In a recent OGT Team meeting, someone posed the question of whether or not you sleep with a top (or flat) sheet. It turned out that the team was split about 50/50 on the issue. (I was, and still am, firmly in the “pro top sheet” camp. Honestly, until the topic came up in our meeting, I wasn’t even aware many people don’t like or use top sheets!)
After our enlightening conversation about this debate, I wanted to know where you guys stood on the issue. So I posted on my Instagram account to ask my followers about where they stand on the top sheet debate. That post ended up having one of the highest number of comments I’ve EVER gotten on an Instagram post. It’s obviously an issue that people have strong feelings about! :-)
So today I thought I would distill “the great top sheet debate” down for you. I’ll lay out the arguments on both sides of the debate so you can decide where you stand! (Feel free to offer your two cents in a comment at the bottom of this post — there’s nothing wrong with a healthy discourse on bedding preferences!)
Related: The One Thing You Need To Do Before Switching To Lighter Bedding
The Argument Against Using A Top Sheet
The argument against using a top sheet is usually one of comfort or convenience. Regardless of whether the sheet is tucked in or not, it can easily get tangled or twisted up overnight. Top sheets can also trap in more heat, which could be nice during the winter, but may be too warm in the summer.
As far as convenience goes, using a top sheet means you have another piece of bedding to wash regularly. It also adds time and effort to the process of putting clean sheets on your bed. And finally, there’s the fact that it’s usually cheaper to buy one fitted sheet than it is to buy a set with a top sheet!
In Defense Of The Top Sheet
On the other hand, arguments in favor of top sheets tend to center around hygiene, functionality, and tradition. Advocates for top sheets often say that it’s more hygienic to use one. It acts as a barrier between your body and the comforter, quilt, or duvet, which can keep germs and sweat away from the blanket.
There’s also a functional aspect to using a flat sheet. During warm summer nights, sleeping with just the top sheet can feel cooler than sleeping uncovered! And as I mentioned above, the top sheet can also provide an extra layer of insulation during the winter.
And finally, there are the traditionalists who argue that using a top sheet is just the right way to make a bed! Whether because Mom always used one, or because they would feel weird without one, some feel that the top sheet is a long-lasting bedding tradition worth honoring.
The Right Way To Ditch Your Top Sheet
If you’re ready to leave your top sheet behind, it’s worth considering that the hygiene argument is a valid one. Without that extra layer, your blanket will be subjected to more sweat and body oils than usual. That’s why I suggest using a duvet with a removable, washable duvet cover.
Just wash your duvet cover as often as you wash your fitted sheet and pillowcases (about once a week.) It’s an easy way to enjoy the benefits of sleeping without a flat sheet without any of the potential drawbacks. I love a good win-win situation! :-)
Oh, and one more thing… if you’re considering ditching your top sheet, don’t throw it out! There are plenty of ways to put your old bedsheets to good use. Learn all about them at the link below!
Related: 17 New Ways To Use Your Old Bed Sheets
Where do you stand on the subject of top sheets?
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I’m definitely pro-top sheet. I don’t understand why washing a top sheet is anymore problem that washing a duvet cover. I definitely don’t want to sleep under a blanket with no top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.About your top sheet dilemma- my own preference is in the summer I use a top sheet and in the winter I use 2 top sheets. It seldom gets below 37 in my area in the winter but every once in a while it does and I will use a flannel “sheet” that I have made myself. It is cheaper and it is actually straighter than a purchased one. I do not tuck in the top sheet, I like my feet out and cold.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Up until about 5 years ago, I was a “No Top Sheet” person.
Now, as a woman of a certain age, I can attest that a top sheet is a must-have. Yes. it’s a pain but keeping my comforter or blanket dry OR having the ability to use it on its own is a must when you are in full-blown PM HAHA
My only recommendation would be to hunt down sheets of a certain thread count and materials you like. You can use extensions like Honey to let you know when a certain brand is on sale. When they are on sale, stock up if you can.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am older generation and I think most of this is due to the younger ones who don’t even make their beds. There is nothing any better then fresh sheets, top and bottom, for the best nights sleep. I also use the top sheet solely as a blanket if I get to hot for a blanket. I still have something covering me. My daughter on the other hand, uses the top sheet but as a bottom sheet, sleeps on one side of the bed for a day or two and then switches sides. The top sheet comes off and she does the same with the bottom sheet, one side then the other. Cases, she says get changed every day as she sleeps on silk ones.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you substitute a duvet and wash it every time you wash your sheets, you have the same amount of laundry and get to enjoy the pain of stuffing the duvet every week, as well. I vote for keeping the top sheet!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Well…this was fun! Made me laugh while reading the comments! I know one thing…we’ve got a very clean bunch here. I am with you, too. As far as the comfort factor, I have heat in the winter and central in the summer, so I don’t know the difference. And my quilt is lightweight but warm. My son, on the other hand, will not sleep with a top sheet! When he was little, his sheet was always bunched up at the bottom of his bed by his feet so maybe it is sp,e sort of childhood trauma (yeah, right…) or something? No matter. I have made the most beautiful curtains for MY bedroom with HIS top sheets!! It’s actually a win-win!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So the added laundry of 1 top sheet versus the added laundry of washing a duvet cover which is like 2 top sheets sewn together does not add up that the top sheet is more laundry then the duvet cover.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I find it more interesting where people don’t use a mattress pad. Huge money for a mattress and chose not to protect?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also, a sheet is way cheaper than a duvet and easier to wash and dry.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would rather use a top sheet, wash and dry it with the sheets and pillowcases, than have to take off, wash, and struggle to put on a duvet. Also, who ues a comforter in the summer…..
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Scientists have discovered that Humans sleep better covered, regardless of what they are wearing. So, I am FOR the top sheet. In the Summer, I will often sleep with the sheet but my legs are out. As for tangling, I am in the process of adding elastic to the bottom 2 corners of my top sheets. This will help keep them on the mattress.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It is too much work to buy elastic and trying to sew in around a bottom sheet. Use hospital corners on all four sides of that extra top sheet and use it for the bottom sheet, or have enough extra sheet sets that you can use that worn out bottom sheet with worn elastic for dusters, or give it to a quilter that you know.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really know nothing other than using a top sheet. I’m afraid using a duvet would be too hard to change really often. I’ve seen demo’s and it looks hard! Am I being backward?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There’s no right or wrong way to do things! If you prefer a top sheet, then stick with it. :-) In my experience, putting on the duvet isn’t too hard, but it definitely takes some getting used to.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi, Jill,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like the feel of a top sheet, and like to have something over me in the summer when it’s too warm for a blanket.
In winter, I prefer a top sheet to save on washing my electric blanket as often, and I do like the feel of cotton rather than the blanket against my skin. Also, cotton wicks perspiration away, and I don’t feel sweaty or overheated.
When I visited my friends in Wales, they used duvet covers,
which also served as a top sheet, and they washed them as often as we do sheets, here. But I do love my top sheets! I grew up using them, and the bed doesn’t feel “made” without them.
I absolutely agree with you! I think you said my thoughts on the subject exactly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Who doesn’t use a duvet cover?!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m Australian and we have the same debate here about top sheet vs no top sheet but regardless everyone uses duvet (or doona as we call it) cover.
And yes I wash everything together.
Do those that use top sheets and duvet covers, do you wash the duvet covers less often than the other sheets?
