apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I change mine twice a week - a small but completely worth while luxury I can't imagine living without.

Two weeks - yikes!! Keep that up and your seriously overpriced sheets won't stay white for long.

weekly: and they feel rather clammy by the end of the week! I thought monthly was only for the likes of my brothers!

Oh no no no. I know some people for which it would be yearly...

I change my sheets bi-weekly and when I put the fresh ones on, they are ironed ( get a lot of jokes from my american friends, but it makes a difference to me - they hold longer without being all wrinkly). I feel like a queen everytime I get in bed. I shower before going to bed, so that keeps the sheets as clean as the day they were put in.

Weekly. This also includes the feather bed cover, fluffing and airing of the pillows, rotating our mattress and airing out the room.

I think we're ready to get a new feather bed and pillows though - the pillows are 4 years old, and the bed is almost 3.

No comment out of shame...

Weekly. I love clean sheets. This week just stripped everything, washed the pillows and duvet to be packed away for the summer. Funny, as I was folding down the top sheet I was wishing that they were ironed crisp.

Hehe, I remember my first year of college I didn't change them for MONTHS because I had seriously never noticed that someone (my dad) was changing my sheets at home, and it didn't occur to me. Ugh. Now I am fairly good about it, although ironically once we got dust mite covers for our mattress and pillow cases I got somewhat worse about changing them as often, because it takes multiple loads of laundry to wash both the sheets and the dust mite covers, and it's a PIA to get the covers back on.

I just looked up biweekly in merriam webster and it can mean either twice a week or every other week. People who check this, what do you mean? I can't believe that many people could be changing their sheets twice a week.

every other week - i shower at night right before going beddy-bye.

Pixie, here's how I've always understood it:

"Bi" means two, so "bi-weekly" means every two weeks.

"Semi" means half, so "semi-weekly" would be every half a week, or twice a week.

Other? Yikes!

We do our best to wash them weekly, but that makes my "whites" batch come around very quickly.

I propose another question: How many sets of sheets do you all have? (We have one- just for the record).

I am especiall curious to know the answer to this from Maxwell and Sarah Kate (since your place is so small).

We change ours once a week, but before we lived together my fiancee told me he maybe changed his sheets once in a blue moon!!!

Anusha73 I used to iron my sheets all the time, it was nice and luxurious.

Weekly . . . and I'm thinking about doing it more frequently than that. Just think of all of the dead skin cells and dust mites clinging on . . . *shudder*.

One of the great luxuries in life is having two really nice sets of sheets, so I can change them weekly and then have several days to wash the others, before it's time to change them again. But you don't really need more than two (although flannel-lovers in cold climates can stretch to include a set of those, if they so desire)! I looooooove clean sheets.

p.s. what just happened to the good question about futon covers? i have some great sites for them

K-
I have five sets of sheets. Four sets of every day sheets and one set of luxury sheets (linen). Typically, I wash and iron my sheets every week ... but sometimes work literally takes over my life which makes it pretty impossible to keep up so I have four sets so I can change them twice a week. (I'm hoping this will change at some point of my life .... sigh.) Anyway, I rotate the everyday sheets so they wear evenly.
FYI, I iron my sheets, which reduces the amount of space they take to store significantly. And I store them all - top, bottom and three pillowcases in the fourth pillowcase.

Rachel - props to you for rotating your mattress weekly! I thought that was a twice a year job. And I rarely wash the feather bed cover because it is under the mattress pad and sheets.

I answered "other" because I don't have a regular schedule for changing/washing my sheets. I wash them when they don't feel right to me anymore. And I have about seven sets, and they all wear differently (some high thread count cotton, some natural bamboo...) It probably does add up to about every three weeks or so.

Suddenly, I feel so dirty! I'm hoping that the people who wash twice a week live in a home with their own washer/dryer...spending that kind of time in the laundrymat is too much for me.

