
posted by artychoke at 8:57 PM on January 5, 2016 [11 favorites]
Screw "adult behavior". There is simply no feeling more delightful than getting into a freshly made bed with clean sheets and cool pillows.
I started doing a lot of Conventional Adult Behavior when I realized that living that way is simply far superior to the alternative.
I just cooked chicken soup from scratch for my boyfriend, he of the Why Not Just Have Microwaved Ramen, and it blew his goddamn mind. Sometimes living like an adult is just better.
posted by Sara C. at 8:57 PM on January 5, 2016 [11 favorites]
I started doing a lot of Conventional Adult Behavior when I realized that living that way is simply far superior to the alternative.
I just cooked chicken soup from scratch for my boyfriend, he of the Why Not Just Have Microwaved Ramen, and it blew his goddamn mind. Sometimes living like an adult is just better.
posted by Sara C. at 8:57 PM on January 5, 2016 [11 favorites]
Best answer: all roads to enlightenment begin with a made bed. discuss.
posted by j_curiouser at 9:01 PM on January 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 9:01 PM on January 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
You probably don't realize it, but that sheet has to smell of perspiration. And your mattress will smell too, if it doesn;t already. Just throw it in with the rest, and spend the extra 2 min tops putting it on. You will feel better!
I put on 2-3 layers of fitted sheets in case I spill water or the cat throws up, I can peel off the top one, and not need to do more until it's time for more laundry.
posted by TenaciousB at 9:48 PM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I put on 2-3 layers of fitted sheets in case I spill water or the cat throws up, I can peel off the top one, and not need to do more until it's time for more laundry.
posted by TenaciousB at 9:48 PM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
a rule to justify putting sheets on my bed
So maybe think of it like this: you are spending 8 hours each night "dressed" in bedding (aka bedclothes). You wash the top layer but not the bottom layer. So 50% of your nighttime "clothing" is dirty. Would you go out into the world wearing clean pants and a shirt that hasn't been washed in a year?
Maybe also go look at some new mattresses and then come home and look at yours. I know that I forget how grody my pillows get (with pillowcases) after period of time. I don't think about it much until they wear out and we get new ones. Then I'm pretty grossed out by the old ones and they end up as dog bedding.
As far as other rules, how about things like:
Wash your car when you can see ten hand prints on the trunk lid.
Wash your house windows when you can't read through them.
Toss out food if you can't remember when you prepared it.
Donate clothing if you haven't worn it in a year.
Vacuum or sweep when you step on something that sticks to your bare foot.
(I'm now realizing I need to clean my windows and vacuum. The car can wait until spring.)
posted by Beti at 10:14 PM on January 5, 2016
So maybe think of it like this: you are spending 8 hours each night "dressed" in bedding (aka bedclothes). You wash the top layer but not the bottom layer. So 50% of your nighttime "clothing" is dirty. Would you go out into the world wearing clean pants and a shirt that hasn't been washed in a year?
Maybe also go look at some new mattresses and then come home and look at yours. I know that I forget how grody my pillows get (with pillowcases) after period of time. I don't think about it much until they wear out and we get new ones. Then I'm pretty grossed out by the old ones and they end up as dog bedding.
As far as other rules, how about things like:
Wash your car when you can see ten hand prints on the trunk lid.
Wash your house windows when you can't read through them.
Toss out food if you can't remember when you prepared it.
Donate clothing if you haven't worn it in a year.
Vacuum or sweep when you step on something that sticks to your bare foot.
(I'm now realizing I need to clean my windows and vacuum. The car can wait until spring.)
posted by Beti at 10:14 PM on January 5, 2016
My similarly life-changing rule is to make my bed, every day. Somehow, that one rule has really changed everything.
posted by samthemander at 10:17 PM on January 5, 2016
posted by samthemander at 10:17 PM on January 5, 2016
Small thing, but the Target Threshold "Performance Sheets" type of fitted sheets have labels on the underside that tells you if it's a top/bottom or side. Like you, I used to go a looooooong time before washing my sheets but since getting the ones with the labels I do it at least 2x more often (and they have a deep gusset that somehow makes putting them on much easier but they NEVER come untucked, they're really well designed and pretty damn cheap to boot.)