Absolutely to sheet from a sanitary perspective!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wow- a timely discussion. We have a beach house, so there are lots of guests. The last visitor in one room removed the top sheet, and I was horrified and so disgusted just imagining the body cells, oils, dirt, and any other (well use your imagination) on my expensive duvet. Then I had to take apart my lovely expensive duvet and wash and dry and then wrestle that bear back together. And I certainly did not stop there, so had to wash all the other top blankets. Frankly, I was angry at such disrespect. Now, I have a typed notice on the bedroom doors to please respect our home management practices and be sure to sleep between the lovely quality sheets while visiting here, and do as you please in your own home. As a totally different side issue- I now also add a note to please do not leave wet towels laying on the hardwood floors.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh my, I can completely understand your feelings.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Top sheets YES! Ironed sheets & pillowcases = the best nights sleep ever! We have a king size bed , use a top sheet with a silk duvet w/ cover.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just wanted to add a few things I did not see in the other comments. I agree that a top sheet can get twisted when you sleep and my husband and I hate the feeling of trapped toes when they are tucked in. We avoid the first issue by pinning the top sheet securely to the quilt. This has the added benefit of being able to quickly make the bed and keeps everything in place. We never tuck in the corners, it may not look as pretty but freedom for our feet is worth it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s a great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a top sheet as it saves on washing the duvet cover. I’m disabled and struggle at the best of times. We change the sheets together, but the quilt cover stays clean – we have a throw over the top too. In summer we just use the sheet – or the sheet and the throw.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hmmm. To each their own I say. I believe most people wash their bed linens often (at least once per week). I have adjustable beds two xl twins to equal a king. Anyone who owns this type of bed knows how difficult they are to make and I am also disabled but I do change linens once a week. Due to my disability though I have too much pain in my feet so anything on top of them causes distress so I have a sheet on top of the comforter and sleep on top of it with a light weight blanket so I don’t use a top sheet but my husband sleeps under the blankets with a top sheet. I am thinking about looking into Sheex brand they are supposedly very comfortable and breathe. However one chooses one thing was evident with this discussion, we like to keep our linens clean! Oh, yes I make my bed daily and expect houseguests to do the same.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am firmly pro-top sheet. Not using a top sheet is like wearing shoes without socks. Yuck. When my daughter moved away from home, and had to start paying per load to do laundry, she stopped using a top sheet. I didn’t even know it was a thing, until then.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No top sheet? Ewww.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t get all the “it’s easier to put a top sheet on the bed than to stuff a duvet in a duvet cover”. I use only duvet covers, no top sheets (as do 90% of Swiss people, I’d say, and of course covers get washed every time you change the bed), and putting the cover on my duvet takes me less than 30 seconds, tops!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sheets —top and bottom—are the underpants of your bed.;<)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.In this case, I’d say that top sheets are the stockings and duvet covers the pantyhose ;-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m with you Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Growing up my Mother, Grandmother & Aunts always put top sheets on our beds. It was just the way it was back then. I never liked it. I’m a very restless sleeper & so the top sheet always ended up on the floor or I ended up twisted in it somehow. I have had it wrapped around my body, my head, my neck & missing altogether. (It got caught between the bed & the wall) So when I became an adult I did away with the top sheet. So, the hygiene part of it I never really thought of but in my case it wouldn’t do any good anyway lol. I am a sewer & so I often put the top sheets to good use by using them in sewing projects. I’ve always made curtains out of them & I have also used them when I take pictures as a backdrop. SO the top sheet actually has a purpose in my home but not in the traditional sense. Someone told me you can take 2 of them & some Kam Snaps & make a duvet cover. I’m going to try that as soon as I get my craft room finished (I’m re-organizing it)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve always used a top sheet because I never thought anyone didn’t. BUT I’m going to have to stray from popular public opinion. Along with a top sheet we have used an easily washable bedspread. Because we have a dog who sleeps with us on the bed as well as several cats, I always wash both my bedspread and sheets every week because of the added dog/cat hair. I’ve always found top sheets a hassle; now I’m going to try things without a top sheet since the hygiene question is eliminated.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am a top sheet person. I really don’t want to wash my comforter as often as a top sheet. As for the duvet, they are expensive. It’s probably cheaper to just use the top sheet. I guess you can always sew 2 top sheets together to make your own duvet
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve always been a top-sheet person. We go camping a lot between May and October. Having a top sheet helps with the hygiene factor as well as providing a barrier between my skin and the black flies and mosquitoes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m going with a top sheet, myself. I don’t want to wash blankets or comforters every week. SURE don’t want to wash duvet covers weekly!! The hassle of putting them back on is far greater than the ease of floating a top sheet with tucked corners! In Florida, I don’t worry about winter and prefer the sheet plus a cotton blanket for the AC. Just me but I’m afraid my mom would haunt me if I gave up a top sheet!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m with you as far as simple convenience goes! Yes, losing the sheet means one less thing to wash & replace – but duvet covers are about three times as heavy as a sheet, and for those of us who live alone, massively annoying to don and doff. And a simple sheet in a sumptuous fabric on a hot night is a sensual pleasure.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.75 yr old who uses top sheet in summer because it provides a light covering. In cold weather, I dump the top sheet for my favorite toasty warm blanket that feels great against me, adding others as necessary. Yes, it requires me to add that blanket to my weekly wash but is well worth it. Guess it’s my blankee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband and I have been sleeping with a top sheet only with a duvet cover on our light down comforter since the 80’s ( way before anyone else) when we found The Company Store……I am a die-hard NO top sheet fan. Of course you must have a duvet cover on your comforter in place of your top sheet, just like using a mattress pad to protect your mattress, and I feel it’s even a bit more sanitary. especially if you are a active movement sleeper. When I used a top sheet, in the morning it would be all twisted up, sometimes all the way up between my legs like a log…..log….lol. I sleep more comfortably with a light down comforter with a duvet. As I learned from The Company Store back then, your feet are free to point straight up and not folded down because of a top sheet, and if you are always kicking the tops sheet loose so your feet are free, whats the point of a top sheet, and the bed is a mess in the morning. Using a duvet cover with a comforter of your choice, you wake up in the morning and you just lightly flip your comforter and your bed is made!! Now when we are in a hotel, no matter it’s a 4 or 5 star Hotel, the first thing my husband and I do is pull up the corners of the bed so our feet can move around……no I do not have any affiliation with The Company Store, but it changed our sleeping for the BETTER!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My hubby and I use a top sheet, and it MUST be put on upside down — as in, the printed sides are touching. Especially nice in the winter when we have flannel sheets! Cozy! All three of our grown daughters, however are anti-top sheet. Ages 22-29. (shrug)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh thank you for addressing this issue! Yes, so much more hygienic to use the top sheet. Adjustments with your layers should be done seasonally. This younger generation just drags their blankets everywhere no top sheet and wonders how their stuff gets so dirty! They complain about top sheets but won’t make their bed! That’s why your always sleeping with only on corner of the blankets. If nothing else gets done make the bed at least you cone home to a satisfying sleep! It’s a simple task quick any easy to complete. Also weekly washing. no growing science projects! Lol