I change mine weekly. This feels about right and the first night on the clean sheets is luscious. If someone were to change mine FOR me more often, I certainly wouldn't object.

anne, sorry, but bi-weekly can mean both twice a week or every two weeks.
i change twice a week, thats why it makes for better sleep; less dust and a fresh smell, and it feels great even if i am wearing pajamas.
since i have an oily scalp i am going to go to fresh pillowcases each night.

We change weekly and probably have 4-5 sets but just a couple heavy rotation. But if you're looking for additional sets, Chambers on 2nd (somewhere between 74th and 77th), is going out of business. We bought a beautiful duvet for 75 bucks, originally $350. The also have sheets, towels and some of their williams sonoma home stuff, including lighting fixtures. Store is closing in June.

We change our sheets on tuesdays. In most cases, due to spills, markers, etc, we change them again before the week is up. We iron.

Has anyone tried the 100% bamboo offerings - how do they differ from high thread count cotton?

has anyone ever tried beechwood sheets? they are AMAZING.

patrik - lots of words are used and understood several ways, but I admire purism when it comes to usage. Many people say "decimate" when they mean "massacre" or use the hideous "comprised of," but that doesn't make it right... ;)

Martybird, thanks for the tip. The Chambers Outlet is on Second Ave at 76th St.

Once a week. Pillowcases sometimes more often. I do sleep better on clean sheets. Whether it's physiological or psychological I don't know.

My sister had four roommates in college and one was a terrifying slob. One of the non-slobby roommates had a pet lizard (a small one) that somehow escaped its container and disappeared. Many months later what remained of the lizard was found - in the bed of the slob. She hadn't bothered to change her sheets all quarter (probably much longer) and had no idea she was harboring a dead reptile in her bed.

I have two sets of sheets, which makes it very easy to change them weekly. I have a bunch pillowcases, too, so those get changed more frequently--2 or 3 times a week.

Sydney - Oh my god!
Anne in Chicago - I'm with you on the semi/bi understanding.

I am irregular. Sometimes I will go a month without changing, but in April I changed my sheets three times. I also have several sets. One is a great flannel for the New England winters.

Bi-weekly means every two weeks. Twice a week would be semi-weekly.

Oh, and a tip for the white sheets (provided you have access to a washing machine you can control): Soak them in hot hot hot water with detergent and OXYCLEAN (yes, I said it) before starting a long wash and they will stay white a lot longer than if you bleach them (which only ends up yellowing them in the end).

When I say soak, I mean for, like, an hour. Run the machine every 10 minutes a bit to stir things up.

Works for yellowed t-shirts too.

weekly for me-- but that's because I only have one sheet set for the warm months (high count cotton) and one sheet for the cold months (brown flannel). if i allowed myself to go nuts-- and if i had the storage space-- I'd have at least 6 sets total so I can at least switch sheets if I have no time to go to the laundromat!

I'm also "other" and change my sheets anytime between every week to month. I should probably do it more often, especially since my cats have grown more affectionate (or cold?) and treat my bed as their own.

This may be too much information, but I had a sick furkid for a couple years, and I had to change the sheets just about every day. It was like living in a hotel. I got spoiled slipping into clean sheets every night. Clean sheets every night is the way to go.

I own 2 sets of sheets and change them weekly - I WISH i had the time to iron them...or the patience.... I change my pillowcases though about 3 times a week ( I find that works just as well as fresh sheets really ). I wash my mattress cover about once a month. I get night sweats so this is NECCESARY!

Varies. I said once every two weeks, but it's probably more often than that. If it's warm or I've been sweating a lot I'll change the sheets after a week. If it's cool and I've been showering every night before climbing into bed I'll go two weeks or a little more.

Either way, I flip my pillows after the first night and change the cases after the second. Pillows are typically what get the dirtiest.

our place in the city (so typically 5 nights) -- weekly; the weekend place -- every 2 or 3 weeks.

clean sheets are a joy, and I believe they DO help make a better nights' sleep.

Thanks for the tip Alex in Dc! I'm going to start storing my sheets that way- slipping the whole set into one of the pillowcases. Love it! Especially since I still have not mastered the art of folding that tricky fitted sheet, and it always looks a little messy as I tuck it away into my drawer.

