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Making your bed doesn’t have to feel like the chore many feel it is. Learning these 18 tips on how to reduce the amount of time and effort it takes to make your bed can help you reduce the amount of effort involved, making the task easier and faster to get done. Some tips also cover how to turn bed-making into a habit.
In this post…
In this post we cover a variety of tips that involve some of the following:
1. Go for feel-good and wrinkle-free materials.
One easy way to keep your bed made and looking good is to invest in easy-to-maintain bedding. These days, you can find wrinkle-free sheets that help make your sheets and bedding look and feel better, all without having to iron them out for the best results. Best of all, they’re often quite affordable and with plenty of options to choose from.
London Fog
Our individual households love London Fog bamboo microfiber sheets. You can find the cheapest at Sam’s Club when available, and they might be found sometimes at Target, Amazon, and a few other stores when available.
In fact, they’re the only ones I’ll even bother with, even though they’re not the most expensive or luxurious out there and are on a little on the thin side. We love that they’re smooth, extra-soft, wrinkle-free, are cooling when they need to be, and warm-ish when need be. They’re highly durable, don’t pill, and I never see any staining. We also find that they’re cooling when it’s warm out, which isn’t uncommon for bamboo-based fabrics.
I had been on the same set for over three years until recently and never had a problem washing them, which I can hardly say for most other brands I’ve tried. As long you don’t need super-thick sheets, then they can be great for those who want low-maintenance bedding as well as other bamboo or wrinkle-free types of sheets.
2. Aim for a style that you love.
Creating good habits can be easier to stick with if you have the right incentive. And there’s no better way to gain some bed-making motivation than updating your room with décor, whether new or previously used, and new bedding that you enjoy looking at and that happens to be functional too.
Best of all, finding good-quality and great-looking pieces is easy to achieve without necessarily breaking the bank. But if money’s tight or you prefer to save where you can, work with the basics and build your way up over time. And remember: good-looking stuff doesn’t have to be expensive.
Places like IKEA, Target, Ross/TJMaxx/HomeGoods, Amazon, Sam’s Club, and even Walmart typically have great-looking bedding sets, quilts, decorative pieces, and blankets at affordable prices. You can also repurpose what you have or cut down on what you already use. And if money is tight, start small and work your way up, as I did.
Sometimes, the best way to have a great-looking bed means—well, making your bed.
3. Keep it simple.
Having a room styled to your liking can be important for motivation, but having too much clutter can make it harder to spot where the actual messes are. More importantly, clutter can subconsciously stress you out or even overstimulate your senses, which may prevent you from relaxing properly.
Clutter can be anything from the average messes, such as clothes scattered all about, to too many throw pillows, furniture, or decorations. If, however, your space is decluttered and decorated in a way that you like, things such as clothes on the floor or an unmade bed can quickly become a glaring eyesore. As a result, you may find it easier to stay motivated and, therefore, cleaner in general.
Plus, decluttering can reduce stress and make your room feel more like an oasis or sanctuary rather than just a place where you sleep at night, which may potentially provide more incentive. This is why taking the time to declutter can also be beneficial in other areas, such as the kitchen, living room, and bathrooms.
Above all, the longer you keep a space decluttered and not overload it with too much furniture, knickknacks, and so forth, the better you and other people in your home will be at spotting messes and picking them up.
4. Switch things up.
Boredom can suck no matter what’s involved, but more so when it comes to maintaining good cleaning habits. How you feel about the way your bed looks can significantly impact the way you’ll feel when it comes to making it consistently.
Sometimes mixing it up now and then with different bedding sets, even when merely going along with the current weather, can make things feel fresh and new again.
5. Give yourself enough space.
If you find that you hate making your bed, it could be due to the way you have your room setup.
People often dislike doing it because their bed might be difficult to make, takes too much time, or requires too much effort.
For instance, some people may avoid making the bed when they have to crawl all over it to tuck blankets between the mattress and the wall. If this is the case, try to pull your bed away from the wall or other obstacles that might be making it more difficult for you.
Reconfiguring your room so that your bed is more accessible would be another alternative. You may just find that it makes it easier, faster, and a lot more effortless in the long run.
6. Cut back on the throw blankets and pillows.
Throw blankets and pillows are an excellent way to add both comfort and luxury to your space. However, it’s also easy to go overboard with them. This can quickly make your bedroom space feel cluttered, which may induce feelings of stress rather than promoting relaxation or a state of rest.
Having too many pillows and blankets can also increase the amount of time you spend making your bed. Because of this, try to reduce the amount you use, if any.
