# Poll: making the bed **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502 "2008-10-11T19:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![spoike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@spoike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spoike)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/41 "2008-10-12T03:08:08Z")
We don’t make the beds in my house, unless we’re having overnight house guests, or, I suppose, guests who would be getting a tour of the house. The blankets do get tidied each night before bed, especially on my son’s bed. Unfortunately, we are all slobs, so we’re not good role models in this regard. (If the cats were allowed in my bedroom, I would make the bed every day. They’re not, so I don’t.) However, if we are staying at someone’s house, our beds are definitely made as soon as we get up in the morning. Slobs we may be, but only in our own house. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/42 "2008-10-12T04:11:41Z")
I make my bed every day. I can’t go through the day otherwise. If I didn’t make my bed it would bother me all day. To me, making my bed says to me, “organized and complete and ready for the day”. Also… I think, what if my house was searched and they found an unmade bed? Surely (to me at least) a sign of an antisocial personality. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/43 "2008-10-12T04:14:24Z")
> [@Creaky](#): > > Also… I think, what if my house was searched and they found an unmade bed? Surely (to me at least) a sign of an antisocial personality. If there has arisen a need to search your house then I think you should be more worried about that than an unmade bed. My mum’s like this… “If people stay” “Mum, your sister isn’t going to inspect the house” ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/44 "2008-10-12T04:24:45Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > If there has arisen a need to search your house then I think you should be more worried about that than an unmade bed… Yeah, well. You’d think. But trust me, the searching isn’t the issue. What they find and how they interpret it, is. Assuming they feel they have a reason to search in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/45 "2008-10-12T04:55:43Z")
I only make my bed when I change the sheets. By extension, my guest beds get made when my guests have gone home because I change/wash the sheets then. They are, therefore, made most of the time. If a neat-freak pokes a nose into my bedroom, they’ll have worse to worry about than an unmade bed, what with the stacks of books, baskets of clothes, odd weapons, and bits of assorted robots. I have been known to sleep on the couch, just because I couldn’t be bothered to move enough stuff off my bed to get into it safely. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/46 "2008-10-12T05:33:41Z")
Growing up, my stepmother would fly into a rage if I didn’t make my bed, and woe be unto me if I didn’t have crisp, even hospital corners. Nowadays I sort of flap out my sheet and blanket in the morning and quickly get out of bed via one corner. This way it’s practically made, I just have to smooth out the side I escaped from. I’m also not a fan of climbing into an unmade bed. I feel like it’s not as comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/47 "2008-10-12T06:54:37Z")
I make my bed every day unless I’m running late in the morning - and I’ll usually still make it up when I come back. I like keeping a neat and organized apartment, and bed-making is central to that. It really can make or wreck (if unmade) the way your apartment looks. I know a lot of people don’t care whether their house/apartment looks messy if they don’t have visitors, but I find a neat home much more relaxing and enjoyable. Also, climbing into an unmade bed just isn’t as comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Collaborator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Collaborator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Collaborator)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/48 "2008-10-12T09:37:57Z")
Making the bed is a huge time waster for 0 benefit. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/49 "2008-10-12T09:48:02Z")
Maybe we lived in Germany too long… 1. Make the bed every day. 2. Change sheets and bedding once a week, minimum. 3. Flip mattress every month. ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/50 "2008-10-12T10:03:14Z")
I only make the bed when company is coming and when I change the sheets. The rest of the time, it’s not really that important to have it look neat, since no one sees it but me and my cat. When I was in college, I made my bed every day in order to make my roommates happy, because they were more stereotypical girls and wanted the room to look like a lavender-scented showcase all the time. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/51 "2008-10-12T10:37:56Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Maybe we lived in Germany too long… > > 1. Make the bed every day. > 2. Change sheets and bedding once a week, minimum. > 3. Flip mattress every month. I only lived there three years so I’ve escaped the flipping the mattress part. Otherwise, are we related? I make the bed every day. I also keep a clean house. Part of that is as Twickster (I think) posted–cat hair and cat stuff gets tracked everywhere and that does include sheets. But in the interest of complete disclosure, I did so even when entirely petless because I love a tidy living space. To me, it’s very tranquil and the time/effort ratio is worth it. I spend maybe 10 minutes a day defurring or actively cleaning and get the living space I want as a reward. I think making vs. not making a bed is less about your mom or you winning and more about what feels comfortable to each of us. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/52 "2008-10-12T12:48:52Z")
I only make the bed when I change the sheets. The bed is walled in on three sides. The effort to actually make it is not worth the payoff. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slip\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f475e1/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slip\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slip_1)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/53 "2008-10-12T13:29:06Z")
When I was single, I rarely made my bed (basically, I would make it up after changing the sheets). I was also, er, slightly more casual about my cleaning habits in general. Now, after almost thirteen years with the partner Slip, I make the bed. There have been times we make the bed, have breakfast, decide we’re too tired to go to the gym, get back in for a snooze, then make it up again. With two people, it takes no time at all, even with a bunch of pillows. Also, since the kitties sleep on the bed most of the day (lazy bastards :D), it limits just how much fur gets on the sheets (somewhat). ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/54 "2008-10-12T18:40:57Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > Am I the only person over 25 who really doesn’t care? Well, if by “making the bed” you mean making sure the fitted sheet is actually fitted around the matress, then yes, I make the bed. Beyond that, not a prayer. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/55 "2008-10-12T22:31:04Z")
It’s extremely critical that my bed be made every single day, immediately after rising, with the pillows well covered, and the linens tucked in tightly, without fail, no matter what. I tend to tuck my side of the bed for a midnight potty run. I suspect I would start to make the bed before vacating if our smoke alarms ever went off at night. I have cats. My husband doesn’t care – he thinks it’s easier to bitch about my spoiled brats-with-fur. He also lets Batcat snuggle under the covers when he thinks I’m not paying attention. As long as she isn’t shedding on my side, I’ll keep pretending I haven’t noticed.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/56 "2008-10-12T22:55:56Z")
For me, This exactly. However, I love the feeling of crawling into a clean freshly made bed. My Mom is a bed maker. Obsessively. Even in hotel rooms. My Granny doesn’t make her bed except when she puts the clean sheets on. She doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what company thinks. ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/57 "2008-10-13T00:14:32Z")
When I get up to go to work, I don’t make the bed. Getting to work on time is my concern, and making the bed is the least of my concerns. If, on the other hand, I get up without having anything in particular to do that morning, I’ll make the bed. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/58 "2008-10-13T01:43:34Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > For me, This exactly. However, I love the feeling of crawling into a clean freshly made bed. > > My Mom is a bed maker. Obsessively. Even in hotel rooms. > > My Granny doesn’t make her bed except when she puts the clean sheets on. She doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what company thinks. Obviously I hit the wrong button. I meant to quote a post that said “never make the bed unless it’s laundry day.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/59 "2008-10-13T19:05:10Z")
I make the bed if we’re expecting guests (who might be wandering around). I make the bed on days when I’m working at home, as I work in the bedroom and it’s just a mental-discipline thing. I make the bed if I’ve just changed the sheets. And when we had our old house on the market, I made it every day. Other than that? I have better things to do with my time. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502/60 "2008-10-13T19:13:05Z")
I make the bed almost every day, but sometimes not till I come home from work, which sometimes means that the bed is made for about three hours until we get in it again. Still, I feel as if I have accomplished _something_, even if I have not dusted or vacuumed, and the room looks nicer. Our dogs get to come up on the bed for a snuggle most nights, and it’s better they shed on the comforter than in the sheets. (As they are corgis, they cannot get up by themselves but need to be picked up.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-making-the-bed/467502.md?page=4)