I have pets that sleep in the bed so I change *more then once a week* on average. I do keep a "pet cover" on the bed but even I track in dust from the wood floors. And the thought of dead skins cells sloughing off and me sleeping on it for days, Ewwww. I feel like I sleep better just knowing my sheets are clean.

For "once every two weeks" I would use the term fortnightly.
Like Pixie, I looked up "bi-weekly" and found that both interpretations were listed as well.

Cleans sheets do make better sleep.

Somehow a clean pillowcase stays cooler, and that helps me sleep better. To answer the question, one set of sheets, changed every two weeks, but pillowcases changed every few nights.

Phew! Just stripped the bed and threw everything in the wash. I'm usually weekly but I got slack this month and it may have been 2.5-3 since the last change. Thanks for the reminder!

Do clean sheets make me sleep better? Not that I've noticed... but I can say definitively that they make me FEEL a million times better. Going to bed smiling can't be bad for one's rest.

Change weekly, I only have one set which I launder then put right back on the bed. My sheets seem to wear through in a couple years because of the hard use. I also use an extra top sheet to cover the duvet because I sleep with little fur kids and want to prevent as much dander as possible from building up on the more difficult to launder down comforter. This is laundered weekly with the sheets. I do the mattress pad every month or so and down comforter at least 2 time/year. The mattress is heavy and difficult to flip and turn by myself so I usually have my daughter help when she is home for break. It is one of those ultra thick pillow top models. I love fresh crisp sheets the ironed ones from nicer hotels are the best but I'd never iron at home.

I own 5 sets now-1 damask, 1 white cotton high count, 1 low, 1 linen and 1 tan/white patterned, and I change them every other week. I wish my schedule allowed me to change every week, I love the feel of fresh sheets. One thing I have done for years that really makes a difference: I iron my pillowcases. That crisp coolness against my cheek is the best.

Martha Stewart used to have on her website the easiest, smoothest way to fold a fitted sheet.

I have two summer and two winter (flannel) sets, change sheets weekly and use an extra top sheet at night to keep the cat off the bedding. I also iron the pillowcases and do believe I sleep better with clean sheets. I would LOVE to have fresh, clean and ironed sheets every night (and fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning).

I'd like to change my sheets altogether -- to percale. But nice crisp all-cotton percale seems to have become extinct. All you can get is slithery greasy sateen, or just plain weird jersey, or too-warm flannel.

What's up with that?

Alan - I too prefer percale to sateen; we seem to be in the minority in our tastes.

Garnet Hill (www.garnethill.com) has a decent selection of percale sheets on their website. They are about the only place I know of that still does.

Alan,
I've never had a problem finding percale sheets - Bed bath and beyond, linens and things, garnet hill, company store, pottery barn, crate and barrel, etc, all have them. You shouldn't have trouble finding them.

Personally, for crisp sheets, I think the problem is finding a good low thread count - 250 or less - to mimic the muslin sheets of the past. High thread counts can feel great when you climb in but never seem to breath well ... by 2 am I feel wrapped in saran wrap. I am currently using Ikea's 180 count sheets - they have a brushed like finish so they are very soft but they aren't as crisp as I like. But for the price they can't be beat and they are much better IMHO than the 280 count percales I replaced.
Oxford Cloth is also a nice alternate if and when you can find it. And, of course, the perfect crisp sheet is linen. You can sometimes find a cotton linen blend that might be what you are looking for. Ironing your pillowcases and top sheets will also add to the crispness factor. I can manage to iron them in about 15 minutes while watching a TV show - thus two sets are pressed in one set.

Has anyone ever washed a down comforter in a regular top-loading washing machine? I'd love to be able to wash mine at home but have been too afraid of ruining it to attempt it. Is there any special trick, or should it be limited to a front load washer only?

What about drying--I've seen fluffer gizmos, but can't find them in Canada and Company Store won't ship them here. Are they necessary?

I've washed my down comforters in top-loading, standard home-sized washers (I have queen-sized comforters) several times; no problems at all. Any bigger and I'd go to a commercial machine, however.

