If u don't have cleaning lady how do change linen every week

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 2:02 pm

I don't have a large family so I'm not answering your poll, but I do have some comments:

Very young children can strip their beds and place the sheets and pillowcases in a designated spot.

By early elementary school age they can make beds with fitted sheets. I learned to do hospital corners with flat sheets at that age and found it challenging to get a flat sheet to cover the bed (we didn't use fitted sheets) but the corners themselves are easy to learn and fun for kids to do for top sheets.

While I do not have a large family, I understand from having family gatherings that making more than a few beds can be tedious. I put bed-making in the same category as breakfast and lunch preparation (and cleaning bathrooms, and room tidying...): as soon as a child is able to do it him or herself, it is that child's responsibility. That's how my husband and I were both raised, so I don't consider it particularly revolutionary, but I see on Imamother that some women don't feel they can share the housework with other people who also live in the house.

Use top sheets to protect your blankets, quilts, duvets, whatever. I am firmly in the change-linen-weekly camp, but duvet (comforter) covers do not need to be changed weekly if they are not next to the body. I consider the covers to be decorative and another layer of protection for down comforters which are hard to clean, but not a substitute for top sheets.

FranticFrummie

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 2:34 pm

I despise putting on fitted sheets. For me it is exhausting. I usually get DD to help me do the far corners, and then I do the foot of the bed and smooth everything. I try to do it every 2 weeks, but I'm not consistent.

I have a friend who has 5 kids under 15, and every single one of them wets the bed, every single night. She taught them to strip their beds and pajamas every morning, take a shower, and then take the dirty laundry straight to the machine. The older kids wash everything, and make sure the littlest ones get their beds and pj's in the wash as well.

I have another friend who has a large family B'H, and has two large washers and dryers, plus a clothesline. I can't even imagine that much laundry!

Iymnok

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 2:35 pm

amother wrote:

Sorry to derail...please don't leave the dryer running when you leave the house. I personally know of that least 2 dryer fires.

I rarely put sheets in the dryer, it takes too long, they get hot spots and wet spots.
I flip them over my porch railing. In the summer they could be dry in an hour.
They either go straight back on a bed or are folded. In a crunch they are just dumped on the guest bed embarrassed

Mine are changed every 2 weeks, niddah cycle, two kids get changed as often as they wet them(a few times a week), the others, when I remember to. Not often. Shhhhhh.

Guest linens, after they leave.

maapse

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 4:46 pm

No cleaning help at all. Small kids. I work full time.

I change everyones bedding every week. Kids on one day, ours another day. Strip the beds as soon as we wake up and wash immediately.

Put in dryer when come home from work. Its dry at bedtime and ready to go back on the beds. I use the same bedding over and over again to save me folding it.

How long does that take? An extra 3 minutes in the morning to strip and 6 minutes to put it back on.

amother

Gold

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 5:31 pm

amother wrote:

Not everyone bothers with duvet covers. That seems to be a Brooklyn thing.

A lot of people just use a sheet and quilt.

Everyone in Israel pretty much uses duvet covers. It's not confined to Brooklyn.
I think the duvet cover is a lot more hygenic, because with a top sheet your skin can get into contact with the blanket quite easily.
Duvet covers take some time to put on. I have a strategy of starting with the duvet cover inside out, but it still takes some wrangling.

mommy3b2c

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 5:55 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Why are her children not in pull ups???

MMCH

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 6:15 pm

[quote="amother"]My kids range from age 5 -10, 4 kids.
B"H no accidents.
Wednesday we get up 15 min earlier, after washing hands, everyone knows they need to strip their beds and bring me, 2 sheets and a pillow case each.
I put it in the wash then get ready.
Before I leave the house I put it in the dryer.
As soon as the kids come home from school, each one takes 2 sheets (top and bottom) and a pillow case. They "make" their own bed, it's not so neat, but it's done.
No snack until that's done

I love this!!!
Fresh linen is a total mishegas of mine and when I have enough money they will get changed every friday.
until then I do them every other tuesday- I usually strip the linen before work and prepare in a laundry (sigh; no washing machine) and when I get home put on second sets for all of us.

Pooh

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 9:35 pm

I have 3 kids. Yes help but no w/d at home so I was once a week at the laundromat and take one bed each week cuz I can't carry any more. If I had the machines at home I would probably wash every other week all or every week depending on my schedule but for now this is what I can handle and I'm not ashamed. (Unless one gets extra dirty or I have guests or someone has an accident then I take that bedding to wash out of schedule)

amother

Linen

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 10:02 pm

No cleaning lady, several kids, and I do it once a week. It's important to me.