It may also be beneficial to find pieces that are easily washed to help prevent dust mites and to ensure that they’re regularly cleaned throughout the year.
Concerned about dust mites?
Check out our post on 14 Easy Tips on How to Reduce and Prevent Dust Mites.
7. Have a designated spot for your pillows and blankets.
Rather than dumping your pillows on the floor or wherever they may land, consider finding a designated spot to put them each night. This will help reduce clutter and can speed up your routine when you make your bed later on. It’s also far more sanitary and gentler on your bedding.
A good spot might be a bench at the foot of your bed, a nearby chair, or even something like a basket.
8. Be scentisible about it.
One way to psych yourself up into making your bed is to enjoy getting into it. And if there’s one way to achieve that, it’s by making it smell fantastic.
Nowadays, that’s more than achievable and usually with minimal effort required. One foolproof way is to use laundry scent boosters or laundry scent beads. Scent beads range from anything like Downy Infusions, Downy Unstopables, Dreft, Arm & Hammer In-Wash Scent Boosters, Gain Fireworks In-Wash Scent Booster, Downy Fresh Protect with Febreze Odor Defense, Snuggles Scent Shakes, and so on.
Another way to get your sheets smelling sweet, fresh, or downright fantastic is to use sprays. Sprays can range from Caldera Linen and Room Sprays to The Laundress New York line of sprays. You can also try a DIY version such as essential oils or a light spritz of perfume or cologne. Just use them sparingly.
Our current scent favorites for bedding include Downy Fresh Protect In-Wash Odor Defense Scent Boosters in the Active Fresh scent (blue beads), which is so far the most subtle and universally friendly version for our household.
However, the most popular scents would be Fresh Protect, April Fresh (pink beads), and Active Fresh in the Down Odor Protect version, which varies somewhat from the Fresh Protect version but is excellent for extra odor control. And they, of course, have the sportier version of the pink beads in April Fresh, Odor Protect.
Laundry Add-ins
Fabric Spay-ons
9. Wash your bedding more frequently.
Washing your bedding isn’t just crucial for the sake of dust mite prevention and good hygiene; it can actually make your bed more desirable to get into. And if you’re curious about how to combat a dust mite infestation, check out our post on 14 Easy Tips on How to Reduce and Prevent Dust Mites.
Bedding should typically be washed or changed at least once a week, or two weeks max. However, following Step 14 and having at least one set of bedsheets can help incentivize making your bed since you won’t have to wait on the wash and can speed things up in general.
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10. Build a routine.
One thing I learned pretty quickly is that consistency can be important. Thus, it might be helpful to try to build a morning routine and make your bed during a specific point of that routine consistently. For instance, I like to make my bed as soon as I get up, even before I go to the restroom or wash my face—or, at least, before I head downstairs. If I wait too long, it either throws off my day or I blow it off.
Either way, incorporating set times or moments to get it done will help you become faster. It will also allow you to build habits, sometimes even through muscle memory.
It’s a lot like when you learned to brush your teeth. You probably didn’t like it at first, but with enough nagging and practice doing it at the same time every day, it eventually turned into a habit. The same can happen with a ritualized bed-making morning routine.
11. Use rewards or distractions as motivation.
As mentioned in our 17 Clever Ways to Make Cleaning Your Shower Easier (with pictures) post, sometimes the key to creating better habits is to turn them into something you enjoy doing or by incorporating things you want with tasks you usually dislike.
For example, you could make a promise to yourself to make your bed before, and only before, your favorite part of the morning. That might be having your first cup of coffee or tea, eating breakfast, watching the morning news, or listening to your favorite podcast. Some people like to listen to audiobooks or music as they go about their routine, which is a great way to have some fun or even squeeze in some “me” time first thing.
12. Tuck strategically.
Don’t be afraid to try tucking tricks, such as hospital corners to help keep sheets in place while in bed.
I don’t use this on the side I sleep on since I’m not too fond of sleeping and feeling constrained. However, since I sleep alone, I use a similar method on the side that I don’t sleep on so that I don’t accidentally pull the sheets out of place during the night.
This allows me to pull or tug the sheets up and drop them in place when I go to make it. The best part is that it only takes all of 3 seconds, and then I’m done “making” my bed.
13. See if there’s a better way to do it.
Sometimes, we assume we know the best way to do things when there might be a better or more efficient way to go about it. That can occasionally mean asking others or doing a bit of research.
One area where I found this to be the case with making my bed was the dreaded task of putting the insert into my duvet cover. Until I came across this video (new tab) on rolling the insert into the duvet cover itself. Spiffy!