Don't worry about those "fluffers" (the rubber-y rings) you put in the dryer to fluff up the down; use a clean sneaker or tennis balls, they work just as well. I've got the fluffers and most of the time I use something else in the dryer.

Our Sunday evening ritual is putting fresh sheets on the bed. It helps provide a good night sleep and prepare us for the new week.

i wish i changed mine more. i used to do that ALL THE TIME, but now it's hard b/c i have to drive to a laundrymat.

Among my happiest moments, from childhood to now, is getting into a bed with wonderful, clean, sheets. Makes me smile with joy. But I have a really erratic sheet-changing schedule. Don't mind changing the sheets or making the bed, but I HATE doing the laundry. So that sets me back a bit. But I compensate by having LOTS of sheet sets.

So sometimes I have several sets at a time waiting to be washed, because I adore clean sheets on the bed but can't stand washing them. (And of course, the more sheets I have to clean at once, the harder it is to get to the laundry, and so the vicious cycle escalates....)

favabean,
I've also washed my down comforters in the regular washers; no problem.

Saturday is new sheets day without fail. But, because fresh clean sheets smel & feel so lovely, I often change them mid week too, especially if I'm feeling glum - it's a bit of an instant pickup!

Sheets changed weekly or every two weeks depending on how "friendly" my husband and I have been...

Pillowcases changed probably every other day - I use a lot of hair products...

I can't imagine only having one set of bed linen - how do you manage to wash, dry, iron and air it in one day in time to put it back on the bed for the same night?

We have three beds in our house - I have probably 12 sheets, 10 duvet covers and probably 40 pillowcases - all white cotton or linen and usually ironed before use

I change my sheets between 1-3 times per week. It's my greatest luxury. Basically, it's because I let me dog sleep in bed with me and cuddle and changing the sheets that often keeps things clean. However I don't always wash the sheets when I change them, sometimes I just throw them in the dryer to freshen them up and get rid of any pet hair. It works and the sheets come out clean and fresh as if they had been washed.

P.S. Say what you will about letting the dog in bed, but she's the best heater and cuddle pillow I know.

As for washing down comforters in top loading machines. It should work if the machine isn't overcrowded and stuffed to the gills. Drying however is a different issue. Proceed with caution. Hot heat can actually make the feathers smell burned which, trust me, is a horrible smell along the lines of burning hair that lasts for weeks and weeks.

In the city...every 2 weeks.

Which reminds me. I desperately need a cleaning lady. I can offer a reward! Email me at iloveupstate (at) gmail.com.

At the house, every 2 weeks.

does anyone have any tips on how to iron sheets at home? I always struggle with the massive amount of fabric and end up giving up and taking them to the cleaners for pressing.

every week is about as long as I like to go, and if I had more energy (and sheets sets) I'd do it more often. it's so worth it.

Thanks for the advice on washing down comforters, Sydney, Sea and Lizzy C--I think I will go ahead and try it. I'll just be sure to use the low-heat cycle on the dryer, and will try the tennis balls. Thanks!

Ah! favabean, i should have added that I think I've never fully dried down comforters in the dryer. Just a teeny tiny bit, and then I've laid them out in a sunny place. When they're dry, I vigorously shake the whole think all over to fluff and redistribute.

ad-west: fold in half and iron down one side and back up the other side - flip and do the other half - make sure the floor beneath the ironing board is clean as the sheet will be falling on it - make the fold DOWN the middle not ACROSS the middle or you'll feel it when you sleep on it
also do it in front of the TV with a movie on - its not so much of a chore that way!

"However I don't always wash the sheets when I change them, sometimes I just throw them in the dryer to freshen them up and get rid of any pet hair. It works and the sheets come out clean and fresh as if they had been washed."

Ewww! - so your dryer is full of hot, unwashed pet hair - I'd hate to put the next lot of clean underwear in there to dry - I'm sorry but thats just ick!

Violetrose: The pet hair comes off in the filter and you scoop it out. It doesn't transfer to the next load of clothes. Besides, when you use a public laundry room, who can say what was thrown in the dryer last, anyway?

