Keeping the Castle - Housekeeping & Homemaking Tips

How to Make a Heavenly Bed

by Maricar on July 10th, 2007

Finding a great new blog is always fun. Even if it’s one that makes me want to (re-)make my bed right this minute!

I came across a new blog called Muffins, Buns and Biscuits. It’s written by twenty-something at-home mom Sarah. I read all her posts (so inspiring!). I got that image above from her blog. You’ll see it often here on KTC. hehe.

One of her wonderful posts talks about how to make a heavenly bed. Yes, a heavenly bed, just like the ones you sleep in at a nice hotel. Sarah says that she has “perfected the art of making a heavenly bed”. Here are her secrets:

Begin with your mattress. Has it been flipped lately? If not, turn it over so it will wear evenly. Is it a little stale? Buy some Fabreeze or other fabric refreshing spray and give it a good spritz. Alternately, sprinkle liberally with baking soda, let it sit, and then vacuum it all up. If you don’t have a mattress cover, go out to Wal-Mart right this minute and buy one! It is essential for keeping the mattress clean, and also helps with that “hard” feeling that comes through the sheets if you’ve been sleeping without one.

Is your bed soft enough? If it isn’t, don’t worry about buying a whole new mattress. There are so many products on the market you can place on top to make things squishy. My mother uses a piece of memory foam which is lovely, but my favorite is a down-filled mattress pad. So delicious to sink into after a long day!

Next, let’s mention sheets. This is a case where if you do your research, you generally get what you pay for. Cheap sheets will almost always be rough and scratchy. It usually costs a little more, but sheets with a 300 or higher thread count will be so much softer and smoother. Make sure to launder them frequently in hot water (to kill dust mites) and don’t skimp on detergent or fabric softener. These days they make products that smell so nice; why shouldn’t you get something yummy like lavender or jasmine?

After laundering, if you don’t put the sheets directly on your bed, fold them neatly. Martha Stewart has good instructions for this on her website. I would link directly to them, but I don’t know how yet! Patience, people! I also love to spray a little perfume or sprinkle a little scented powder in the folds before I put them in the closet. Just a nice little touch that makes the task so much sweeter.

As for pillows, make sure they are less than five years old. Nothing is more disgusting than a stained, lumpy, old pillow. Do yourself (and your husband) a favor and pick up some new ones while you’re at Wal-Mart buying the mattress cover.

Now that you have the sheets and pillows on the bed, you are free to use whatever additional coverings you like. Maybe Grandma’s antique quilt, maybe something down with a cover, maybe just something pretty you found while shopping. Either way, make sure it’s clean and wrinkle-free. You may also want to have an additional blanket you keep folded at the foot of the bed in case you want to take a quick nap during the day without mussing the sheets.

Now, doesn’t that make you want to fluff up your pillows?

Now for the type of sheets for making the ultimate bed, we can take a cue from Westin Hotels, which are known for their own “Heavenly Beds”.

If you want to recreate these beds for your home, here’s what you’ll need, listed according to their arrangement on the bed:

13″ pillow top mattress with 8 3/4″ box spring, bed skirt, fitted sheet, two feather and down pillows and shams, two hypo-allergenic pillows and pillow cases, one boudoir pillow and case, one decorative flat sheet (the middle sheet), one down blanket, one flat sheet (the top sheet), one duvet cover with an overstuffed polyester insert

Westin uses 230-thread count sheets, and an all-white ensemble.

I want my bed to look like that! :)

sources: Muffins, Buns and Biscuits; Westin at Home, Canada

Tags: making a bed, how to make a bed, heavenly bed, housekeeping, homemaking

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POSTED IN: General Housekeeping and Homemaking, Homemaking Blogs and Websites