When you wash and change the sheets and blankets on your bed...

[KrisM]

What do you do?

Do you wash just the sheets? Or the blankets too? Or blankets just some of the time?

What do you do with the quilt or comforter? If it's not being washed, where does it go?

If you aren't washing the blankets, where do you put them while the sheets are being changed?

I just had a conversation about this and got a really strange look about how I do it, so now I'm curious! I'll respond later and say why as well.

[gymnbomb]

What do you do?

Do you wash just the sheets? Or the blankets too? Or blankets just some of the time?

What do you do with the quilt or comforter? If it's not being washed, where does it go?

If you aren't washing the blankets, where do you put them while the sheets are being changed?

I just had a conversation about this and got a really strange look about how I do it, so now I'm curious! I'll respond later and say why as well.

I wash the blankets/duvet/mattress protector sometimes, but not frequently -- usually when seasons change and when it looks dirty. I throw them on the floor while I'm changing the sheets. I always have a clean set of sheets waiting, so usually I take everything off and throw it on the floor, put the clean sheets on, then put the covers back on.

[KrisM]

I wash the blankets/duvet/mattress protector sometimes, but not frequently -- usually when seasons change and when it looks dirty. I throw them on the floor while I'm changing the sheets. I always have a clean set of sheets waiting, so usually I take everything off and throw it on the floor, put the clean sheets on, then put the covers back on.

Where on the floor? Next to or at the foot of the bed or further away?

[ang79]

I only wash the comforter every so often (change of seasons, after sickness, etc.) We have a sleigh bed with a trunk at the foot of the bed. So I just pull the comforter over that at the end of the bed, put on clean sheets, then pull the comforter back up. For the girls beds, I put the blankets in a pile on the floor beside the bed, switch the sheets, and put covers back on.

[lizzywednesday]

If I'm not washing the comforters or their covers, I fold them and leave them on the floor on DH's and my respective sides of the room. His tends to go closer to the closet; mine stays closer to the windows.

If I'm washing the comforter & cover, it still goes on the floor, on its way to the washer.

Same with bare pillows. (Speaking of which, I need to wash our pillows!)

I guess I could put the whole business into a clean laundry basket, but I figure that between DH's flatus (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/flatus) and his habit of lounging on top of the comforter while still wearing his shoes, the floor isn't going to introduce any new microbes.

[mikala]

I wash the blankets/duvet/mattress protector sometimes, but not frequently -- usually when seasons change and when it looks dirty. I throw them on the floor while I'm changing the sheets. I always have a clean set of sheets waiting, so usually I take everything off and throw it on the floor, put the clean sheets on, then put the covers back on.
Same, except I usually try to wash those sheets and put them back on later in the day because I love the feel and smell of freshly washed sheets.

The duvet and pillows go next to the bed on the floor until I put the bed back together. I usually change the sheets right after vacuuming so the floor seems relatively clean.

[specialp]

Quilt and duvet go on the chair next to our bed and get washed only every couple of months.

[elbenn]

I wash blankets and comforter occasionally but not every time. I just keep the comforter on the sheetless mattress until I put the sheets back on (when I put the sheets on I guess I drape it over the footboard or something).

[trcy]

What do you do?

Do you wash just the sheets? Or the blankets too? Or blankets just some of the time?

What do you do with the quilt or comforter? If it's not being washed, where does it go?

If you aren't washing the blankets, where do you put them while the sheets are being changed?

I just had a conversation about this and got a really strange look about how I do it, so now I'm curious! I'll respond later and say why as well.

I wash the blanket when I wash my sheets. Our washer isn't big enough to wash my comforter, so it doesn't get washed that often. I put it on my dresser or desk when the rest of the bedding is being washed.


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[khm]

I don't think there is really a universal answer. Getting a weird look like someone thinks there is a universal answer - seems like they are weird, not you. ;)

We have a duvet, and in the winter, I have an extra fleece throw (those amazing Costco ones) on my side too. I wash the sheets more often than the duvet/fleece.

When washing the sheets, I guess I usually flop the duvet onto the floor or crumble it up at the foot of the bed or toss it off to the rocking chair.

The bed surface is usually where I put the laundry when folding/sorting it, so I guess it depends where I am in that process. If the sheets go into the wash first and a ton of clothing is to follow, I might pull the duvet up over the sheetless bed just to have a nice clothes folding surface. The crumpling / tossing is more likely if I won't be in the room while the bedding is being washed.

If I have spare clean sheets I might swap them out immediately, but usually not. I only have one set of flannel sheets for winter and have a favorite for summer, so I usually prefer to wash that set vs. using the B-Team set.

[KrisM]

So I wash the blankets most times in the winter, but skip if I have a busy day and won’t have time. I do them less often in the summer because they are usually folded back. I wash the quilt a few times a year.

When I don’t wash the blankets or quilt, I loosely fold them and put them on a chair in the corner of the room.

My mom was putting new sheets on their bed last night. She did not wash the blankets or comforter and she just pulls them down off the foot of the bed and walks over them to get around the bed. She got tangled and fell and broke a wrist.

