Today is National Make Your Bed Day! We spend a third of our lives in bed so it’s only appropriate that we have the perfect sleep set-up for maximum comfort, balance and support. Whether you decide to invest in one of the best mattresses or you want to jazz up your old one with the best sheets, the best way to celebrate this national holiday is to give your bed some TLC.
It might sound strange, but making your bed can have amazing health benefits. Personally, I feel out of sorts if I don’t make my bed in the morning and find it hard to complete my morning routine if I haven’t plumped my pillows or straightened my duvet. Sure, it’s not the most exciting task but it can have a positive impact on your day.
Making your bed can make you feel more productive, help you sleep better at night and according to Healthsite, can be a quick way to get rid of anxiety and stress. So, in celebration of this exciting sleep-themed day, here are 5 hacks to make the perfect bed.
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- If you’re looking for a new bed set-up, check out this month’s best cheap mattress deals & sales
1. Air out your bed
Before you start making your bed, it’s important to air out your mattress. When you sleep, there’s a lot of tossing and turning involved, sweating and dribbling, so your sheets and bedding are getting filled with moisture, smells and stains. Not only that, but mites thrive in these environments so by jumping out of bed and quickly pulling up the covers, you’re trapping in all this moisture, dirt and bugs. This also means when you get back into bed at the end of the day, you’re covering yourself with all these germs. Instead of making your bed straight away, open the windows, give your pillows a good shake and pull back your duvet to air out your mattress and bedding. Airing your bed should take at least 30 minutes, so while you wait, you can get on with your morning routine. For more sleep tips, check out our 6 rules for great sleep hygiene.
2. Refresh your bedding
Changing your bed sheets might not be fun but when you get in new clean sheets at night, it’s the best feeling. If you’re not sure how often you should wash your sheets, you should be looking at cleaning them once a week or once a fortnight. Any longer than this will result in dirty smelly sheets which can affect your skin and night’s sleep. It only seems fitting that to celebrate National Make Your Bed Day, you should refresh your sheets and covers. If you’re airing your mattress first, strip your bed and let your bedding breathe before putting on new linens.
3. Add a bed skirt
Once you’ve put together your bed with your favourite bedding, jazz it up a bit with a bed skirt. A bed skirt or bed ruffle is a piece of decorative fabric which sits between your mattress and the bed base. It covers the bottom part of your bed and makes it look tidy and more part of the overall bed look. Before you put your sheets on, place your bed skirt under your mattress and make sure it’s the right length, so it barely grazes the floor. You can do this by using upholstery or safety pins to secure the skirt to the bed springs.
4. Master ‘hospital corners’
Hospital corners is a sheet technique that uses overlapping folds to create a flat surface and neat creases. This makes your sheet look tidier and more difficult to untuck, so your bed will look in great condition until you change your sheets and the sheets won’t slide everywhere while you sleep. To master hospital corners, lay a flat sheet (not a fitted one) evenly on the mattress and at the foot of the bed, tuck the sheet completely under the mattress. At the corners, fold the sheet into a triangle and tuck it underneath the mattress. Do this all the way around the bed until the sheet is smooth and tight. To make your bed even more professional, you can also tuck your duvet in under the mattress so it looks even sleeker and like a hotel bed. Check out these 7 hacks to make your bed feel like a 5-star hotel bed for more tips and tricks.
5. Decorate with throws & pillows
Finally, and the most exciting part of making your bed, decorate it with throws and pillows. Our guides to the best pillows and best duvets focus on products that’s designed for sleep rather than décor, so you’re going to want to look for throw pillows to go with the colour and pattern of the room. If you’re a blanket fan, arrange a stack of blankets at the end of your bed, or drape one over a corner for extra texture and colour. You can also take this a step further by investing in a full bedspread to cover your whole bed.