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What a fun discussion! I am a fan of quilts, so top sheet is an essential with the top edge turned over the quilt. When I previously used a heavier blanket in addition, my husband was getting rid of the top sheet and blanket at night and using just the quilt. Though he is a very hygienic person, I can still see the difference in our sides of the quilt, though it was laundered properly. I like to wash the sheets with very hot water and a bit of bleach. The amount of body oil, sweat, and skin cells that come off of the body is amazing. (Did you know house dust is primarily composed of dead skin cells?). Keep the top sheet, untucked!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The very best thing I have found for less-than-aromatic sheets/pillow cases/seasonally stored or sports clothing is to wash with the recommended amount of detergent and add a 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax. It is a non-bleach color brightener and odor neutralizer that comes in a box. Looks like powdered detergent and is found in the laundry detergent section. You can also use it to get rid of ants and roaches.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I think it is both easier and more hygenic to use the top sheet. Even if you use a duvet cover, i can’t imagine that it is easier to wash that each week and then wrestle it back onto the comforter. It takes very little time to wash, make and change the bedsheets-it is honestly, not a big deal in my book
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That was exactly my thought. It is no easier washing a duvet cover than a top sheet. Sounds like people are just too lazy to want to wash sheets!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree! Getting into a freshly made bed with nice cotton sheets is so great. I dry my sheets outside and they smell wonderful. I helped my daughter with trying to stuff the duvet in its cover which was just ridiculous. I don’t think duvet covers get washed very often beause they are a lot of trouble, so will stick to my routine of using a top sheet along with beautiful bedspreads and quilts. There is nothing quite as nice as coming home to a bed with fresh linens.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I didn’t know there was a controversy about top sheets. Always have had one on my bed. I don’t understand why top sheets are so large. They hang halfway to the floor. Maybe buying them separately. I have a king size bed and could get a queen size top sheet. The king sets always have the huge pillow cases. I don’t have king size pillows and always tuck them in like an envelope on the pillow.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I run hot year round (I live in Detroit, Michigan) so even in the dead of Winter I wear just a tank top to bed and often just have the top sheet on me throwing my covers off which my husband who is always chilled then steals.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Because we need to have an adjustable bed, we have a split King bed, with two extra-long twin mattresses and box springs. Side-by-side that works out to King size, but we can adjust each side separately. We use extra-long fitted twin sheets on the mattresses, and used to use a King-size duvet with duvet cover, no top flat sheet under the duvet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I got real tired of wrestling the King duvet and duvet cover, so eventually switched to double sheets. Some hotels use this method. You have fitted sheets on the mattresses, a flat top sheet, blanket/s or a comforter, and a 2nd flat sheet on top. When it’s time to do the laundry, all the sheets get washed at the same time, like you would with a duvet cover.
When the budget permits, I’d really like to go to two extra-long duvets, with duvet covers, to simplify bed-making. I could handle stuffing the twin-size duvets into their covers much more easily than the King-size one. Using that method, since the duvet covers and fitted bottom sheets get washed regularly, I don’t see the need for separate top sheets.
I have recently started using a top sheet again after years of not. I was using a flannel duvet cover for my “sheet”, adding a blanket on top if it was cold. I am still using the duvet cover as my blanket but on top of the sheet. Not convinced I’m going to continue with the sheet, like you stated, it IS more work…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just to clarify, I use a duvet COVER, no duvet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Interesting! I hadn’t ever thought to use a duvet cover without the duvet!
The hygiene aspect alone is enough reason for me to use a top sheet. Also, it’s a lot easier to wash a sheet than the blankets that would get dirty. I can’t sleep without some kind of covering over me, so in summer, the top sheet is a must. And I love the feeling of slipping between two clean sheets. Aah!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree with Carol, top sheet is a must otherwise you’d have to wash blankets more often. I think too frequent washing of blankets isn’t good for them. Cheaper to buy sheets than blankets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A sheet feels so much better against my skin than a quilt does. We use a flat sheet and a light weight quilt. We have a queen bed and it’s takes five minutes to make our bed and 20 minutes to strip and make our bed. My grandchildren don’t use a flat sheet, and it drives me crazy. I will continue to use my flat sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Keep the top sheet. The biggest reason is hygiene. However, I do remember ages ago of a trick to making the bed quicker but I never got around to doing. The trick was sewing button holes in the top sheets and then placing button on the comforter or bed spread. So when you make the bed, you pull or adjust the bedspread/comforter you are also automatically straightening the top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s an interesting method. I must have smooth taught sheets so my top sheet is tucked in with hospital corners. J sleep on my sides so my feet are not hampered. Would never sleep with body parts hanging over the bed. LOL…..must be from a scary Twilight Zone episode!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Top sheet? YES!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had a period of time in which I didn’t use a top sheet on our beds. I was a single mom of 3 kids, 1 of which was/is very disabled. Any way I could reduce my workload I was on it. No top sheet on 4 beds was at least one less load of laundry a week. That was many years ago and the kids are all grown & (mostly) gone (1 has flown back to the nest temporarily). I’m using my top sheets again and frankly, much prefer it. Sometimes blankets, bedspread, duvets, etc can develop pilling and that used to drive me crazy when going top sheet-less. I’m glad to be back to having a silky smooth layer between me & the blankets. Funny the timing of this topic – my youngest daughter and I were just discussing this a couple days ago. She prefers NOT using a top sheet – for the same reason I didn’t – as a mom of 2 young kids, it’s 1 less load of laundry a week to do. She uses her top sheets to cover her dogs bed. It helps keep the dogs mattress clean & fresh smelling. Washing the sheet is much easier than wrestling the cover off and washing it. So – 1 against, 1 in favor. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A duvet cover would seem to also have the negative “hassle” factor. A top sheet is so much easier than a duvet cover.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am a top sheet user plus another top sheet on top of the quilt. My dog enjoys a nice crisp sheet to. My fur baby is spoiled.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I absolutely love my top sheet and never considered giving it up. I gave up comforters (too heavy) in favor of bedspreads. That’s enough change for me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m in the top sheet group. It’s worked for me for 73 years so no need to even think about changing my routine.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We have a waterbed, and have had one for 40 years. The top sheet is never the problem (just the ongoing discussion between my husband and me about whether it should be firmly tucked in or left loose. I can’t stand to have my feet flattened by a firmly tucked sheet. :)
What doesn’t work on a waterbed is fitted sheets. Even the ones allegedly designed for waterbeds. They don’t stay tucked under the mattress no matter what we try. So then we’re faced with the task of buying two flat sheets. “Sheet sets” don’t come with two flat sheets. And that’s why so many of our sheets don’t match. They don’t have to look the same to sleep on.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Where do you find single flat sheets? I have a similar problem, but I can’t seem to find good sheets. I’ve been haunting my consignment/resale stores to death!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Have you tried Bed Bath & Beyond? Or maybe google where to buy flat sheets.
Bed,Bath Beyond have Wamsutta sheets you can purchase separately. Also Vermont Country Store catalog does as well….
Laura- you can buy separate/individual sheets from Ikea; granted, they are not the best quality. I use them as the final topping on beds so the cats don’t mess up the beds. When guests arrive, I just pull the topper sheet off.
We have a King size bed and we use the Top sheet. My hubby MUST have it tucked under and tight enough to bounce a quarter while I cannot stand having it tucked and ‘flattening’ my feet. I like that description, ‘flattened’.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So his side of the bed is nice and ‘neat’ while mine, is, well let’s just say it looks ‘trashed’.