When I was talking to my dad, I was trying to understand it all and was confused about why she was walking on the blankets and he said something along the lines that that is what everyone does. When I said I don’t leave blankets on the floor at the foot of my bed, he very sarcastically said “what do you do? Fold them and put them across the room?”. I said “yes, although I fold loosely, not as to put them on a shelf”. I didn’t say this, but was thinking “why would I walk on them and then put them on the bed?”, but apparently that is what my mom has always done.

I’m sure my mom will change it around now, and there is no “I told you so” in it, but I was just really curious if walking over them to get around the bed is typical or not. And if putting them on a chair or chest was so unusual.

[specialp]

OK, well yes, I have walked on them while making the bed. I throw the stuff on the chair by the bed, but I do not fold them in any manner whatsoever so when I am making the bed back, something may fall partially on the floor and I do not stop and pick it up. [eta: I'm not wearing shoes, but I've just never thought about it. Now that I'm asked about it, I guess my bare feet are in those blankets all the time so not sure what is bad about my bare feet walking on them for a few seconds to make the bed.]

[gymnbomb]

Where on the floor? Next to or at the foot of the bed or further away?

Right at the foot of the bed -- wherever it lands when I pull it down :)

[DualvansMommy]

Op, that is how my mum sprained her ankle! She does the same as your parents, leaving her duvet over the bottom of bed draping all over the floor. She tripped among the tangles and sprained her ankle.

I always thought for her, it isn't very clean since she was a smoker for many years. Cig crumbs on the floor? Ew!

As for myself, I like to wash our sheets weekly. Mattress pad covers bi weekly, and our king size comforter gets washed 4-5x a year. Usually at change of new season, or whenever we're sick it gets washed.

The boys quilt blankets get washed bi weekly, sheets weekly like my sheets. The blankets usually go on our chars in each of our room loosely folded with bare pillows on top of it. It's never on the floor, unless it's being washed that way which I would pick up leaving the bedroom for laundry room.


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[newnana]

so i'm like you, OP. I generally wash them and when I don't, they are loosely folded out of the way. Part of that is due to the idea of the floor, but mostly, it's because I see what your mom did in myself. Any opportunity to get tangled in something and I will fall and break something. Every time. DD is the same way

[gymnbomb]

So I wash the blankets most times in the winter, but skip if I have a busy day and won’t have time. I do them less often in the summer because they are usually folded back. I wash the quilt a few times a year.

When I don’t wash the blankets or quilt, I loosely fold them and put them on a chair in the corner of the room.

My mom was putting new sheets on their bed last night. She did not wash the blankets or comforter and she just pulls them down off the foot of the bed and walks over them to get around the bed. She got tangled and fell and broke a wrist.

When I was talking to my dad, I was trying to understand it all and was confused about why she was walking on the blankets and he said something along the lines that that is what everyone does. When I said I don’t leave blankets on the floor at the foot of my bed, he very sarcastically said “what do you do? Fold them and put them across the room?”. I said “yes, although I fold loosely, not as to put them on a shelf”. I didn’t say this, but was thinking “why would I walk on them and then put them on the bed?”, but apparently that is what my mom has always done.

I’m sure my mom will change it around now, and there is no “I told you so” in it, but I was just really curious if walking over them to get around the bed is typical or not. And if putting them on a chair or chest was so unusual.

So sorry to hear about your Mom's accident!! I will say that I do also frequently walk over ours. I will continue to do so, but this is a good reminder to be careful, and to be aware that there will come a time when I should probably stop doing that.

[KrisM]

So sorry to hear about your Mom's accident!! I will say that I do also frequently walk over ours. I will continue to do so, but this is a good reminder to be careful, and to be aware that there will come a time when I should probably stop doing that.

Knowing when to stop is a good idea! My mom is currently very upset with her dad. Six months ago, at the age of 93, he was coming up the stairs from the basement (he and my 92 year old grandma still lived in a ranch house together) carrying a beer. This meant he chose to not use both hand rails. he lost his balance and fell backwards down a few stairs to the concrete floor. he broke a leg. As a result, he went to the hospital, then to rehab, and finally to assisted living. He is still there and will not be able to leave. My grandma passed away at Christmas time. My mom constantly tells us and him how dumb his decision was that day last fall. She has not moved on from it. I do get why she was upset and that decision had many consequences that no one ever could have predicted. My mom is 68 and in pretty good health, but walking over a pile of loose blankets was likely not the best decision she could have made. I am hopeful that her accident will help her get past my grandpa's a bit.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Do you wash just the sheets? Or the blankets too? Or blankets just some of the time? Usually just the sheets. Blankets are less frequent.

What do you do with the quilt or comforter? If it's not being washed, where does it go? I have many sets of sheets so I don't have to have the bed bare while laundry is being done.

If you aren't washing the blankets, where do you put them while the sheets are being changed? On the floor for those few minutes. Sometimes I just shove things from one side of the bed, make it, then switch.

