15 'Hacks' That Can Make Changing Your Bedding Less Exhausting

One of my least favorite chores has always been changing the bedding. First you have to strip the bed, then carry the heavy load of sheets and blankets to the laundry room, deal with the process of washing and drying them (which involves more heavy lifting and probably some bending and reaching), carry it all back to your bedroom, then tackle the re-making of the bed, which for me usually involves a struggle with the fitted sheet, lots of trips between the left and right side of the bed, and fighting to shake the pillows into their pillowcases. As wonderful as fresh, clean sheets feel, the process I have to go through to get there is always a major turn-off.

Changing the bedding can be exhausting and time-consuming for even the healthiest of people – so when you add a chronic or mental illness into the mix, it can become even more challenging. That’s why we asked our Mighty community to share their “hacks” for changing the bedding. These tips and tricks can make the process a bit easier and hopefully save you some precious energy.

Here’s what our community shared with us:

1. “Have a few sets of linens for the bed, that way even if you can’t do laundry you already have clean sheets. My favorite hack, though, is asking my husband to put them on the bed for me (or help me).” – Lillian R.
2. “Duvet roll up is the best one I’ve found, it’s saved me a lot of time and bending!” – Jill F.
3. “Wash your pillowcases inside out. Then when you go to put them on the pillows, reach in with both arms and grab the corners. Then grab the pillow by its corners and flip the pillowcase over the pillow. I hate fighting to shake a pillowcase on the pillow. This way is less frustrating.” – Josie V.
4. “Duvets. And multiple pillows. Duvets are a quick shake and the bed is made. They are often fairly lightweight – less strain on the arms and back.” – Joanne M. 
5. “I cannot get a fitted sheet on, I really hurt myself the last time I tried. If my husband isn’t around to put it on I just put a big flat sheet down and tuck it under the mattress.” – Sheryl F.
6. “Zip-able bed sheets. You zip off the top surface where you sleep and wash it and then zip back in, instead of wrestling with elastic.” – Jenn B.
7. “Multiple sets of sheets is really nice, but can get pricey, especially for larger beds. I wash the blankets one day and the sheets the next day. I’m rarely able to stay out of bed for the hours it would take to wash everything and make the bed in one day. When the sheets are in the wash, I can lay the upper blankets out over the mattress and lay on them if I need to. I also make sure my pillows get a chance [to go] through the wash once a month. It can help fluff them up which feels nice.” – William B.
8. “Put your bed on something that easily rolls out, so you can get better access to corners.” – Vicky T.
9. “Asking for help! Also a hack for organization is to keep the bedding folded inside one of the pillow cases for storage. It also makes it easier to carry around.” – Ciara S.
10. “Don’t use a fitted sheet. Just put the ‘top sheet’ on the mattress and sleep under blankets or even another ‘top sheet.’ Sometimes you have to pull at the one on the mattress to realign it but it’s way less work and energy.” – Ashleigh C.
11. “Cleaning service every two weeks. It’s expensive but worth it to me. It includes changing the bedding.” – Elizabeth M.
12. “Sometimes I hurt too much to change the bedding so I wrap myself in a blanket and sleep on top of the bed. It is easier to wash one blanket than all the bedding. And struggling with fitted sheets is terrible!” – Kathleen B.
13. “I use fitted sheets and I put three on the mattress at a time. Then when the top one is dirty I just pull it off to reveal a nice clean sheet underneath. Sometimes I do the same with the duvet cover and pillowcases as well.” – Sukie M.
14. “Distracting myself. I watch YouTube or make a mental list of other things I have to do that week or things I’d like to do/read/watch.” – Leigh B.
15. “I do it in phases over the course of the day. I’ll put on the fitted sheet then rest, then go back and put on the flat sheet. Later I’ll do a few pillows then take a break, then later do the rest. It might take all day, but it gets done.” – Jill A.