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How I Make the Bed — 9 Secret Steps to Your Best Ever Sleep

This 9-step process is the most efficient I’ve found to save time and ensure amazing results

Making the bed is, ironically, a tiring and tiresome chore.

Every week, I strip our bed, and everything goes into the laundry. Putting it all back together again is a rush job, squeezed in just before the afternoon school run.

Admit it.

Each time the task comes around, you’re on the brink of “Maybe it won’t matter if I miss it this one time…”

What you need is an efficient, proven process. One that gets the job done with ease and as little frustration as possible.

I’ve owned my own home for over a quarter of a century. It’s taken me this long to come up with the perfect process.

Today, you will learn the nine steps I take when stripping and remaking our double bed.

If you’ve been frustrated by the time and effort it takes, I’m going to make it easy for you.

The double-whammy result is an easier method and a perfect bed to give you the best night’s sleep.

Let’s see what you’ve been missing.

1. Strip The Bed

The first step to make it is to destroy it.

So often the way!

Your bedding may vary, but the fundamentals remain. Remove the pillowcases, sheet and quilt cover.

Make sure your quilt cover is turned inside out and buttoned up. This will save a lot of heartache later.

Off to the washing machine they go!

2. Place Your Pillows in a Planned Orientation

Ah!

The first of my “hidden secrets”.

Before stepping away from the bed on your way to the laundry room, place all your pillows in a pile nearby.

Here’s the secret: place them all facing the same way. This is especially important if you use pillow protectors that you don’t wash every week. Get those “open” ends all in one direction.

This makes putting the cases back on much later in the day a far easier task.

I secretly smile every Wednesday afternoon as I reap the reward of this extra little effort made hours before.

3. Turn Your Mattress Once per Month

Some mattresses can be turned over completely; some you can only spin from end to end.

Either way, turn your mattress each month. Doing so will even out the wear and result in a more comfortable slumber.

Secret Bonus Tip: Use the label

For mattresses that can only be spun in place, whizz it around.

But, for the type that can be turned over as well, you’re faced with four orientation choices.

My secret tip?

Use the mattress label to determine your progress in the four-week cycle. This will ensure that all four positions get a fair crack of the whip.

4. Arrange Your Quilt in a “Paper Aeroplane” Shape

We still haven’t taken the bedding to the washing machine yet.

One more job first.

Spread the quilt out on the mattress, but fold the nearest two corners together, as in the photo above.

Why?

Remember your quilt cover will return inside out?

When you put your hands inside it to grab the corners to start shrugging it back on, it is much easier if those two corners are close together.

Why stretch your arms out to the full width of the quilt when you can make it easy on yourself?

5. Wash and Dry

Finally!

Into the washing machine it all goes, and from there to whatever drying method you use.

In summer, outside is best, but if you suffer from hay fever, you might want to reconsider that.

Seriously. Dry indoors if that’s the case.

6. Put Your Quilt Cover Back On

Our paper aeroplane shape, planned hours before, makes this first step of reassembly so easy.

Put your hands into the inside-out quilt cover. Seize the quilt corners and shrug the cover down over the quilt.

Put it somewhere clean and safe for a minute.

7. Get Your Sheet On, Rotating between Two Orientations

Now for the sheet.

I have an unreasonable hatred of fitted sheets. I was taught to use flat sheets and apply them with mitred corners. A lesson for another day!

Either way, unless your mattress and sheet are perfectly square, you will likely have the choice of two orientations.

Once more, for evenness of wear, try to swap which way you replace it each week.

Secret Bonus Tip (Redux): Use the label

Again, the label is your guide.

Use whatever laundry label the sheet has to remember how you fitted it last week. Choose the other direction today.

8. Put the Quilt Back On

With the sheet in place, you can spread your quilt back over the bed.

Take a moment to get this just perfect. There’s nothing nicer than a smoothed-out quilt.

Or so Mrs M claims!

9. Final Step: Pillowcases on, and You’re Done

And now’s the moment for that secret little smile.

With your pile of pillows all facing the same way, grabbing each one to replace its cover is a smooth, machine-like process.

Work your way through, and your bed will be a perfect haven for rest in no time.

But this time, you won’t be quite as desperate for it!

Hi, I’m Mark.

I’m a writer from the UK who loves exploring life in this marvellous universe and sharing what I find.

Thanks for spending your time with me today.

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