Just now I realized that I freaking love my fitted sheet.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:49 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Just now I realized that I freaking love my fitted sheet.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:49 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: One thing I noticed is how happy all the commenters seem when they talk about their fresh sheets.
You too, charlielxvv, can be happy.
Just tell yourself that.
posted by pando11 at 11:47 PM on January 5, 2016 [10 favorites]
You too, charlielxvv, can be happy.
Just tell yourself that.
posted by pando11 at 11:47 PM on January 5, 2016 [10 favorites]
When I put on freshly washed pajamas I feel like that's wasted if the sheets are dirty. I like the smell of fresh cleanliness that comes from everything being washed at once. So that's my rule: when I wash my pajamas, I change my sheets.
posted by lollusc at 12:36 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by lollusc at 12:36 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Seriously though, what broke me of it was going through a spell of black sheets. Yeah, that got me washing those things frequently Real Quick. Even now when we've switched to more 'forgiving' colors I can't help but realise how icky they get.
Also, positive reinforcement. Fresh sheets are the BEST, especially after a bath.
posted by like_neon at 1:21 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, positive reinforcement. Fresh sheets are the BEST, especially after a bath.
posted by like_neon at 1:21 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
I read a lot of what might be best described as pop sociology, on the topic of (for lack of a better way to put it) misery. People living tragic lives. If it's a reasonably scholarly write-up on drug addicts, felons, people living in jaw-dropping poverty in the Appalachians or the Bronx, etc, I'll buy it, and a lot of these have a little section of black and white photography jammed into the centre. Sometimes the books I buy are photography books documenting these sorts of hard lives.
These people do not have sheets on their beds. Dirty bare mattress, old comforter, thin pillow. A decently made bed is a luxury good.
People will make unpleasant associations if they find out. You will be Lenny, squirming and saying 'Please don't tell anyone how I live!' There is a stigma to a bare mattress. But it is such an easy one to free yourself of. You are not too poor to not own sheets or too disabled to take them to a laundromat or otherwise sufficiently troubled to have an excuse to have a troubled bed.
I disagree with the idea that 'it's not going to smell bad.' I bet it smells bad. Presumably you sweat, drool, fart, have greasy skin, etc, in your sleep like everybody else. It would be better to put a fitted sheet on and then go too long without washing it than it would be to not put it on; at least there would be a method to de-funk the bed available.
I have a bed with an enormous amount of various mattress pads on top of it, a princess-and-the-pea sort of thing. I have a fitted sheet that stays on the bed to help hold the mess of toppers on. Occasionally I will be sick and feel the need for a clean sheet but feel to sick to do much about it; then, I pull off the fitted sheet that I sleep on, and sleep on the one underneath, rationalizing that it needs a wash anyway, etc. But it's a good thing to have if you are lazy. Try putting on two, telling yourself that that will sort the issue for a longer period of time?
posted by kmennie at 4:44 AM on January 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
These people do not have sheets on their beds. Dirty bare mattress, old comforter, thin pillow. A decently made bed is a luxury good.
People will make unpleasant associations if they find out. You will be Lenny, squirming and saying 'Please don't tell anyone how I live!' There is a stigma to a bare mattress. But it is such an easy one to free yourself of. You are not too poor to not own sheets or too disabled to take them to a laundromat or otherwise sufficiently troubled to have an excuse to have a troubled bed.
I disagree with the idea that 'it's not going to smell bad.' I bet it smells bad. Presumably you sweat, drool, fart, have greasy skin, etc, in your sleep like everybody else. It would be better to put a fitted sheet on and then go too long without washing it than it would be to not put it on; at least there would be a method to de-funk the bed available.
