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2torial #0630:
Learn2 Make a Bed

"Just what exactly ARE hospital corners?"
Anyone who's ever worked in a hospital knows how
to make a bed. Anyone who's been in the armed
forces knows how to make a bed. For that matter,
anyone who's ever gone to camp knows how to make a
bed (those counselors can be a lot like military
personnel themselves). So how come so many beds in
this world are made so sloppily? Time to put a stop
to all of this!

- When you've just crawled out of bed in the
morning, late for work, making the bed certainly
seems to be last on the list of priorities.
Think how nice it would be, though, to come home
to an inviting, tidy bed after a hard day's
work. Just make sure that before you strip off
the old sheets and pillowcases, you have another
set - in the right size - for your mattress.
Put on the bottom sheet

Sometimes you have a fitted sheet, and sometimes
you don't. If you have a fitted sheet, with elastic
on the ends and pre-formed corners...
- Stretch the sheet over two corners at one
end of the mattress.
- Walk around the bed and stretch the sheet
over the other two corners of the mattress.
If you have two flat sheets, take one of them
now and...
- Hold the long end of the sheet (the side
without a hemmed edge) with both hands, and
stand next to the bed.
- Flip the sheet out over the bed, so that it
billows out and spreads over the mattress.
Position the sheet so that it hangs evenly over
all sides of the mattress. Make sure the long
edges are parallel to the floor and hang below
the bottom of the mattress.
- Take the short end of the sheet, and tuck it
snugly under the end of the mattress. Make sure
that the sheet lies smoothly between the
boxspring and mattress.
- Go around to the opposite (short) end of the
bed and pull the sheet taut. Tuck the sheet
under the mattress as above, maintaining the
tension you've created.
- Move back around to the long side of the
bed. Tuck the edge of the sheet under the
mattress. This should create a vertical fold but
won't if the short edge of the sheet is bunched
under the end of the mattress.
Go to the other side of the bed and repeat the
last step. This is where you can tug firmly on the
sheet to create a taut surface.
Put on the top sheet

Now you're going to create a nice, tight
confining area to slide into at night. Your feet
will be unable to shift around, and you can get
some small idea of what a straight jacket feels
like as you fall asleep.
If you've just used a flat sheet as your bottom
sheet, you'll realize that the top sheet goes on in
almost exactly the same way.
- Find one long end of the sheet (a side
without a hemmed edge) and stand next to the
bed. Generally, the sheet will have one edge
with a hem of at least 2", and that end should
go towards your head.
- Flip the sheet out over the bed, so that it
billows out and spreads over the mattress.
Position the sheet so that it hangs evenly over
both long sides of the mattress but has extra
length at the foot end. The end of the sheet
where your head will be should reach the top
edge of the mattress.
- Take the bottom end of the sheet and tuck it
snugly under the end of the mattress. Make sure
that the sheet is flat between the boxspring and
the bottom sheet. Move back to the long side of
the bed. Tuck the sheet under the mattress, so
that a vertical fold is created at the bottom
end of the mattress. Tuck the remainder of the
sheet under the mattress, but leave a foot or
two of it loose at the top. This will be folded
back over your blanket to form a nice, soft edge
that sits next to your face.
Repeat with the other side of the mattress,
creating a taut surface by tugging firmly.
Put on the blankets

You're almost finished now. All that's left are
the blankets and pillows.
- Step to the side of the bed, and flip the
blanket so that it billows over the bed.
Position it so that there will be room for your
head and shoulder, with the remainder hanging
evenly over the other three sides.
- Repeat the steps that you took with the top
sheet, first tucking the bottom under the
mattress, then the sides. Remember to create
vertical folds by not bunching the blanket under
the mattress.
- Fold the portion of the top sheet that you
left loose back over the blanket. Tuck the edges
under the mattress to form a neat and tidy
appearance.
- Place the pillowcases over the pillows and
put them aside.

- If using a bedspread, now's the time to put
it on. Flip it out so it spreads over the bed,
making sure the edges at the bottom and sides
are even to the floor. Fold the top edge of the
spread down and position the bottom edge of the
pillow to just cover the fold (the top edge
should sit about 3 inches from the head of the
bed). Fold the spread over the top of the
pillow, and tuck around the top and bottom
edges.
Et voila! A bed that you can now mess up to your
heart's content!
-end-

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