14. Have spare sets of bedding on hand.
Sometimes we procrastinate because we overthink how long something will take or dwell on the steps. Therefore, try keeping extra sheets so you can change them out regularly and not feel forced to laundry on the same day.
15. Learn the basics.
If you’re unsure of how to make a bed, know that you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are plenty of online resources to look into, such as some of our favorites down below. Either way, learning the basics of bed making won’t just help you know how to make a bed look great, but you’ll be able to do it far more quickly with a little know-how and some practice.
Watch it next (new tab):
16. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Unless you’re out to impress somebody special, there’s no need to aim for perfect folds and ensuring your sheets are void of any wrinkles or unwanted creases. If only you and your loved one are the only ones seeing what lies beneath the top layer, aim for neatish instead.
Simply pull the sheets and blankets taught, maybe smooth them out with your hand quickly, and let things be. You can also work towards getting faster or more elaborate with the process once you’ve been able to develop the habit of doing it in the first place.
17. Look at the benefits of making your bed.
While it may be hard to believe, making your bed can provide many benefits, as we covered in our Top 12 Reasons You Should Make Your Bed post (new tab). Some of my favorite benefits include having a better and more adult-looking bedroom.
Level up.
Having a more adult-looking environment eventually helped make me feel more productive and encouraged me to keep that space clean. So if you think glamming it up will help and you can squeeze it in, go for it.
Music to thine ears.
I also learned to listen to music and incorporate making my bed first so that I didn’t have time to think about it. That usually means before I even head downstairs for my beloved cup of coffee and some breakfast.
Make it part of your morning routine.
In fact, it’s the first thing I do as part of my morning cleaning routine, which takes about 10-15 minutes, is prepped by my quickie evening routine, and starts with making my bed. I follow it up by turning on the coffee and checking my to-do’s, then tidying the main areas downstairs, cleaning up the kitchen counters, and, if I feel up to it, using that same cloth or paper towel to quickly wipe the powder room counter.
I then take 5 minutes to vacuum the main area downstairs to keep dust and pet hair at bay. Once I’m done, I get to enjoy a lovely clean house in the morning and throughout the rest of the day. Voila! Insta good mood boost.
Preening of the feathers.
Above all, I learned that if I can change a nearly 40-year-old and once very intentional habit of not making my bed into a new practice, finally manage to stick to it, and even enjoy the result? Well, I reckoned I could do nearly anything after that.
Cue more motivation.
18. Enjoy getting into your bed again.
While it may sound weird, one of my favorite things in life is getting into a made bed with freshly washed sheets and not long after a shower or bath. I don’t typically shower at night but sometimes take a quickie after a workout or when I feel particularly grubby for some reason. I also love to plan for it when I know I’m changing my bedding and avoid washing my hair to prevent tangles.
There’s something that feels heavenly and luxurious about slipping into smooth, freshly washed sheets when the bed’s been made prior and the room’s tidy for the night. I find I sleep better, too. It’s one of the few things for me that makes it worth making the bed, even if I only get to enjoy it once every week or so.
Conclusion
In the end, it’s more than possible to learn how to make your bed more quickly and with greater ease simply by sticking to the basics and staying consistent.
That means starting with just getting into the habit of making it, rather than aiming for perfection. It can also mean eliminating unnecessary steps, such as decluttering any extra pieces or any obstacles that might be in your way. Above all, it’s remembering the many benefits involved and that you’ll gain for yourself in the long run.
Have any tips on making the bed? If so, feel free to share down below and don’t miss out on some of these related posts.
Related Posts
- Top 12 Reasons Why You Should Make Your Bed
- StorageLAB Under Bed Shoe Organizer, 2-Pack: Best Under-the-Bed Shoe Organization?
- 14 Easy Tips on How to Reduce and Prevent Dust Mites
- 17 Clever Ways to Make Cleaning Your Shower Easier (with pictures)
- How Good is the Youcopia SpiceStack Adjustable Organizer
Sources
- This ingenious duvet cover trick will change your life; Inhabitat, Youtube; February, 15th 2015 [link]
- Basics of Dressing A Bed | MF Home TV; Mandaue Foam Home TV, Mandaue Foam Home TV February 18th, 2019
- Learn How to Get the Perfect ‘Hospital Corner’ When Making Your Bed, Youtube; Rachel Ray Show;
- A designer’s secret to making your bed feel luxurious; Cityline, Youtube [link]
- How to Make A Bed | Interior Design; Kinwoven – Robeson Design; Youtube [link]
- How to: The Layered Bed | west elm; Youtube [link]
- How to House: How to Make a Bed Like a Hotel | HGTV|Youtube [link]