I’ve had a waterbed for over 40 years as well and I used to absolutely hate shopping for waterbed sheets. Not only are they expensive, boring, and sewn together at the bottom, they’re usually a very low thread count and pill and feel like sandpaper after just a few washes. I’m so so happy I discovered I could use ANY king sized sheets as long as they have pockets at least 15″ deep. Some I have to turn horizontally but most just slip right on!
I have also forgone the top sheet in favor of a feather duvet/duvet cover. My husband is a very hot sleeper so with a slightly heated waterbed we had to figure out someway to relieve the trapped heat and found the feather comforter breaths nicely with no top sheet. I usually change the bottom sheet twice before I change/wash the duvet cover as it just lays over us and doesn’t get as soiled as the bottom sheet.
It’s awesome to be able to buy the more expensive fitted sheets that are cheaper than the whole set. Ebay offers individual sheets and pillow cases so its pretty easy to match them and the higher thread count sheets feel great! I’ll never buy another “waterbed” sheet set again.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh, I am a top sheet gal and as long as I am around, our beds will have them neatly tucked in. My father was a design engineer for a major textile manufacturer-as a child, back in the late 1960’s, I remember him bringing home the new products and use us for testing the practically of new designs. One test product was 100% polyester sheets- my siblings and I each had a set of beautiful yellow sheets……in the middle of a winter night my brothers started laughing and calling out for our Dad. Seems the static electricity had built up in the sheets and as they would turn over or pull the sheets-sparks would fly!! Needless to say, this new product didn’t make it to market! However, to this day, I still have sets of Dad’s wonderful percale sheets! Love the top, flat, cover sheet- what ever you want to call them!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m not sure of the position that it’s cheaper to not have a top sheet. First off, I’m now finding it difficult to just buy a flat or fitted sheet only. They tend now to come in a set – flat, fitted and pillow case(s). I know because I look for them since I need flat sheets for some projects and don’t want to buy entire sets. Second, it’s not cheaper if you’re wearing out your duvet covers, blankets, etc more quickly than you would had you used the top sheet, because you’re washing and drying them. And these items (duvets, comforters, quilts, blankets) are heavier and thus take more time to dry especially (in the dryer or on the line). This doesn’t even touch the hygiene issue. So me, top sheets all the way. I had to force the grands to use it when they visited – their mom (DIL) doesn’t use top sheets for any of them and they resisted at first but I told them, at Mimi’s house, Mimi’s rules!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes to top sheet. It just feels better, especially if you don’t wear pjs.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When traveling in Europe, I have never seen a top sheet in use in any country I went to. All I saw were bottom sheets with duvets. Having said that, my bed at home has and will have a top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The first night my husband and I were in Germany we were confronted with the bottom sheets and duvet covered feather beds folded in half on the beds. We had no idea what they were. We unbuttoned them and crawled in them like sleeping bags!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Don’t feel alone: I bought a duvet years ago at Marshalls. I liked the print, so I bought it thinking it was a quilt. For years I used it on our bed, never understanding what the buttons were for. Finally, my sister laughed at me, explaining what a duvet was. And yes, we use a top sheet. I had never heard of people not using one. I just assumed everyone used a top sheet. I love the feel of a top sheet, separating the quilt/bedspread from my body.
1. Regardless of whether the sheet is tucked in or not, it can easily get tangled or twisted up overnight –
Blankets and comforters can also get tangled
2. Top sheets can also trap in more heat, which could be nice during the winter, but may be too warm in the summer.
Fold the sheet back or pull it over you
3. …using a top sheet means you have another piece of bedding to wash regularly.
Easier than washing a blanket
4. ..adds time and effort to the process of putting clean sheets on your bed.
About a minute. Are any of us that busy?
This post gave me a good laugh to start out 2019!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes for the top sheet! I’ll keep it thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had always used a top sheet until I met my husband. He is 6’5″ and having ANYTHING tucked in makes him uncomfortable. He never used one, so now we don’t. I wish we did, I love the feeling of cool crisp sheets, but I love my husband more…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve seen beds made on YouTube using a top sheet but just not tucking it in. Maybe that would work for your husband.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That is my suggestion also. I always have a top sheet, but never tuck it in. Works great since I don’t like the feeling of a tightly tucked sheet on my feet.
It takes me longer to make a fresh bed with a duvet cover than with a top sheet. And I love nice crisp sheets on a bed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m 68 years old and I haven’t slept with a top sheet for about 10 yrs. now. I like a soft fuzzy blanket (like a sherpa fur or a faux fur) that’s synthetic and easy to wash. I kick it on and off as needed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I got rid of the top sheet about 20 years ago. My husband can’t stand pressure on his feet and usually pulled it out at the bottom. Consequently, I found my feet out and freezing (in Colorado winters.) My solution was to buy fleece yardage, hem sides & top and add a generous pocket at the bottom. Feet in pocket, I was warm again. I make each one at least 6′ long so shoulders are covered, too. I can wrap up and sleep comfortably while my husband may be throwing off his cover. For the warm summer months, I cut up the top sheets to make individual light weight covers with foot pockets. The fleece is easily washed as often as the bottom sheet. Our comforter hangs on a rack as it is not necessary, except for making the bed during the day.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love this idea! Love it so much I intend to make a sheet pocket for myself. You’re a genius.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.With all the product I nightly slather on this old fossil-body, I can’t imagine going without a top sheet…so I give 20 toes’n thumps-up…plus anything else would be itchy..all cotton, Egyptian 800 thread count top sheets rock it! (thx Santa)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t understand not using a top sheet, for me it is really weird. I even have a ‘travelling top sheet’ that I take with me on holiday!!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.too cold without it in northern illinois and I certainly don’t wash my cover/quilt every week, it’d ruin it a lot sooner. I only wash and change covers about once a month.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My 90 year old grandmother still irons her sheets and pillowcases!
I’m almost 60 and I remember having to iron sheets and pillowcases as a young girl. I hated it! But it’s nice to hear someone still does.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good for your 90 year old grandma, who still irons sheets. This old bat of 84, has seven grandkids, one great grandson with another due the end of May and I admit to ironing sheets when my children were young, but one of my daughters, who is a “neatnik,” told me to forget ironing sheets, thus, I no longer iron them, I do hang them outdoors when weather permits. So there are some wrinkles when the sheets are dried in a dryer, so what? If you are tired enough, and worked around the house or in the workforce, you WILL sleep. If you sat around all day just relaxing and doing nothing, you may have difficulty sleeping, so tomorrow do something useful.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have decided that I am cursed to have menopause until the day I finally expire, so I use 2 top sheets. That way I can “peel” as my temperature changes. The duvet is just for looks, which usually means it is turned back and at the end of the bed all the time. I LOVED the comment about the lady who said she and her husband sleep on top of the bed that is already made! Genius! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This discussion is so funny! I love it! : )
I see that the majority of the voters are PRO-SHEET however, I am not and have not been for over 20 years. Tho’ (my) Mother and Grandmothers would be thoroughly appalled!!!! (much to my delight…LOL)
When hubs and I 1st got married (20+ yrs. ago), I was the traditional top-sheet kind of girl because…that’s how we always did it when I was growing up. After the 1st couple of years of sharing the bed…I ditched the top sheet! It was a pain when I slept by myself because it always got twisted up but…add another person to the mix…yikes!
