Changing Bed Linen at Home

sarahd

Sun, Aug 07 2005, 2:56 pm

Mine either. Anyhow, if you wash your linen so often, it probably wears out really quickly, then you have to buy new linen. So by changing it only every other week, you save on water, laundry soap and new linen!! Very Happy

curly

Mon, Aug 08 2005, 9:54 am

We have three sets and one of them is starting to fade a little. Actually it was my DH's idea that it gets washed 3 times a week. I would gladly do it once for shabbos, but this makes him happy so why not? Once in a while when I'm exhausted he'll do it b/c he really wants it done.

odchai

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 11:45 am

Hi I was just wondering how often most people take care of this household task. I do most of my own housework except for once a week when a girl comes in to mostly wash the floors, vacuum and clean the bathrooms. So it's up to me to change the sheets and I feel that maybe I should do it more often than I do. My SIL has it done once a week by her cleaning lady, but I have other things to do as well and changing 7 beds every week seems like way too much!

amother

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 12:01 pm

How old are your children? why can't the older ones change their own beds (with or without help)?

I'm perplexed. I seem to recall learning that changing the bed linens was one of the tasks you are supposed to do lich'vod shabbos every week. Did I misunderstand?

motheroftwo

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 12:14 pm

There is nothing like slipping into a fresh bed friday nite!!!! My cleaning lady changes them once a week on friday.
If you feel it's too much, why don't you just change yours and leave the kids for 2 weeks. They won't notice the difference.

happymom

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 12:33 pm

I wouldnt feel clean if I left my linen on for two weeks. I even remember as a kid feeling so good going into freshly washed linin at night. maybe when your cleaning girl comes she can change the linen too if its too much for you... even if its not friday?

1stimer

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 1:00 pm

I have never heard of changing linen lekovod shabbos. AFAIK the only thing that one is supposed to do is shower for shabbos (cut nails as well??)

Odchai you're not alone in not changing linen once a week... (we'll leave it at that to say how often I change it Smile

)

My biggest issue with changing the linen is I don't have a dryer and they take so long to dry that it messes up my laundry schedule big time.

SMG

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 1:07 pm

Am I the only one who doesn't have cleaning help? The only time that I've had cleaning help has been when my two children were born (a 2 week gift from my MIL) and when I had a broken foot. I am looking forward to the extra help when IY"H I give birth this next time, but I don't feel badly about what I can and can't do re bed linens. I find a clean family room, hot dinner and clean underwear for everyone to be a better use of my precious time these days.

happymom

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 1:07 pm

I learned that beofre shabbos the malachim come and see if your house is clean and the BEDS are made... etc

gryp

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 1:07 pm

I dont have a dryer either, and sheets take much faster to dry than the rest of the laundry.

stem

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 1:41 pm

SMG, I also don't have cleaning help... sometimes I feel like I'm one of the last of an endangered species... 8)

sarahd

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 1:50 pm

1) I don't have cleaning help either. But then again, we live in a tiny three-room apartment and it would be pretty sad if I couldn't keep it clean myself.

2) In the piyut that's said Friday night after Sholom Aleichem, the baal bayis describes what "he" did to prepare for Shabbos. One of the things he did is "hitzati mitosi" - I made my bed. I guess that's assumed to mean that the linen gets changed. I was fascinated to read somewhere that in certain Crypto-Jew families they had the tradition of changing bed linens on Friday. So it must be a pretty old minhag. I ought to do it too.

gryp

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 1:58 pm

ok, stem, for the last time today Smile

! ditto! I dont have cleaning help either.
but that doesnt mean I'll never have in the future.

I just dont see it so necessary as of now.
my cleaning priorities around my home revolve around basic sanitation and up from there: clean bathroom, clean kitchen, beds made (including clean linen if its time), vaccuumed floor, laundry put away. when all that is done I go to my next level of priorities- ie, clean fridge/freezer, organize cabinets, etc.
and dinner ready in time for hungry people.
if I get all that done I get to relax and do what I want.
(sitting on imamother does NOT mean all of the above is done, but most of it.)

zigi

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 2:10 pm

I also don't have a cleaning lady I want to change the sheets more often but don't have a washing machine and I have to shlep to the laundromat. or have bags of laundy sitting around waiting untill my husband can watch the kids so I could do it. q' why is it sad if you can't clean a small apt your self? my son makes everything filthy right after I've cleaned it. I feel like I'm always cleaning! also what if you have a crying baby who decides to cry whenever I start cleaning.

Yael

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 2:22 pm

Quote:

In the piyut that's said Friday night after Sholom Aleichem, the baal bayis describes what "he" did to prepare for Shabbos. One of the things he did is "hitzati mitosi" - I made my bed. I guess that's assumed to mean that the linen gets changed.

making the bed can mean exactly that. doesnt mean changing linen.

I always learned that malachim check for 3 things: help me out here, something which means that kashrus is kept, (challah?).
candles are lit(?) =shabbos is kept,
and beds are made= TH is kept.

Last edited by Yael on Thu, Nov 17 2005, 2:24 pm; edited 1 time in total

deedee

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 2:23 pm

cleaning lady changes the kids linen every other thursday. I try to change our linen every week if that dosent happen then at least every other week.

amother

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 3:20 pm

I have live-in cleaning help and 5 dishwashers! They are called dh and dc and they all change their own linens every Friday. I think.

shayna82

Thu, Nov 17 2005, 3:50 pm

I also dont have cleaning help, sometime though I really do want it. today I did a huge cleaning in the kitchen, its sparkling.. its all about priorities..