How to Put on a Bed Sheet: A Step-by-Step Guide

Slipping into fresh sheets is a simple pleasure, but ensuring they're properly fitted can make all the difference between a restful night's sleep and a restless one. Whether you're using a fitted sheet or a flat sheet, mastering the technique will keep your bedding neat and help it stay in place through the night. Here's everything you need to know to help you achieve that crisp, hotel-like finish, whether you're making up a cosy double or a spacious king-size bed.

Step 1: Understand Your Sheets

Before you begin, it's important to understand the different types of sheets that are available:

Fitted Sheet: This sheet features elasticated edges designed to hug the mattress snugly, providing a secure fit and protecting the mattress.
Flat Sheet: A large rectangular sheet without elasticated edges. Traditionally used as a top sheet on warmer nights, it can also serve as a bottom sheet when properly tucked under the mattress.

Choosing between a fitted and a flat sheet often comes down to personal preference. Some find that a well-tucked flat sheet looks neater, while others appreciate the convenience of a fitted sheet’s elasticated corners.

Step 2: Using a Fitted Sheet

Fitted sheets are designed to fit over your mattress, with elasticated edges that secure the sheet underneath, making them quick to fit and remove. However, if you don’t quite line it all up correctly, the corners can pop off either when you make your bed or during the night. Here’s how to make sure your sheet fits snugly:

Identify the short and long sides: Some fitted sheets have labels or coloured tags on the short end. If yours doesn’t, hold the sheet up and stretch it to determine the correct orientation.
Start with the top corners: Begin at the head of the bed. Place one corner of the sheet over the mattress corner, ensuring the elastic is fully wrapped around the edge. Repeat with the opposite corner.
Move to the bottom corners: Stretch the sheet tightly and secure the remaining corners at the foot of the bed, smoothing out any wrinkles as you go.

For larger beds like a king-size mattress, it's helpful to work one side at a time, ensuring the sheet remains even across the mattress for a secure, wrinkle-free fit.

Step 3: Using a Flat Sheet as a Bottom Sheet

If you don’t have a fitted sheet, a flat sheet can serve as a good alternative under your duvet or top sheet. A well-fitted flat sheet can look neater than a fitted sheet, but it can be slightly trickier than a fitted sheet to put on. Here’s how to get that crisp, hotel-like finish:

Center the sheet: Lay the flat sheet evenly over the mattress, ensuring there's equal overhang on all sides.
Tuck in the bottom edge: Start at the foot of the bed. Tuck the bottom edge of the sheet tightly under the mattress, ensuring it's smooth and wrinkle-free.
Secure the sides with hospital corners: This technique involves folding and tucking the sheet to create a neat and secure fit:

• At one corner at the foot of the bed, lift the excess sheet from the side and place it on top of the mattress, forming a 45-degree angle.
• Tuck the hanging fabric underneath the mattress along the foot of the bed.
• Bring the lifted portion down over the tucked area and tuck it tightly under the mattress.
• Repeat on the other side.
Finish tucking the sides: Smooth out the remaining fabric along the sides of the bed and tuck it securely under the mattress, ensuring a tight fit.

For larger beds, working methodically around the bed and ensuring the sheet remains even will help achieve a secure and tidy finish.

Step 4: Keeping the Sheet in Place

To prevent your sheets from slipping off during the night, consider trying the following:

Tuck it deeply: The deeper you tuck the sheet under the mattress, the less likely it is to come loose. This is particularly effective when using a flat sheet as a bottom sheet.
Choose the right size: Make sure your sheets match your mattress size. For example, a double bed typically requires a double-sized sheet for an optimal fit. Using a sheet that's too small will result in it slipping off, while an oversized sheet may lead to excess fabric which can bunch during the night and disrupt your sleep.
Choose the right depth: Remember to measure the thickness of your mattress, and then take into consideration any mattress toppers or thick protectors, as this will alter the fitted sheet depth needed. Deeper mattresses or beds, which have a mattress and a topper, will need a deep fitted sheet (40cm). Regular mattresses, and those without a topper, will need a regular fitted sheet (30cm).
Use sheet straps or clips: These handy accessories can be attached underneath the mattress to hold the sheet firmly in place, reducing the likelihood of it coming loose.

Final Touches

Once your bottom sheet is securely in place, you can add a top sheet if you want one, followed by your duvet or blankets and pillows. Take a moment to smooth out any wrinkles for a neat and cosy bed. By following these steps, you'll achieve a well-made bed that stays in place, keeping your bedroom looking tidy and you sleeping soundly.

Discover how to fold a fitted sheet when storing it between uses.