Making it
Let the bed air first. You lose a surprising amount of moisture overnight, so fold the covers back for twenty minutes while you shower, and then make it. Pull the fitted sheet tight over all four corners. Lay the flat sheet with its wide hem at the head and its finished side facing down, so that the good side shows when you fold the top edge back over the blanket. The tucked corner that keeps a flat sheet in place all night is called a hospital corner:
- Tuck the foot end of the sheet straight under the mattress.
- Pick up the hanging side edge about sixteen inches from the foot and lay it on top of the mattress, which forms a triangle.
- Tuck the fabric still hanging below the mattress underneath it.
- Drop the triangle back down and tuck it under, which leaves a neat diagonal fold.
- Repeat on the other side.
The washing schedule
- Sheets and pillowcases should be washed weekly, and pillowcases twice a week if your face breaks out.
- A duvet cover or top blanket needs washing every two to four weeks.
- A mattress protector should go through the wash every month or two.
- Pillows and the comforter or duvet insert need washing two to four times a year, if the tag allows.
Wash bedding by itself and without overloading, since a sheet twisted around towels comes out dirty. Use warm or hot water as the tag permits, a modest amount of fragrance-free detergent and no fabric softener, which leaves a coating that makes sheets less breathable. Dry on low to medium heat and pull them out promptly to limit wrinkles. High heat shrinks cotton and destroys the elastic in fitted sheets.
Buying sheets
Thread count is mostly marketing. Good cotton sheets fall between 200 and 400, and higher figures usually come from counting twisted multi-ply threads. Weave matters more: percale is crisp, matte and cool, sateen is smoother and warmer, and linen is the coolest and wrinkles freely. Measure the depth of your mattress before buying, because a fitted sheet with pockets too shallow will pop off the corners. A waterproof, breathable mattress protector is cheap insurance, as most mattress warranties are void once the mattress is stained.
Tip Store each sheet set folded inside one of its own pillowcases, which keeps the pieces together and the linen shelf in order.
