Do You Make Your Bed Every Day?

Updated on February 04, 2012
P.S. asks from Houston, TX
44 answers

We are trying to get our son to make his bed every day, as part of teaching him to keep his things neat and organized. But I'm really wondering why I should make him make his bed every day, esp when we don't currently have house guests and its just going to get messy tonight anyway, right?

I try to with my own bed. I'm usually 4 out of 7 days on a good week.

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Every. Single. Day.

I cannot stand the sight of an unmade bed. To me, it makes the whole room look messy.

3 moms found this helpful

T.T.

answers from Dallas on

There is something very satisfying about a made bed. I know that sounds weird. But when I walk into my bedroom and I've made the choice to make the time to make it, I feel like I'm accomplished SOMETHING in that day. And it IS the little things....

Sending good thoughts...

2 moms found this helpful

P.E.

answers from Atlanta on

Yes. I don't like walking into my room or my girls rooms and seeing upheaval.

I don't like hangers on the floor. I don't like mess. guess it's from my military service. Everything has a place. Bunks were made daily. No questions.

2 moms found this helpful

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

No, frankly, I don't.

4 moms found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Well, why wash dishes? You're just going to get them dirty again anyway. Why wash clothes? :^)

There are good reasons for making a bed, too. One can be that it's a way to get the day started. If your boy makes the bed the very first thing when he gets out of it (after he's used the bathroom, if necessary), then he's one step more ready to face whatever is happening outside of bed. When he's older, he'll begin to appreciate how nice his room looks when the bed is made and how much easier it is to do homework or anything else in a nice-looking, orderly room.

You don't mention how old your son is. It's harder for a child to make a bed because he's not as tall, nor his arms as long, as a grownup. So I hope you're making it as simple a procedure as possible.

I've had periods when I let the bed-making go, too. I thought I was much too busy. But when I timed myself and realized it took less than thirty seconds to make it, I realized I was being lazy. So I'm back to it.

4 moms found this helpful

A.G.

answers from Dallas on

Yes, we all make our beds everyday. I can't stand a messy house, and messy beds make the house look messy.

3 moms found this helpful
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L.H.

answers from Dayton on

YES - everyday my husband or I make the bed. It is just nicer and makes the room look less messy. I am working with my 5 and 4 year olds to make sure they do also. Even just pulling the comforter up. It is a work in progress. Tthis is one of their morning chores and if it isn't done they don't get video games in the am before leaving (a big motivator in my home).

3 moms found this helpful

A.L.

answers from Dothan on

I alwayz make my bed, after it airs out a bit, I cannot STAND to go to sleep in an unmade bed...howsomever I must say when the day is spent being lazy, watching movies, football, sick kidz, sick adults I try to straighten it out as best I can before falling into it ;)

If you get your son a couple of cute sheet sets with a comforter to match making the bed will take all of 3mins @ the most.

It's a good habit to get into, HOWEVER generally in order to get kidz to do things they don't really want to do it's best to set the example, you may not get the results you are looking for until you can make your bed everyday...kinda a double edged sword kinda thing, mama...

3 moms found this helpful

C.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I stopped for a little while, but didn't like the way it looked or felt so I resumed. I feel my day starts brighter when my bed is made. I have the kids make theirs too. After a long day there is something so soothing about a neat bed, it's so welcoming. :)

2 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes. I make my bed daily and have my kids make their beds too. Even if it's just pulling the covers up - it looks neater that way.

2 moms found this helpful
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✩.!.

answers from Denver on

Yes... as soon as I get out of the bed I pull the sheets up. I could care less tho if my kids make theirs. It is their room/bed - their choice.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Never unless we are having guests. My rational - because I would love to crawl back in at any given moment. I never do but I can dream ;-)

I used to work with someone that made her bed everyday. She saw it as her first accomplishment of her day and that propelled her forward.

Hopefully my lack of making my bed (nor encouraging my kids to) will not scar them for life LOL!

ETA: Once we come downstairs for the day it is so rare that we are ever back up there before bedtime so it is not like we see it the whole day and feel the room is messy. Out of sight out of mind!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Minneapolis on

I just started...kind of a new years resolution type thing, and I really like it. It makes me feel relaxed when I walk in the room...there' not a messy bed glaring at me saying "here's something you failed to do today!" It doesn't take much time but makes a big difference in how the house feels. I used to run around like a loon cleaning when guests were coming and be more lax when we didn't have someone coming. But, ultimately I realized that this is OUR house and living in it while disorganized is stressful...and we deserve the "red carpet treatment" even if nobody is coming over. Plus, now we're always ready for unexpected guests.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from San Antonio on

We do. We didn't used to, but we have it as part of our kids chore charts, so since they have to do it, we are doing it to. It's actually kind of nice to walk by the bedrooms and see everyones beds made. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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C.J.