After a few more years, we got separate light-weight blankets because he sleeps one way and I sleep another and we were always wrestling with the covers. We can sleep however we want to without yanking to get covers or getting the covers yanked off every time someone rolls around …like THAT doesn’t wake you right up. : )
We have a king-sized bed and I can wash ALL of the bed linens (fitted sheet, pillowcases and two light-weight blankets) in a single load…anytime I want to. It’s that easy…strip the bed…wash a load…throw the fitted sheet and pillow cases on and toss the blankets on top… clean, fresh and ready to go.
Does our bed look like a magazine picture..? NOPE. Would it be up to snuff for Mom and Grandma..? Probably NOT. Are we good with it..? YEP! : )
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We travel quite bit. Often to places where a duvet is used instead of a top sheet. I am still in the top sheet camp, even more so after those experiences. A duvet, or even just a blanket, can be hot. Then what? Laying uncovered in the night—not for me. A nice lightweight sheet is the best. The hygiene issue is the top argument in my book. I don’t want to have to wash a blanket every week, and stuffing a duvet is much more time consuming than just putting on a sheet. Flannel sheets in the winter are cozy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love getting in between the sheet when they just came out of the dryer. I have always slept with a top sheet and probably will continue.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Years ago there were no fitted sheets….just two flat sheets. I would never even consider NOT using a top sheet. I think it feels better than a blanket or duvet next to your skin and then there is the hygiene issue. All the reasons mentioned is why I use a topper. I make sure there is enough sheet at the head of the bed to fold over the comforter or blanket so the comforter is not in contact with my skin. I use a lightweight comforter in the Summer…usually off the bed at night so the top sheet is needed….can’t sleep without it and in Winter I use a heavier weight comforter set. I change the look twice a year when doing Fall/Spring cleaning and the comforters are dry cleaned.
Did anyone watch the show Little People Big World when it was first on? The young boys would sleep on a mattress without a sheet. Gosh, so awful. I think they just slept with comforters. So we are talking about the top sheet and I certainly hope everyone uses a bottom sheet without question and hopefully a mattress pad too.
Folding the fitted sheet used to be easier. Now with the extra piece of material on the short ends it becomes a bit more bulkier when folded but I still fold the same way.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I remember the day!!! Oh how I hated those flat sheets for the bottom, trying to keep them tucked in. I would not trade a fitted sheet for a flat one for all the gold… Fitted sheets were the best thing that was ever made. The top sheet HAS to STAY, I may kick it back during the summer months, but have to have a little something over my feet. Yes I have had a lot of laughs this afternoon reading this post. I’m 70 and had not ever heard of a duvet, guess I’m running behind time. LOL LOL We all need a good laugh this day and time. Keep up the great post Jillee…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.i don’t know exactly why,but I don’t use a top sheet anymore..That started about five years ago,I believe.At the time I was sleeping on my couch..I didn’t have a bed at the time.I just never went back to the top sheet…I don’t need it…To each his own.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband changed our ways. We have a light quilt on our bed. The bed is made up underneath. We each have a soft blanket for cover. He’s 79 & I’m 65. Bed is always made now. I just smooth it out each day. Wash day I have pillowcases, light quilt and soft blankets to wash. I also throw pillows in dryer for a bit to fluff and sort of clean. It works for us and no more tangled blankets and sheets. Sometimes I wonder why I even have bed made underneath? Guess because I’m just used to it being made up.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We in the U.K. Use duvet covers and wash those once a week with pillow cases. I personally find with centrally heated houses a light duvet and cover are more than enough. I tend to wash my quilt which is only a 4.5 tog at least once every 3 months because both myself and hubby do find we are hot. In the summer we use just the duvet cover, which tends to be washed twice a week.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The worst sheets have been when I am three sheets to the wind
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ok so I have recently had this discussion with others recently, because I’ve discovered that many “younger” people seem to have ditched the flat sheet. I think I’m a traditionalist at heart so I’m staying with the sheet. As I mentioned it seems as though it maybe be generational. I’d like to hear age ranges on the debate. Feel free to comment.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m over fifty and vote “pro top”
I’m 59 and only use a duvet with a cover, hate top sheets unless it’s too hot for a quilt.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’am “pro sheet” but my children would rather do without the top sheet. I am over fifty and that was just how I was taught.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m 70, hubby 74 and we ditched top sheet 20 years ago.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.69 years old and definitely pro top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m 59 and “PRO TOP”
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always have, and always will, use a top sheet. I couldn’t sleep without that barrier between me and my bedspread (yes, a bedspread…not a comforter nor a duvet…a chenille bedspread).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We both sleep hot so summer I use one top sheet and in the winter I use 2 top sheets and no blankets. I have a comforter on the bed but it is mostly or looks. We seldom use it unless it is literally freezing outside.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Top? I thought it is called flat sheet … Anyway, I always think they make flat sheets too short and narrow. So if you have a full mattress, buy a queen flat sheet.. instead.. you will have extra inches to tuck under mattress to make it stick with your nightmares, no matter what..
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOL
I even use three sheets as top for winter to separate my other three layers of cotton blankets from me .. I call it drying sheets.
I pull all top sheets and blankets out to dry under sunlight by my large window which happens to face the daylight sun all day to dry at every opportunity I get during wintertime or you can toss them in your dryer whichever every other day or so especially during coldest days . You will feel so dry overnight and you will sleep like a dry baby!
It’s a heck of a lot easier to just pull a top sheet off of a bed than to wrestle a duvet cover off a comforter. I would definitely wash a duvet cover less often than I do my top sheets. Yuck.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am for the top sheet for the reasons you gave. My husband is not a big fan and would like no sheet but since I take care of the bed linens ,I go with the top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Top sheet user here!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am also pro top sheet for the same reasons you give.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am pro top sheet for the resons you give above and because it actually saves me money on laundry. When I allowed my husband to nix the top sheet for the first 15 years I was washing our comforter every week, now that I make us use a top sheet, I wash the sheets each week but just flip the comforter each week and wash every 2 weeks. I don’t feel that the comforter is dirty anywhere except near our faces, hence flip to get clean spot for 2nd week.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Am I the ONLY one who doesn’t use a duvet??
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t own one and have never used one! You are not alone!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I wouldn’t have one! My comforter and top sheet are great!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a comforter, without a cover.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Not sure I even know what section of the store to find a duvet. It’s no big deal to pull off 2 sheets and wash.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used a duvet for a short period of time and wasn’t a fan. I prefer comforters.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It is amazing that the world is coming apart at the seams and we’re discussing top sheets, but I’ll go along! I can see how some just like the feel of top sheets or no top sheets, but Carleen is right. They have been around long before hotels and Heloise and have a purpose. I think most people do not realize they sweat in their sleep. Along with the sweat comes oil and dirt. Ever noticed how yucky a pillowcase can become? So not only do top sheets serve as a protection for the blanket, but they at least slow down the body’s contact with it and possibly prevent other mucky, buggy occurrences.
I assure you that women who spent or still spend weeks and months picking designs for making a quilt top, cutting small pieces of cloth and then sewing them together to make the top, then laying down the lining, batting and the top on a quilt frame, then stitching it all together by hand (or some by machine today) wanted a top sheet to protect it for longer use. Today, I noticed that my electric blanket gets pilled up on top through contact from arms and hands during sleep , but the bottom side does not because of having the top sheet. I don’t have the funds or patience to buy new blankets.
