However, I did see an interesting article about bed making and whether it is a good thing or not -- healthwise of course. Now, we can all say that having your bed made makes you feel good, adds to the tidy appearance of the house and all that. I think of having an unmade bed similar to staying in pajamas all day -- a practice that doesn't make me feel good at all and I avoid completely. So, clearly a neatly made bed is good for our emotional health but is it good for our physical health. The "experts" have an opinion on how this daily, mindless task should be accomplished (of course "they" do).
In the US we tend to make our beds using lots of layers -- a bottom, fitted sheet, a top sheet, blankets, and then a comforter, quilt, or bedspread. In our house I use a traditional woven bedspread similar to this one. We don't sleep under it -- it is folded back and just used to "complete" the bed in the morning.
My husband insists that we be able to cover the pillows to avoid dust accumulation and I find pillow shams to be maddening. So, this sort of bedspread has been our solution for many years in our marriage.
The new trend, however, is toward ditching the top sheet and using just a bottom sheet and a duvet. My daughter has a duvet and declares it to be really hot so she still uses a top sheet so when she has to throw off the duvet she is still covered. Also, pillows would just be fluffed and placed on the bed uncovered.
The idea behind this is that all the unsavory things that we know are in our beds will grow profusely in an environment where the sheets and such are all covered up tight and not able to breathe. So, the idea is to expose the sheets to the air and let the bed air and dry out and dry up and that will solve a lot of allergy issues.
Now, I am all about solving allergy issues but I am not sure about the whole hot duvet and no top sheet thing so I have come up with a possible solution. I quilt and use cotton batting. My husband loves my quilts and we use them regularly. So I am thinking that making the bed with the usual sheet set and then folding a quilt at the bottom for when needed at night -- if needed at night-- leaving the sheets exposed to "air". That sounds ok, in a way. My husband doesn't like the pillows to be uncovered but since he stows his little buckwheat pillow in a drawer maybe he should just get over it since it is my pillow he is talking about and if I don't care, he shouldn't either.
So, tell me, how do others make up their bed? I didn't realize this would be such an interesting subject with so many opinions.