answers from Dallas on

Yes. It just makes the room feel cleaner. it is harder for my boys to get it done everyday - I cut them some slack there. But when they don't or do the "awe, mom. . ." I just tell them when they get up, pull the covers up first thing - it takes 10 seconds or less.
I don't care if it is smooth and perfect, just a good effort. then they realize how easy it is.
re the argument that it is going to get slept in again (I get that from my kiddos too) . . .Do you wash your dishes or take out the trash? It is just going to pile up agan anyways? Yes we do:) - LOL
I also feel it can be a reflection of respect for yourself and your things regardless of who is there to see it. (oh geez I just sounded like my grandmother - LOL)

1 mom found this helpful
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E.J.

answers from Lincoln on

I'm the minority... I don't make my bed. I like crawling into my blankets as is. When they are all tucked in I have to pull them out at bedtime b/c I like to wrap my body up. For me I guess it just doesn't bother me. It's not the same as not washing dishes or something. Of course I change my linens in a timely manner and all that, but as far as bed making not very often.

My mom can not stand to not have her bed made. When she was first married my dad got out of bed to use the restroom and when he came back the bed was made! haha! I remember hating that she always tried to get me to make my bed as a kid and thinking when I grow up I'm never making my bed! And I don't! :-)

To each their own... like I said with me it doesn't bother me and I think it's more cozy so that's how I do it. :-)

1 mom found this helpful
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B.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

My wife makes the bed when she wants to. She gets in the mood and does it for weeks on end and then won't for a week of two.

I don't care if the bed is made or not. My wife and I make the bed together when the sheets are washed or if we get out of the bed at the same time.

I had to make my bed all the time as a child. When I graduated HS, my mom and dad let me have my bed as I wanted it. Unmade, thank you.

Good luck to you and yours.

1 mom found this helpful

K.L.

answers from Sacramento on

Nope! We never make the bed. The closest it comes to being done is getting the blankets thrown on straight every week after washing them :) But, we just use a fitted sheet for the mattress and two blankets. No sheet, no comforter...

1 mom found this helpful
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L.G.

answers from Austin on

I found out recently that my husband loves having the bed made. It does nothing for me, but I do it for him.

Moms out there beware. My daughter had a friend come over one time wishing she had chores. Seriously! I thought she was joking. She said her mother even makes her bed because she doesn't do it as well...

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B.W.

answers from Washington DC on

I guess like "Call me Mr. Mom" the military background may be why I do make the bed everyday. I have been making my bed for as long as I can remember (30+years at least). I once got up late for work and got my shower and rolled out to work without making my bed. I was working 2 jobs at the time and wouldn't be home until 11pm or so later that night. When I got home, my bed was made. My roommate said she remembered I always made my bed and it was something nice she could do for me on my chaotic day. She was the best.

Anyway, I even fold up my daughters blanket in her crib and organize her toys. The funny thing, I am not really a neat freak. Dust bunnies are rampent and overpopulating my furniture these days. I have organized piles of stuff needing to be filed away. I guess coming home to a tidy room makes it ok to slack off every where else.

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

no.. of all the chores in the to do in my house.. bed making is the lowest on the priority list.. I try to keep up with the laundry and the dishes.. I try to put most toys away so we can see the floor. I also try to keep the kitchen clean and healthy and the living room picked up.

our bedrooms are upstairs and if some stopped by..they would not see the unmade beds..

it is just not a priority for me.

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M.P.

answers from St. Louis on

I need to start! I have someone clean my house every Thursday. They change all the sheets on the beds and make them. It is so nice walking upstairs on Thursdays and seeing all the nicely made beds. :) It would be nice having that feeling the other 6 days of the week.

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R.C.

answers from Nashville on

I always make the beds.

J.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

only when theres noone still in it and I have an extra 5 minutes...yea probably not that often.

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W.O.

answers from Houston on

Yes, I make my bed.

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A.B.

answers from San Antonio on

I keep saying I will but it somehow doesn't get done. We've been "unpacking" our house for 6 months now. My resolution is that I promise I will start making it as soon as we are unpacked! You are right--to get my daughter to make her bed, we HAVE to make ours. In our old house, we hired someone to clean it, so I was much better at making the bed because I didn't want her to see our bed unmade.

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M.C.

answers from Detroit on

That is one chore I LOATHE doing. I have a down comforter that has a duvet cover on it. I put that atop my bed and I consider that "making my bed." I have a bedspread, but couldn't even tell you where it is since I don't use it. I have my son lay his comforter on his bed just like I do. I love the look of a made bed, but I'm too darn lazy to do it:(

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M.T.

answers from Memphis on

Yes. Every day. I actually now dislike it if my husband is still in bed when I am finished with my getting dressed routine since I haven't perfected the art of making the bed with him it!! Since I have to put some eye drops in my eyes I have to wait ~10-15 minutes before I can put my contacts in so I wash, clothes, make the bed, then put in contacts. Works for me. I have even made the bed right before bed then gotten into it. i just like the feel of smooth cold sheets.