Not to mention that not using a top sheet would seem like going to work all dressed up but not wearing underwear. Not that there are those who would prefer that, too! Uh-oh, please – no underwear blog.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree. It is a lot easier to wash sheets than it is to wash blankets or duvets or both every week. Putting on my Duvet takes much longer then putting a sheet on. My duvet was very costly. I’m sticking to sheets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have to have a top sheet to have a good night sleep. My 15-year-old daughter has always kicked off, stuffed, shoved away the top sheet until I finally gave up and got her a duvet. My only problem with it is that its difficult to find nice sheets that don’t sell in a set. To buy only the fitted sheet isn’t always possible and it’s annoying.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Miss Jennifer, can you use the top sheet as a fitted sheet when the actual fitted sheet is in the wash and just tuck the flat sheet in all around the bed? They also make those clamps to use with sheets to keep them from coming off. Maybe just use those on all four corners and tuck the rest of the flat sheet all around? Just a thought.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It’s interesting you mention that, Karen. It brought back a memory I haven’t thought of during most of my life: my mother always used two sheets on the beds, but there were never any fitted sheets, or not until much later in my childhood. She always just tucked all the edges of the bottom sheet under the mattress. Now that I’ve just checked, I learned that fitted sheets weren’t invented until 1959 so that explains that.
I find those clamps are hard to use. I found “gator clips” for clipping on the edge of tarps and tying down work great for sheets. You could add a rope, or I found a bungee cord that was just the right length to keep the bottom sheet snug. I loved it and use it when we went glamping. We have a king bed in the house, but a queen in the RV. We wanted the fleece set because it was March and cold, and I needed a way to keep the fitted sheet on the mattress. Four clamps and two cords a quarter of the up and down across the mattress, awesome. Definitely keeping the top sheet.
Hospitals use and always used Flat sheets. The hospital corner!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh yes – my mother always made us make up our beds every day I learned hospital corners (she was also a nurse!). The skill came in handy when I went into the Marines and we had to make up our bunks tightly!
Join the discussion…Go to Ebay, or Goodwill/Salvation Army for sheets, people throw away the best stuff…high thread count, real linen, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Definitely in the top sheet camp! I can’t imagine not having a sheet in the summer. Also, I use quilts on my beds and wouldn’t want them to be exposed to nightly sweat and oils. IMHO changing a duvet every time you wash sheets would be defeating the idea of not having a top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a top sheet. It’s easier to wash and change than wrestling with a duvet cover weekly. If I get too warm can fold back duvet and still have a cover.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Queen size top sheet and duvet cover here. It’s a HUGE pain to take off the duvet cover, wash it, and put it back on. NO WAY do I want to do that every two weeks when my laundry gets done by my cleaning woman. Every few months to wash the duvet cover is enough for me!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It’s much easier to wash a top sheet than to remove, wash, then replace duvet covers. Top sheets are also easier to wash and require less time in the dryer than blankets or comforters as well as duvet covers. Stick with the top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a top sheet and a duvet cover. I use the top sheet because it keeps me warmer/cooler and I cover my duvet to protect it. I don’t move around enough to get tangled up in the top sheet so that’s not a problem for me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I w ill stay with the top sheet…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Where did the white bedspread with the tufted dots come from?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I bought it on Amazon! https://amzn.to/2LQIA6E
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is a little off topic, but I don’t get why people are still sharing sheets/blankets with their partner. My SO & I have our own. Yes, top sheets for summer & blankets for winter :-) There is no lack of sleep from wrestling stolen covers. We share when we cuddle, just not while we’re sleeping.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t understand. You don’t share a bed or you don’t share linens? If the latter, how would you keep them separate on a bed?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We share beds. We live in the south, so in the warmer months (there are a lot), I use a top sheet & he uses a thin blanket. So there’s not a lot of bulk.
We do this too. It was suggested in a readers digest article.
He sleeps with a fleece blanket that he both lays on and covers himself with. I use a feather duvet that I snuggle in.
No top sheet. Haven’t used it in 20 years. Hate the feeling.
I cover both blankets with a comforter to make the bed and protect them from the dog. I don’t care if it isn’t that pretty, no one sees it.
No top sheet. I have one of those woven cotton blankets that are so soft, breathable and it conforms to my body. Keeps me warm in the winter & cool in the summer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No top sheet here, of course living somewhere where its almost always warm makes it much nicer to sleep at night. Hubby doesn’t like sleeping under the covers at all unless he gets cold then he will slide under the quilt for a bit. I grew up with a top sheet but its just something else to get tangled up. We generally have a thin Cotton quilt on the bed so washing it every week with the rest of the bedding is no big deal. one thing I will never own is a duvet cover, what a pain I tried those once until I had to wash and put back on, cuddos to those who use them. I think everyone has their way that they like the best and to each his own.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It was noted that you wrote to wash the duvet cover when washing the fitted sheet and pillowcases, at least once a week. Wash a top sheet vs a duvet cover, hmmm…still washing another piece of bedding both times. Where’s the win-win here? I’m sticking with a top sheet. As noted: easier to put on a top sheet vs restuffing a duvet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I, too, am in the “use the top sheet” group. It is cooler to sleep with just a top sheet than one light blanket and can’t sleep with no covers. The top sheet protects the blanket(s) and makes them last longer and if you use a wool blanket, you may not want that directly on your skin while it is very warm and comfy in the winter. So I am top sheet all the way!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like a top sheet with my duvet but “To each their own”. Duvet covers are great but cleaning it every week would not save time or laundry. It is not that easy to put the cover on and off and is almost the size of 2 sheets since it is a bag. I also don’t make my bed in the traditional way.. When I was in Germany many years ago we hung our duvet out to air the bedding every day. I do this now by pulling all bedding back and I find the bed stays fresher. Love the blog. Keep up the good work.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This sounds like a great idea. Also a perfect excuse as to why you don’t make the bed in the morning :).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am PRO Top Sheet! It takes only a second longer to add a top sheet when making the bed; I often sleep with just the top sheet (even in MI winters); it saves on washing other bedding; and my husband has nasty feet and w/o the top sheet his toenails tend to get caught in the blanket fibers.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I feel badly for him- get that man a pedicure!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ditched the top sheet five or six years ago. Thought it was fine all that time. A few months ago started using a top sheet again. It was then I realized how much worse I slept without the top sheet. The change to sleeping better was instant.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am for the top sheet.My husband was in military and has been spoiled with a tight tucked in bed. My side I don’t tuck in cause I stick my feet out to keep cool even on cold nights. We both like the top sheet and never ever thought of not using one. Yes it saves on my quilts as I have a California king split and my quilt is140x140.Because of my husbands height we have taller legs on our bed .I get in with a small step bench.for top sheets !
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We have had this discussion at several Girls’ Night Outings. Seems like vast majority of our kids in their teens and 20s do not use top sheets. We determined it is a trend for their generation! My DH and I still use one and I don’t see us changing our ways but I do end up having to wash my 3 kids blankets much more which is more work then washing a top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I couldn’t give up using a top sheet. I use it in the winter as if it were a light-weight blanket when the room’s too warm for our down comforter, as a light cover in the summer, and in deep winter for the wonderful snuggliness of soft flannel sheets above and below us.