I have a bed with an enormous amount of various mattress pads on top of it, a princess-and-the-pea sort of thing. I have a fitted sheet that stays on the bed to help hold the mess of toppers on. Occasionally I will be sick and feel the need for a clean sheet but feel to sick to do much about it; then, I pull off the fitted sheet that I sleep on, and sleep on the one underneath, rationalizing that it needs a wash anyway, etc. But it's a good thing to have if you are lazy. Try putting on two, telling yourself that that will sort the issue for a longer period of time?
posted by kmennie at 4:44 AM on January 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you so much for all the replies! I have a lot of good advice here and it all touches on different parts of the issue.
To answer some concerns I sleep kind of rolled in my clean comforter like a loose sleeping bag. I wash the comforter and pillows. No contact with the rough mattress.
I think I was being a perfectionist about my bed. Mattress topper, two sheets, pillow protectors, pillow cases. I gave up on the whole dang performance in a tight and inaccessible environment. I'll start with a fitted sheet and pillow cases on every pillow.
posted by charlielxxv at 5:27 AM on January 6, 2016 [5 favorites]
To answer some concerns I sleep kind of rolled in my clean comforter like a loose sleeping bag. I wash the comforter and pillows. No contact with the rough mattress.
I think I was being a perfectionist about my bed. Mattress topper, two sheets, pillow protectors, pillow cases. I gave up on the whole dang performance in a tight and inaccessible environment. I'll start with a fitted sheet and pillow cases on every pillow.
posted by charlielxxv at 5:27 AM on January 6, 2016 [5 favorites]
You change all your sheets and towels once a week on laundry day. You rotate them, so you need two sets (minimum) so that they last longer.
You want to keep your dust mites at bay.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:27 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
You want to keep your dust mites at bay.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:27 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
I also associate washing sheets with laundry day. Space is also at a premium at my place, so I tend to fold laundry on the bed.
Sheets and duvet cover are the first thing to go in the machine and my rule is: "You can only fold laundry on a clean bed".
posted by Milau at 6:02 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sheets and duvet cover are the first thing to go in the machine and my rule is: "You can only fold laundry on a clean bed".
posted by Milau at 6:02 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'll start with a fitted sheet and pillow cases on every pillow.
That actually sounds perfect for the way you sleep and the way you do laundry. Cleanable enough, presentable enough, and if you get warm one night and roll out of your cocoon you'll still be comfy instead of finding yourself on the rough mattress. Don't stress yourself out, just aim to maintain this level of bed-preparedness, and you are officially an adult who has your life together.
posted by aimedwander at 6:59 AM on January 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
That actually sounds perfect for the way you sleep and the way you do laundry. Cleanable enough, presentable enough, and if you get warm one night and roll out of your cocoon you'll still be comfy instead of finding yourself on the rough mattress. Don't stress yourself out, just aim to maintain this level of bed-preparedness, and you are officially an adult who has your life together.
posted by aimedwander at 6:59 AM on January 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
Definitely recommend a fitted sheet and a duvet cover (just a comforter cover made out of sheet material), plus pillow cases. It's easy to put on and take off, plus easy to make the bed -- just straighten the pillows, shake out the duvet and go. No hospital corners required. I am super lazy about making the bed, so this suits me.
I have two sets of bed linens and change them (and wash the dirty set) on the same day I do the rest of my laundry, once a week. That way I always have a clean set in reserve.
I guess you could phrase it as a rule: Laundry day isn't done until clean linens are on the bed.
When I fold clean bedding, I make "packets" by tucking the folded fitted sheet and duvet cover, plus all but one folded pillowcase, inside the last pillowcase. (So like, if you have 2 pillows, you'd have folded sheet and folded duvet cover, plus one folded pillowcase, inside another pillowcase.) Put the whole thing wherever you store your sheets. Then when it's time to change the bed linens, just grab a packet and everything is right there.
(How to fold a fitted sheet -- a skill I did not learn until I'd been living on my own for ten years!)