M.L.

answers from Chicago on

I leave the house at 6:30am for work - my husband leaves around 8am after getting our 5 and 2 year old up and dressed - making the bed is really the last thing on either of our minds. Do I like walking into a room that is neat and tidy - of course, but that just doesn't happen in our house.

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A.C.

answers from Columbus on

No, I don't. I would if I were the last one out of the bed in the morning, but I'm not, and I'm not a SAHM, so it gets left undone. Frankly, I can't get DH to close the drawers on his dresser every days (he does some days), despite the hazard factor of bumping into them, so I gave up on making the bed a long time ago.

Psychologically, though, I just think having a made bed improves the appears so much. It really makes me feel like the day has started off right. And believe me, I'm no neat-nic.

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H.1.

answers from Des Moines on

Ummm...never! My dad would be pissed :p

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J.T.

answers from College Station on

Nope. And I don't make my boys either. I grew up having to make my bed, and I vowed to never make my kids do it.

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M.T.

answers from New York on

The bed is made every day except during the day on Saturday, because that's when the sheets get washed. Hubby is the one who makes the bed because he is last out of it.

E.D.

answers from Seattle on

Every day?

No. Not even close.

MAYBE once a month. What's really funny? I don't have a top sheet or a fancy pillow situation. In order to make my bed I would literally have to straighten ONE blanket and five pillows.

Note to self: Make your bed!!

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A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

the only time I make my bed is when I've washed the sheets or when company is coming over. THAT'S IT. :)

I never understood the "make your bed every morning" either. I'm just gonna get back in it and mess it right back up.

Edited to add: If there was someone in my house "insisting" the bed was made every day ... guess who would be the one making it :) That's right ... NOT ME. :) If hubby wanted it made every day ... he'd be the one making it.

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B.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

i am SO anal about bed making! i make ours every day...even if my nanny makes it, i sometimes re-make it...i know that's completely ridiculous, but i really like the sheets super tight and the pillows a certain way. i also make my daughter's bed (shes 2 1/2, not making her own yet) every day and fold the blankets in other daughters crib. it just makes everything feel neater imo. my husband thinks i'm nuts :)

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A.R.

answers from Houston on

Every day - it takes less than two minutes. It's a good life habit and it's never too early to get your kids started!

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

Yes I make our bed every day. Our bedroom is downstairs off the family room so if someone comes in or walks around they can see into our bedroom. I like it to look tidy.

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G.G.

answers from Austin on

I'm about like you. The kid's beds don't get made very often and when I have them clean their rooms, I ask them to make the beds; they are 7 and 4 so you can imagine how they are "made." :) I make them sometimes too (like when I am doing an overhaul on the house). I make my bed much more often but not every single day. Maybe about 4x/week, like you. It's something I really like to have done but life is to short to be perfect all of the time. :) ...and I keep a pretty clean house.

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

EVERY Day! Hubby insists. I used to never make the bed - like a lot of posters I figure I'm going to get back in it anyway. But now I am in the habit and I have to admit, I like walking into my room or my granddaughter's room and seeing the bed made. Just makes the whole room look neater.

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A.C.

answers from Savannah on

Not a chore I have ever liked to do. And I never did, until about 6 months after I got married. For some reason, it's important to my husband, so whatever. I do it. But funnily enough, it has grown on me. It DOES feel nicer to climb into a made bed where the sheets are already where they should be. Go figure.

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i do. it's not so much about neatness, but energy.
i was a 'why bother' young woman, after all, it was just going to get slept in again, right? but i had a boyfriend who couldn't stand it, and so out of respect for him i started doing it when he didn't, and the habit stuck. and what i discovered is that the air that gets trapped in mussed sheets and blankets gets stale, and the bed just FEELS better if i make it.
so now i've gone all OCD about it. when i get up i throw all the covers back and take the pillows off to let it air out. later i go and smooth the bottom sheet, sweeping it counter-clockwise to whoosh all the fusty energy out, spritz it with a little linen spray, then make it all nice and neat again.
it's kinda funny because i'm really not a particularly neat person. but i have to have my bed made, and i have to have the sinks and counters clean before i go to bed.
the rest goes to hell pretty quickly.
:) khairete
S.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I never make my bed. I just pull the comforter up so that the animals don't deposit an overabundance of hair on the sheets.

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J.B.

answers from Laredo on

I try to do it every day. I used to never do it... only when we had company over that would see it. But now I do it b/c I figure if I don't get anything else accomplished that day, at least my bed is made. Also, it just feels nicer climbing into a made bed. It's all a mental thing for me. I feel better knowing that my bed is made.

My kids... I don't really force it yet. They can make theirs if they want to earn Brown Bucks for special privileges like tv, video games, etc. But I don't make them do it every day.

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