I find that the idea of doing it is harder than actually doing it.

Although I do dread putting the covers on the blanket/doona/duvet/quilt/whatever-the-heck-you-call-it.

To whoever said it's a NY thing to use the covers, that may be, but my first exposure to using any sort of blanket without a cover was on my first visit to the US. I've still never seen it elsewhere and still don't really understand it.

eschaya

Sun, Nov 27 2016, 10:56 pm

No cleaning help. 4 kids. Work full time. My work schedule is erratic and changes weekly, so can't bed changes into a weekly schedule. I don't do it often enough. Some things had to slide, and frequent linen changes are below my sanity on the grand list.
To those who say that kids should be able to do it... may I point out that kids who sleep on the top bunk of a bunk-bed will be unable to do so? It's a struggle even for me (balancing on the dresser, lifting the far end of the mattress, one leg dangling in thin air).

salt

Mon, Nov 28 2016, 1:34 am

MagentaYenta wrote:

As far as bed making with kids, the most I've ever had home was 3. When they were small it was their fathers job to assist the small ones upon request. By age 5 most kids can make a bed.

A 5 year old cannot put a duvet cover on a duvet. That's that part of bed-making that takes time.
Sorry if you think I'm disgusting, but I really don't think sheets need changing that often, especially if you take a shower before you go to bed every night. We change them once a month minimum, unless they get dirty obviously!! (please don't hug me!!!!)

amother

Ginger

Mon, Nov 28 2016, 2:00 am

smile12345 wrote:

Not from Brooklyn and have never heard of anyone who doesn't use covers.
I always thought quilt and duvet were interchangeable synonyms.

Learn new things here every day Wink

yes, but shes talking about those that cover their duvet/quilt/comforter/blankets with a zippered cover that matches the linen. Those are a real hassle to have to change every week.

Quote:

How? Pull of the blankets and throw them on another bed. Pull offf the sheets and dump them on the other bed. Pull the pillowcase off the pillow and dump both on the other bed. Spread the new fitted sheet on your stripped bed. Spread the flat sheet and tuck it in on three sides. Or not. Retrieve the blanket/s and spread over the flat sheet. fold the top of the flat sheet back over the top of the blanket. Tuck in, or not. Put the clean pillowcase over the pillow and place at head of bed. Done. Grab the dirty linens and dump in hamper or washer, whichever is your method. Repeat for as many beds as you have.

again, you're talking about flat sheets, not blankets with covers.

I totally don't mind changing fitted sheets and pillow covers. I let my dh deal with the blanket covers.

amother

Gray

Mon, Nov 28 2016, 7:01 am

Just curious, for everyone who says they put up the wash before going to work. How many loads do you do a week?

Because I put up laundry before leaving in the morning as it is. Every week are aprx. 5 loads of clothing + 2 loads towels.

Also, just wondering how many kids you have in bunk beds? Because I find those top beds pretty challenging!

Tablepoetry

Mon, Nov 28 2016, 7:03 am

Ruchel wrote:

I have no idea about all those duvets things.
Most around me use a sheet on mattress and then those http://www.becquet.fr/portailb.....A.jpg

So around here everyone covers that blanket with a duvet cover like these:
http://m.next.co.uk/shop/produ.....ets-0
Except in summer when many use a very lightweight blanket, almost like a sheet, that also goes in the wash.

chanchy123

Mon, Nov 28 2016, 7:14 am

zaq wrote:

Sorry, I don't understand the question. As Nike says, "Just do it." It doesn't take that long. Yes, it's physically awkward, but so are a lot of things.

How? Pull of the blankets and throw them on another bed. Pull offf the sheets and dump them on the other bed. Pull the pillowcase off the pillow and dump both on the other bed. Spread the new fitted sheet on your stripped bed. Spread the flat sheet and tuck it in on three sides. Or not. Retrieve the blanket/s and spread over the flat sheet. fold the top of the flat sheet back over the top of the blanket. Tuck in, or not. Put the clean pillowcase over the pillow and place at head of bed. Done. Grab the dirty linens and dump in hamper or washer, whichever is your method. Repeat for as many beds as you have.

If you have only one bed in the room, either bring in a laundry basket for the dirty linens, or dump them on the floor (shudder) or on a chair.

You assume one has at least two sets of good linens for each bed in the house.