Lizzy:I let my cats sleep on my bed and wash the linens more often for that reason. I never thought about just throwing the blankets, etc. in the dryer. Thanks for the tip!

Violetsrose -- Iron? Air? I currently have one set of sheets, which I wash, dry (in the dryer), and put back on the bed immediately. As in, I bring them back down the hallway from the laundryroom, and bam, they're back on the bed. Although after hearing the good things about ironed sheets, I may give it a try. I generally aim for every couple of weeks, but would like to change them more often -- just have to work out a routine for that. Never thought about airing the sheets, guess that's a humid/damp climate thing maybe? And where on earth in my apartment would I air sheets? Just wondering. (That does take me back to my childhood when we lived on a farm, and everything was dried out on the line. Now *those* were great-feeling sheets. The first night on line-dried sheets can't be compared to something that's come out of a dryer.

Okay, I have a semi-related sheet question.

I can't seem to keep my fitted sheets on my mattress overnight! I know we're not especially mobile sleepers, and it's not that the sheets are too small - even pulled tight over our king mattress, there's still a lot of slack in the middle (which also bugs me).
It's gotten to the point where I actually wake up in the middle of the night when I hear the *pop* of the sheet coming off the mattress - what's what wrong with my sheets? Are they just not shaped for my bed, or am I doing something wrong?

Melanie, there are clips that I think will help with that. They are like pieces of elastic with garters on either end. You clip one of the garters to one side of the corner of the sheet, and the other garter to the other side (so the elastic goes kitty-corner to the corner of the bed), underneath the mattress of course, and they're supposed to hold the sheet on. Hope this helps!

Always at least 2 x a week!I think if I had my own machine, i would probably do it more frequently. I do the bottom sheet with a duvet cover and shake everything out daily. I flip & rotate the mattress when it 'seems' right which usually ends up being at least 1 x per month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I often wash them with white vinegar or borax or ammonia or bleach... and add eucaluptus. I happen to love clean bleach smell.

You can always just run the iron over the sheets while they are ON the bed too - to prevent the 'sheets are bigger than the ironing board' situation.... I use the upholstery attachment on the vacuum to do the mattress. And I 'air' my quilts while the laundry is going by hanging them over the shower rod and leaving the bathroom window open and prop the pillows up so they get air around them too.

every couple of days... my wife takes care of that so it's no problem! ;)

As Alex in DC said, a small but worth while luxury...

I'm kind of a linens freak/snob. I have three sets of sheets. I change them every week and I have mine professionally laundred. I take them to Yee's laundry and they are washed, pressed and on a hanger when I pick them up. And I always change my sheets on Sunday so I start the week off on a great nights sleep with fresh, crisp sheets. Also, the last thing I do before I leave on a trip is to change the sheets so when I get home it's kind of like still being on vacation.

And if we are going for full disclosure here, I technically own four sets of sheets. The fourth set I keep at my mother's house because I don't like her sheets. I know that is over the top and probably too high maintenance but oh well...I sleep well when I visit.

Beth, I LOVE YOU. I can't tell you how infuriating it is to get up and fix the sheets at 3 AM!

I'm buying these right now...
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=10474167

Weekly for my sheets (this was always the Sunday night ritual in my house), but I have 6 pillows on my bed and I do rotate those (and flip them over) to get a different pillowcase each night ... I've noticed sleeping on a fresh case every night is really good for your complexion as there's no build-up of hairproduct or oil or whatever from the days before that.

Okay... so now that all the nutty people who change their sheets twice a week have posted, everyone else is too intimidated to post, ha! LOL

My answer was 'weekly', as that's what I aim for, but if I'm honest it's not unusual for it to push out to two or even sometimes longer. But I really start to notice if it's much more than a week, as I have quite oily skin and hair and it really shows on the pillowcases. I wash the mattress protector usually about fortnightly, and try to let the mattress etc get a bit of sunlight and air when I do that.

We have three sets of sheets, but mostly only use two, alternating between them. It's good because I don't have to worry about getting the sheets dry straight away, so I don't have to use the dryer.