I take the bedspread off if I have invited one of the cats in to spend the night, because for some reason they really, really like to knead on the satiny bedspread. I like it and it goes very well with the decor in my bedroom so I don’t want it covered in little pulls from kitty claws. Mr. SCL and I have to have separate bedclothes anyhow, because he is a cover hog (editioral comment - no, she is a cover hog). I put the bedspread on if there is a chance someone other than the two of us is going to see the bedroom.
As for hotel bedspreads, unless I am staying in a Marriott Courtyard, which has started using duvets, that nasty thing goes on the floor. I saw an article (no cite, sorry, it was a while back) where some group did a study and the things they found on those bedspreads made the floor of a city bus look clean. Ewwwwwwwwww.
I definitely do sleep under the bedspread. I am very uncomfortable if I don’t sleep underneath at least 1 layer of blanket, and in the summer Mrs. Small uses a ton of AC at night. I get cold much easier, so often I end up wrapped in the bedspread and she ends up without it.
I don’t even own a bedspread. And when I’m sleeping alone I don’t even use a blanket. If it’s a little chilly I might cover myself with a top sheet, but invariably kick it away during the night.
When I’m not sleeping alone, My Guy needs 2-3 blankets, plus my body heat, to stay warm. You know how those skinny guys are.
My sister used to work as a housekeeper at a fairly upscale resort hotel, and she said that they always washed the bedsheets but only washed the bedspreads if something was visibly spilled/stained on them.
She said that when she stays in a hotel, she always asks for a new (washed) bedspread. On the rare occasion that they resist, she “accidentally” spills something on her bedspread so she can get a clean one.
Personally, at home, I use a combination of items, depending on the season:[ul][li]Winter: topsheet, thin blanket, down duvet/bedspread[/li][li]Spring/Fall: topsheet, down duvet[/li][*]Summer: topsheet, thin blanket[/ul]
Am I the only one who doesn’t know the difference between a bedspread and a comforter? I always thought they were just two different words for the same thing.
I sleep under my quilt (comforter? bedspread?). I am to much of a cold wussie to waste a perfectly good blanket.
I have never heard of the concept of not using bedspreads presented in this thread and my world-view is irrevocably shattered. I always used bedspreads when I had regular ones but our beds have puffs now.
A couple of years ago I went shopping for a bedspread. I wanted: sheets, light blanket, bedspread, in that order, on the bed for summer. I could not find an inexpensive one to save my life, and wasn’t going to pay $200-300 for a flippin’ bedspread.
I grew up with blankets and a bedspread, but even my mother eventually went the way of sheets and a comforter only on top. That’s what we have now, too. But if I saw a nice bedspread, I might buy one again. Not for $200, though.
And I worked in hotels as a student. They didn’t wash the bedspreads after each guest, no, not even in the fancyschmancy hotel.
I am sure this is the sort of thing that changes from region to region and era to era, but in general retail, a comforter is usually defined as two layers of fabric with a cotton or down or poly fill between (like insulation). My niece calls this a “puffy blanket.”
A bedspread , traditionally, is a single piece of fabric, usually a heavier fabric, that is the very top layer of your bedding, and hangs fairly far over the edges of the bed, sometimes all the way to the floor. This is what they have at most hotel chains. Some of them, especially the long ones, are structured so they hang “square” over the corners, or cut and seamed so that they fall on either side of bed posts (if you have the kind of bed with posts). I have to mention that I picked those photos because they did a good job of showing the shape of the spread – they both happen to be really dated looking, there are in fact normal looking contemporary spreads out there as well.
Since the 80s, a very popular style of bedding does away with the traditional spread, and uses a nice comforter (or a nice comforter inside of a nice duvet cover)
as the topmost layer , so in that case, the comforter is also doing double duty as the bedspread. Usually (although not always), the comforter doesn’t fall to the floor, so you could get a matching bed skirt to hide the under the bed area.
My god, someone stop me before I talk about this all night … bedding is my hobby. Actually, sleeping is my hobby, the bedding is just a bonus.
I bought mine online from Linen Source. If you like chenille, you can usually get something for a reasonable price. I love chenille, especially this one. (Am I a real child of the seventies, or what?)
I sleep under my bedspread. And a person would have to be a fool to not sleep under the bedspreads of the last hotel I was in. The bedspreads there were the most AWESOME feather down.
When a man queried saleslady Shedd
As to whether a fully made bed
Had springs that were quiet
She answered, “Just try it”
As she pulled down the blankets and spread
To me the main difference is the size. A bedspread is relatively thin and hangs all the way to the floor, while a comforter is thicker and covers only the top mattress. You have to get a bedskirt to cover the lower mattress and under-bed area.
I have always slept under either bedspread or comforter.
What is a bedspread exactly? As far as I’m concerned: if it’s polyester, it’s a bedspread, and it’s not for sleeping under, for reasons given already (slippery/gross from previous hotel room customers/etc). If it’s cotton (or other natural fibres), it’s a blanket/comforter/duvet, and is for sleeping under.
I hadn’t thought of it until this thread, but for me, a bedspread is BY DEFINITION not for sleeping under.
A bedspread is also something that I have never and will never own. My mom once got me a bedskirt; as I was trying to maneuver it on to my bed I asked myself “Self, what the hell is this for?”, stopped maneuvering, and never looked back.
If I go to sleep with more than one layer on me, no matter how securely tucked, I can guarantee that by midnight, the layers will end up scattered in clumps across the bed and floor. My bedding consists of a fitted sheet, and a duvet with a cover made of cotton sheets that I can peel off and wash without hassle. I have enough trouble keeping that straight. Why would I bother with something polyester and useless?