If you don't want to deal with the duvet cover, and prefer to just wash the comforter as you have been doing, that is fine too!
posted by snowmentality at 7:50 AM on January 6, 2016
I have two sets of bed linens and change them (and wash the dirty set) on the same day I do the rest of my laundry, once a week. That way I always have a clean set in reserve.
I guess you could phrase it as a rule: Laundry day isn't done until clean linens are on the bed.
When I fold clean bedding, I make "packets" by tucking the folded fitted sheet and duvet cover, plus all but one folded pillowcase, inside the last pillowcase. (So like, if you have 2 pillows, you'd have folded sheet and folded duvet cover, plus one folded pillowcase, inside another pillowcase.) Put the whole thing wherever you store your sheets. Then when it's time to change the bed linens, just grab a packet and everything is right there.
(How to fold a fitted sheet -- a skill I did not learn until I'd been living on my own for ten years!)
If you don't want to deal with the duvet cover, and prefer to just wash the comforter as you have been doing, that is fine too!
posted by snowmentality at 7:50 AM on January 6, 2016
I like to associate a new habit with an ingrained one. I love pro football, so I change the sheets during half time, usually during the Sunday night game, but occasionally Monday night. I also throw the sheets in the washer then. When the game ends, I move the sheets to the dryer. Establishing that pattern every fall means it usually carries over to the rest of the year.
posted by carmicha at 10:39 AM on January 6, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 10:39 AM on January 6, 2016 [4 favorites]
Rule: Treat yourself as well as, or better than, you'd treat your houseguests.
You'd put clean sheets on a guest bed for a houseguest, right?
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 11:11 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
You'd put clean sheets on a guest bed for a houseguest, right?
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 11:11 AM on January 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's just a variant on the hopelessly-optimistic childhood rule "you have to put away your toys before you can start playing with something else", but I get a fair amount of stuff delivered. I would unpack the thing, and toss the box on a pile, then when the pile got big, break down all the boxes for recycling.
However I made a change and I'm much happier with the recycling situation now; I made a rule that breaking down the box is part of unpacking the item. (And obviously you have to unpack an item before it is possible to use it)
No more pile of boxes. No more chore (breaking down the box pile) looming.
posted by anonymisc at 3:06 PM on January 6, 2016
However I made a change and I'm much happier with the recycling situation now; I made a rule that breaking down the box is part of unpacking the item. (And obviously you have to unpack an item before it is possible to use it)
No more pile of boxes. No more chore (breaking down the box pile) looming.
posted by anonymisc at 3:06 PM on January 6, 2016
I don't know about you, but I HATE it when I put on one corner of the fitted sheet on the mattress, only to realize that it wasn't the right corner when I am already trying to fit the second corner.
Striped sheets will take care of this for you. The stripes always go lengthwise to the mattress. You will never have to guess which corner goes where.
posted by Tarumba at 6:21 AM on January 7, 2016
Striped sheets will take care of this for you. The stripes always go lengthwise to the mattress. You will never have to guess which corner goes where.
posted by Tarumba at 6:21 AM on January 7, 2016
Also my rule is: the bed is made first thing after getting up. I cannot move on to breakfast, shower, etc. until the bed is made.
As motivation, see if as a favor you are doing to future you. There is nothing like getting home from work, tired and cold to find a neat, clean bed welcoming you (be it just one sheet with a blanket or a whole rococo set up).
On the flip side, there is nothing as depressing as coming home from work, tired and cold to find a stinky mess that stresses you out.
posted by Tarumba at 6:26 AM on January 7, 2016
As motivation, see if as a favor you are doing to future you. There is nothing like getting home from work, tired and cold to find a neat, clean bed welcoming you (be it just one sheet with a blanket or a whole rococo set up).
On the flip side, there is nothing as depressing as coming home from work, tired and cold to find a stinky mess that stresses you out.
posted by Tarumba at 6:26 AM on January 7, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Atrahasis at 6:55 PM on January 5, 2016 [14 favorites]