There’s definitely a sentimental aspect, too. I’m old enough to remember when all sheets were flat sheets. “We kids” were responsible for changing our own beds each week, and our mantra was “the top sheet goes on the bottom and the bottom sheet goes in the wash.” With five kids, my Mom was constantly doing laundry, and this was one way of reducing its volume. We learned to make hospital corners to keep the sheets in place. It was no a big deal: just what we did. It worked.
For me, I find stuffing a comforter into a duvet is kind of a fussy process compared to just putting on a clean top sheet, and I wouldn’t want to stuff a duvet weekly. So, I’m firmly on the top sheet side.
Thanks, Jillee, for all the terrific ideas you set out for us.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had no idea there wasn’t always a time when we had fitted sheets. Or did I forget? I don’t see how they would have stayed tucked in if they weren’t fitted. What a great invention that was!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I remember both being flat and how hard it was to make the bed if you were a restless sleeper everyday.
It’s so weird that you did this article now. I was literally just debating whether or not to ditch my top sheet – reason being that my husband sleeps like the Tasmanian Devil & I’m so tired of fixing the twisted sheet. I just can’t get by the hygiene factor and I don’t want to have to wash my comforter every week.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hmm… maybe if I got a king-size sheet for my queen-size bed it’d be harder for him to kick the sheet out.
Yes! King sized and tuck with hospital corners, they stay in place better than fitted sheets with MY Tasmanian Devil!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I also prefer the “3 Sheet Method” which means I tuck a flat king over my down comforter. Easy peasey to toss in the wash weekly. Fitted sheet wear out quicker so I usually have an abundance of orphaned flats.
My son’s always push the top sheet to the end and eventually to a ball on the floor. They would sleep in or under or on top of a ‘silkie’ sleeping bag or bedspread if asked.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like having a top sheet: when I get to hot off comes the heavy thick bedspread. Sheet on, 1/2 on, all off; with/without bedspread.
I’ve noticed at some hotels they don’t put a top sheet on under duvet/comforter. Some put it on top, some none at all. YUCK do they wash everything then?
Besides personal taste it’s a matter for the person doing the washing and putting sheets on/off.
Wonderful topic.
I use to love my top sheet, but my husband always untucked his side and wouldn’t pull it over him. The messy feeling of that finally made me leave it behind. I do use a duvet cover.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Most definatly a top sheet! I would hate to wash a duvet cover. Too much work there. In the summer, I use a bamboo blend very cool to the touch and soft as well. I am atosser, I don’t tuck or make a formal bed. I just flip the sheet and very light blanket over all and head out!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Totally a top sheet user…and don’t want to change!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I buy the best quality cotton sheet sets I can find at a good price and iron the top sheet and pillow cases. It feels like we are in a hotel bed with the “crispy” sheets. My partner chided me initially but now he loves it. For me, it is a small amount of effort for a big gain.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Obviously if you are using a DUVET as opposed to a comforter or counter pane, you do not need a top sheet, as the duvet has a washable cover. It is lovely to have the duvet snuggled round you. From a practical point of view, it is much easier for bed-making. If you are using blankets, or a comforter, of course you need a top sheet. If you visit Austria, you will see duvets without top sheets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What’s a counter pane?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It’s an old-fashioned word for bedspread!
I am in favor of the top sheet it’s cozy and just adds that comforting touch to sleeping.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I didn’t know that anyone would actually prefer to sleep without a top sheet! I love the soft feel of my sheets on both sides, tops and bottoms!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m with you about the keeping the top sheet (it’s easier to clean than to re-stuff the washed duvet cover).
The biggest change I’ve made in making beds was forgetting the hospital corners which I was brought up to do and just letting the top sheet and blankets loose at the bottom. Easy for tossers and also easy to make and remake the bed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I went without a top sheet for quite a while. I am handicapped and my bed is against the wall on one side, so I have to ask other people to make my bed. I hated to make them go to the extra work of putting on the top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.But I finally caved. I was miserable without it. I sweat heavily at night and I got tired of having to wash my blankets. So I am back to the top sheet and I feel much better.
My mom actually used 2 flat sheets. At the end of the week we removed the bottom sheet to be washed and used the top as the bottom sheet the next week. There were 7 kids and laundry was a daily chore. I use a top sheet for hygiene and ease. ( oh! All Moms sheets were white and twins except the parents).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I ditched the top sheet when I went with a duvet and duvet cover. For one, I don’t get all tangled up in bed. It’s easier to make the bed in the morning and it also looks neater.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is news to me. I never heard of or even considered not having a top sheet. I like to be covered and in the summer a top sheet is perfect. In the winter it helps stay warmer with the comforter over it. It looks much prettier when making your bed. Yes, I am one of those who must have the bed made up immediately upon rising. For me, it just wouldn’t be complete without having a top sheet. To each his own I guess.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When I was a little kid, eons ago, my mother never thought that I needed a top sheet on my bed, of course, those were the days when people sent sheets, even towels out to the laundry, the fellow would pick up the sheets and towels one week and return them all washed and pressed the next week.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Few people owned washing machines. Today, many of us have washers and dryers or we go to the laundromat, and thus wash our sheets once a week, or perhaps more often if you live in the deep south.
Years ago when I was raising my daughters, they always had a top sheet once they were out of the cribs and had a single bed. (with rails)
I was taught, using the top sheet was the correct way to make a bed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It’s pretty obvious to me that those who don’t use a top sheet don’t make their beds or don’t have a “pretty” bed. I do use and will always use a top sheet because I turn it over so the “good” side is against my skin…just like the fitted sheet has the “good” side against your skin. This also makes for a “pretty” bed when you make it and fold down the top sheet to expose the top hem which folds nicely over the top of your duvet or comforter.
Besides, this is how the 5 Star hotels do it. This is how I’m doing it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Really who cares what 5 star hotels do, I don’t use a top sheet and my bed is always pretty.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.100% top sheet here. It’s far easier and economical to wash a sheet regularly than a blanket, and if you don’t have a top sheet, then you should be washing that blanket/duvet/comforter as often as you would the sheets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Agreed. Washing a duvet and putting it back on is way more work than a simple top sheet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Pro top sheet. It’s traditional for me. Also, I love the smooth feeling of sheet on skin. I don’t like duvets at all.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just gave up the top sheet and do not miss it. Makes daily making the bed a breeze.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Pro top sheet here. I spend a lot of money on soft comfortable sheets. Why because I love the soft feel against my body. They have to be soft. So the top and bottom sheets have to be soft. Have I mentioned softness enough? Plus it’s easier to wash sheets than duvets, blankets, or comforters. Then of course there is the hygienic part which is very important for me. TOP SHEET FOR ME ALWAYS.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Always use a top sheet on our bed but my kids hate them – claiming to get tangled. They’re old enough to wash & change their own bedding so I don’t care! lol
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We fixed this for our 7 year old, who struggled to make her bed (in a loft) and was always getting the sheets tangled at night. We got a set of Kids Zip Sheets and the problem was instantly solved.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have kids, so what are Kid’s Zip Sheets?
Are they simular to sleeping bags; withe kid designs?
Yes, but the top sheet zippers to the bottom sheet.
I Googled it and they are simply sheets with zippers for crib’s and kid’s beds.
Oh I remember seeing the commercial for those, and I remember thinking – “Why didn’t I think of that?!” If my son was still little, I would definitely get him those!
