How to Put Sheets on a Bed in a Simple, Easy Fashion

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By Barbara Raskauskas
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Clean sheet night!

Making a bed is an art to some, ensuring perfection and wrinkle-free sheets. But let’s get real; minutes after lying down, the sheets are wrinkled. Most of us don’t care about the wrinkles as long as the sheets are clean. You can master putting sheets on the bed in a flash. Adding blankets, quilt, or bedspread is just icing on the cake. Let me show you how easy it is to put sheets on a bed.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Flat and fitted sheet to fit your mattress

Step 1

A fitted sheet will have elastic at the corners, along opposite sides, or all the way around the hem. The fitted sheet is designed to cling to the mattress. Stripe sheets most generally go on with the stripes lengthwise on the bed. For solids and prints, here are a couple of tips to help you figure out which direction the sheet fits the bed.

FITTED TWIN TO QUEEN
If you are at least five feet tall, you can reach the opposite corners of the narrow end (head and foot) of the bed up to a queen size. Slip your hand into one corner pocket of the fitted sheet, and then run your hand along the pocket, toward the next corner. If you can reach the next corner with your outstretched arms, then the side of the sheet between your hands is the narrow part of the sheet that goes on the head/foot end of the bed. If you cannot reach the next corner with your outstretched arms, then you have found the side of the sheet that fits the longest side of the bed.

FITTED KING
With a king size sheet, it is more difficult to find corners because the bed is almost square. The best approach is to locate the label when you have the sheet properly on the bed. If the label is on the side, use a permanent marker to write an S on the label (for “side”); otherwise, mark FH (for foot-head). That will make it easier to apply the sheet the next time.
Step 2

Apply diagonally

Now that you have figured out what direction the sheet goes on the bed, it’s time to put it on. The ragged seam of the corner goes against the mattress so you will see the nice seam on the outside. In some cases, applying a fitted sheet can be challenging because as you put one corner on, another pops off. This can be caused by trying to place a sheet directly onto the slippery, satiny mattress and/or because the pocket of the fitted sheet is too small for the thickness of the mattress. To avoid pop-off, after you put the first corner of the fitted sheet on, move to the diagonal corner of the bed and pull that corner down over the mattress (e.g., left side head and right side foot). You can then put on the other corners; doesn’t matter which first. This approach also applies to fitted mattress covers. (See image, where a mattress cover is being placed).
Step 3

Line up fold line

The secret to quickly getting a flat sheet on the bed is the fold line extending from the top hem to the foot. Place two sleeping pillows on the head of bed. The space between the pillows marks the center of the bed. Shake the sheet open onto the bed, draping the deep hem over the pillows and up to the headboard (or wall). To easily ensure equal amount of drape of the sheet on both sides of the bed, align the center fold line between the pillows. Tug the side(s) of the sheet until you have aligned the center fold the full length of the bed. You can leave the sheet over the pillows, or fold the sheet back off the pillows.
Step 4

Tuck time. Standing at the foot of the bed, tuck the sheet between the mattress and box springs (or platform). Don’t stress yourself out on tucking the corners (or sides if you like) of the sheet in neatly; just push the fabric under the mattress. Perfection isn’t going to make you sleep any better. However, if you want to make a “hospital corner,” see Resources below.

Comments

ouchpot80 said

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on 11/15/2009 I learned how to make beds in institutions: first at a hospital from nurses, then in boot camp from sergeants. They both made them the same way: neat as a pin and tight as a drum. The smooth seams on both the top and bottom sheets (the "finished" side of the sheet) faced the sleeper when s/he lay in the bed. The way my wife makes a bed, both the top and bottom sheets' finished sides face up. Do you have an opinion regarding the orientation of the top sheet?