[NCGrandma]

OP, hope your mother's wrist heals quickly and without the need for surgery. I had a similar fall 2 years ago (but I didn't trip on bedding!) and the surgery and rehab took months but eventually everything was fine. Right now, I'm recovering from surgery to remove the metal plate which had started irritating the tendons. So I have particular sympathy for anyone who breaks their wrist (no matter how stupid the cause ...).


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[bisous]

I wash the comforters a couple of times a year. The sheets I change weekly. I do put bedding on the floor but all wadded up and I don't step on it. The germs from the floor don't gross me out at all. I'm sorry for your mom's accident! I don't think either of your "ways" are weird at all!

[klwa]

Comforter only if it needs it. Fleece blankets probably every other time I wash the sheets.

Regardless, when I pull the sheets off the bed, I immediately put a different set on the bed. So, the comforter just sets beside the bed (on the floor) until I get the other set of sheets on.

[rlu]

Blankets get washed every now and then, and after illness. Clean sheets are put on the bed while dirties are in the hamper, so the blankets and pillows aren't off for long. For our bed I put the blankets and pillows on the dresser, for DS I put them on top of his baritone case. We have a dog which sheds a lot so nothing gets put on the floor. Also, the goldfish were in DS's room and they loved to splash water onto the floor.

Now that I think about it I have never put them on the floor - I guess my mom must have taught me that. We had dogs while I was growing up too, so always dog hair on the floor (despite the fact she swept and vacuumed daily when she was running her in-home daycare.)

[KpbS]

I wash the comforters a couple of times a year. The sheets I change weekly. I do put bedding on the floor but all wadded up and I don't step on it. The germs from the floor don't gross me out at all. I'm sorry for your mom's accident! I don't think either of your "ways" are weird at all!

:yeahthat: My floor is currently carpeted. They aren't any worse for the wear.

So sorry to hear about the broken wrist! I've had one. It's painful and very inconvenient. :(

[mom2binsd]

I have a huge bedroom and just lay the comforter/quilt and blanket when not being washed on the floor (it's carpeted), it's out of the way. I know people who lay it on the mattress while they are washing the sheets if they are going to put them back on .

Not sure there is any one "right" way to do, whatever works, but now I'll be careful not to trip over mine!

I think the thing is, as people age they trip over things they might not trip over usually, I work in adult rehab and have heard it all!

[KrisM]

I don't think putting things on the floor is weird. But I am not sure why she intentionally puts them where she has to walk on them! I imagine she won't any more. She had surgery and has a plate and 8 screws in her wrist now. Fortunately, it's not her dominant hand.

I am sure it is hard to make different decisions as you get older. My parents need to start doing that though. A month or so ago we had a big wind storm and my brother lost a couple shingles. No rain. But my dad, brother, and nephews decided to get on the roof in 50+ mph wind gusts. Then they checked my grandparents house and went up there too. I would have waited until morning!

[mikala]

Now this thread has me wondering how often everyone washes their sheets.....

[MSWR0319]

I had never thought about the potential to trip! I throw it on the floor at the end of the bed and walk on it every time I change my sheets. Technically, it stays tucked in at the end and then I drape it over the footboard, but it bunches up at the bottom. It never crossed my mind once not to walk on it because I could trip. I think it'll cross my mind every time now (but I"ll probably still walk on it).

[smilequeen]

We have 2 (or 3) sets of sheets so I just remove the sheets to wash and remake the bed with the other set. I wash blankets and duvet covers periodically. And I generally remove extra blankets in the spring/summer anyway.

[maestramommy]

I only wash the blankets (actually our down comforter and duvet) once a season.

[mackmama]

I pile everything on a dresser.

For those washing their comforters so often... are these down comforters? My down comforter won't fit in our washing machine and needs to be dry cleaned. Is that unusual? It costs over $200 so we rarely wash it. If you all have a machine washable one I'd love a Rec!

[twowhat?]

Interesting thread! I only wash blankets a few times a year, and comforters every other year or so (dry clean), because we use duvet covers. For regular laundry, I just wash the flat sheet, fitted sheet, and pillowcases.

To answer your question, I loosely fold blankets/comforters and put them over the back of a chair. I don't put them on the floor mainly because we have a dog, and anything that touches the floor is guaranteed to get dog hair (and who knows what else the dog tracked in - yes, she's tracked in poop before, GROSS) on it, and I keep those things as clean as possible since we don't wash every time.

It would be a little odd to me too to toss that stuff on the floor AND walk over them. GAH, I hope that's not what hotels do...to be fair, I'm a germaphobe and I've gotten much worse as I've gotten older. I actually wish stuff like that didn't bother me, because it really shouldn't matter.

[BunnyBee]

I throw the comforter or quilt on a chair or laundry basket. We banned the dogs from our room, and they need washing much less now! Maybe 1x/month versus weekly for the sheets. It's usually from a coffee drip or cat yak. I have tossed them on the floor, but it's an area that's never walked on. It's hard enough to wrestle the fitted sheet on without trying to trip myself!