Am I correct, can you only see comments if you leave one? I’m not able to see comments but it says there are 16??!! When I was in England the home I stayed at used a duvet, no top sheet. I’ve puzzled over it ever since due to the cleanliness issue. This was a very clean home, no issues there. But, emptying out a duvet every time you wash your sheets seems a real pain and I don’t see any other way that it could work. You wouldn’t want to keep a duvet without washing it while washing the bottom sheet(??) The whole thing puzzled me, but I certainly respect customs. I found it very interesting and have often wondered if I should try it. Very glad you brought up the issue, I’m most interested in reading the responses. I’m actually really surprised that, in America, half of your team went without a top sheet. I’ve never heard of going without in this country.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Are most duvets flippable/reversable. I only have 1. It was i believe mad from two complimentary large flat sheets. So does any one just flip it over for 1st washing date of pillow cases and fitted sheet. I’ve used it twice; once I put a heavy thick blanket in it. ( Not hard to do, pulled sides up toward each other put end in an slid al into, let go of one side grabbed side edge and shook. This allowed blanket to open up flat.)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2nd time I just put it ’empty on top of sheet set.
You should always be able to see the comments, Deb!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t understand that either. I have been to Europe several times and never incurred no top sheet. In fact, a lot of upscale hotels use 3 sheets on the bed. One for the bottom and top and another on top of the blanket.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make our beds the way I would expect them to be made up in hotel. Of course use a top sheet. It protects the duvet cover. It’s easier to deal with than fussing with a duvet cover.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m a traditionalist – all the way. Top and bottom sheet AND duvet cover. I strip my bed weekly and make my bed every morning.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.a top sheet is a must. for alll rerasons already stated and plus if I have a rough spot on my feet I don’t like the feel of ity snagging on a blanket. Plus blanket can get itchy. The top sheet keeps it all smoothed out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have to get out of bed if a nail or dry spot on my feet is snagging. I get rough spots on my feet after getting older. So, I file them once a week with a foot file. You can get them at the Dollar Tree or drug store. One side is rough which I use first and the other side has a smooth finish. Try this and your feet will feel better too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Try putting cream, such as Eucerin, or Aveeno, on your feet at night and slip your creamed feet into socks or footies designed for night wear, they can be purchased through a catalog, such as Signatures, or Make Life Easier. In the AM your feet will be much smoother.
I really like a top sheet. Quite often in the summer that is all I use. Also we do not like duvet at all, we find we are either to hot with it on or cold with it off or partway off. We like a number of thinner quilts and can through of some to get comfortable.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Pro top sheet. There is no other way. I need a sheet alone in the summer and in between blankets in the winter. I don’t move much when sleeping so I don’t get tangled up in my covers.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A friend and her family each use a fitted sheet and a fleece blanket. Then she washes them ALL every day. Now it is just 1 double bed but can you imagine what it was like before 3 kids left home!!
Every day?! Wow, that’s unnecessary and lots of wear & tear… though I do LOVE the feeling of getting in bed after I’ve washed the sheets. Hmm… maybe she’s onto something.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Personally I don’t use a top sheet, purely because it always gets kicked to the bottom of the bed with my constant moving around, thereby rendering itself useless and an added hassle. I prefer a top sheet and have often “tried again” using one, but without success….gave up for good a few months ago when replacing sheets and just bought the fitted bottom sheet!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love having a top sheet as you say it keeps things cleaner
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Definitely got to have the top sheet…agree with all of the other comments, but for me, here’s another reason…Your sleeping, you get a little cool so you pull the cover up around your neck a little more snugly and if you’re not careful, suddenly you’ve pulled it up too far and then your feet are out in the cold…what do you do, get out of bed to fix it all up or wake yourself up properly trying to kick it back down in place? It’s the top sheet that is tucked in at the foot of the bed that keeps it all in place. Just gotta have that top sheet!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.And there’s another discussion: if you’re pro top sheet, do you tuck it in at the foot of leave it loose. I was taught to tuck in but my hubby of 25 years can’t stand it tucked in!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Tuck in your corner of the bed at the bottom!
My hubby doesn’t like it either, but I found if I tuck the top sheet in with corners, then pull down enough sheet from the top to make a sort of pleat across the bed, that works well for him for a day or two at least.
I am definitely pro-top sheet. Have always used one and don’t think I could be comfortable without it. Your idea of using a duvet cover is definitely a good one for those who prefer to sleep without the top sheet. It’s all just a matter of choice!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you don’t use a top sheet, you’ll have to wash your quilt cover more often. These are much more expensive than top sheets and so will cost you more money. Your perspiration will also soak through the the quilt cover and soil your quilt which will mean more dry cleaning and or washing, so it is also less hygienic. I can’t see any reason to get rid of the top sheet. I like to sleep with something over me in hot weather (I live in Australia so we often get hot nights here) , and so having a top sheet solves that problem too. I just roll down the quilt and leave the top sheet covering me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Once the fitted bottom sheet wears out, just add some elastic to the top sheet and you have yourself a new fitted bottom sheet.
No, duvet covers should be of the same fabric as your fitted bottom sheets, so no more expensive.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband and I sleep with a bottom fitted sheet and two individual twin duvets. That way we dont disturb each other if one of us is tossing and turning. We discovered this on a trip to Europe and decided to do it at home. We have duvet covers that we wash along with the fitted sheet and pillowcases so it is just as hygienic as using a top sheet. We’re never going back!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Top sheet for me! Hygiene is the main consideration as washing the duvet cover every week is much less practical than just washing your sheets and pillowcases. In our climate (Queensland, Australia), for much of the year the top sheet is all that is needed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ever since I started using duvets, I stopped using top sheets. I always have a cover on my duvet, so I don’t see the need for a top sheet, it’s just as hygienic as using a top sheet under blankets or comforter. I definitely couldn’t cope with sleeping under a blanket or comforter without a top sheet, it would be so uncomfortable to me!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ll stand with “In defense of the top sheet”, with all of the reasons you mentioned. Also, it is much easier to launder a sheet than a blanket.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I must have a top sheet. They are soft and feel better against your skin and they also protect the blanket from our body dirt and oils. I am hot often, so the top sheet is my blanket when my internal heater kicks into high.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband collects most of our old sheets. He uses them to cover plants when we have the occassional cold nights. We live in Southern Arizona.
Definitely keep the top sheet!! Can’t imagine not having it between me & my hand quilted quilt that my Mama made me!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Why replace one item with another? When you buy sheets nowadays it comes as a set, with a top sheet. If one is sleeping under a quilt or blanket without a top sheet, it means having to wash a much heavier item than the top sheet and thus more time drying. What ever one chooses to use, it should be cleaned every time the fitted sheet is cleaned. This is for several reasons. The sweat and oils every “body” gives off at night go into both the top and bottom sheet and mattress pad and mattress along with dead skin cells. This is the reason it is recommended mattresses be replaced every 8 years. With the sweat, oils and dead skin cells building up it attracts dust mites. Many people have allergies to dust mites. These are the primary reasons that what ever one sleeps between, both top and bottom sheets or whatever should be cleaned EVERY week. Since a sheet is much lighter than a quilt, blanket or covered duvet it is much more economical to wash a top sheet than the others. It also takes less heat and electricity to dry. Quilts are much more expensive than a top sheet and often come with sentimental attachments like the quilt my grandmother made which is at the foot of my bed. With all these thoughts in mind, I will continue to use the top sheet.
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