Triple-Sheeting Defined

In a recent post on the beautiful Inn Victoria in Chester, Vermont, I mentioned "triple-sheeting" and a commenter asked, "What's triple sheeting? Is that the same as being 3 sheets to the wind??" Uhm, no, Sarah, it isn't! Though I can certainly appreciate the humor in your comment!

Triple-sheeting, a style of bed-making that uses multiple layers of sheets, blankets, and duvets or bedspread-like covers, is something that a lot of upscale hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts are starting to do as it's not only an easy way to change the design of the room should that be desired but it's also a lot more hygienic for guests.

If you stop and think about it, chances are really good that the bedspreads and/or duvets that are used in guest accommodations don't get washed very often and they most definitely don't get washed in between every guest.  Think about how often you wash your own bedspread and the light probably goes on, right?  Uh-huh ... Doesn't exactly give you the warm fuzzies to think about how long it may have been since that hotel bedspread may have been washed, does it?  And Lord knows what may have been going on on top of that bedspread ... shudder!

Now that's certainly not to say that no hotels launder their bedspreads and duvets on a regular basis as no doubt a lot do but it's not very economical or easy to constantly launder bedspreads nor is it at all economical to have a large supply of extras on hand so that they can be rotated out while another is being cleaned.  Add on the fact that when a hotel or inn wants to change the look of the room, it can be horribly expensive to buy all new bedding as neither bedspreads or duvets are cheap to purchase.

So what's the best way for a hotel or inn to not only insure that their guests are sleeping soundly on clean linens but give themselves the opportunity to change out the look of a room relatively simply should they chose?  This is where triple-sheeting comes in.

When a bed is made using the triple-sheeting method, a flat or fitted sheet is used on top of the mattress and then a flat sheet is spread on top of that followed by a blanket which is then "sandwiched" by having another flat sheet placed over the top of it.  This way the blanket never touches the guest's skin as it is protected by a sheet on top of it and a sheet underneath it.  Some hotels call it good to go right there and simply use a bed scarf at the foot of the bed to complete the look while others will use a bedspread or a duvet on top of the third sheet.  Either way, it makes for a beautiful looking bed as well as a more hygienic bed.

Take for example my beautiful bed in the Prince Alfred Room at the Inn Victoria:

Prince Alfred Room

Or my bed from the Holiday Inn in Tewksbury, Massachusetts:

My Room

The Inn Victoria uses light quilts over the top of their triple-sheeting in order to attain the "period" look of the inn whereas the Holiday Inn simply uses a bed scarf at the foot of the bed with their triple-sheeting.  Either way, though, both beds look more than good enough to sleep in and if memory serves correctly, they both were!

Chances are really good that if the place you're going to stay at touts itself as having "luxurious bed linens" then you're going to find that their beds are triple-sheeted. If not, then maybe they aren't quite as luxurious as they could be!

Should you wish to attain your own pampered feel at home, learning to triple-sheet a bed isn't really that hard if you follow the simple instructions below. If you're going to start doing this, though, I suggest that you go all the way and buy either microfiber sheets or high-thread count sheets along with lots of pillows so that you'll have that true "sleep on a cloud" experience.

How to Triple-Sheet a Bed

1. A fitted or a flat sheet goes on the top mattress in the usual way.

2. A flat sheet goes on next. Standing at the foot of the bed, shake out the sheet until it lays evenly over the bed. Adjust the sheet until a similar length hangs down either side of the mattress. Stand at the head of the bed and lift the sheet until the top hem is pulled up to meet the headboard. Return to the foot of the bed and ensure the sheet is smooth on the bed.

3. The blanket goes on third. Repeat the previous step for the blanket, but the top hem should be about 6 inches (about two hand widths) short of the headboard.

4. The third flat sheet goes over the blanket. Repeat Step 2 for this top sheet, once again adjusting the sheet until the top hem meets the headboard.

5. Fold the top of the sheets back 6 inches. This is folding just the sheets, not including the blanket.

6. This time fold back both the sheets and the blanket another 6 inches. The result is that the sheets are folded twice but the blanket only once.

7. Tuck in both top sheets and the blanket in the usual way being careful to create neat corners at the foot of the bed. If you've never folded a "hospital corner" click here for simple instructions.

8. Finally place four to five pillows at the head of the bed covering any turn downs. For example, if using five pillows place three pillows upright against the headboard. Place the other two in front of the first three in the center.

And there you have it - a luxurious hotel amenity in the comfort of your own bedroom that has nothing to do with being "three sheets to the wind"!


Comments

  1. I discovered La Quinta because I often needed pet-friendly. What a pleasant surprise! One of my favorite recent hotel room stays was a King Suite at the La Quinta in Brandon, FL. Triple Sheeting and French doors to the bedroom. I didn't want to leave it was so comfortable!

    I use to have 6 goose down pillows on my bed, but I felt a bit over-indulgent and let the guest room have 2 of them. :D

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  2. Oh what luxury! Perfect...I like clean:)

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  3. We're going out of town next weekend. I'll be checking the Best Western for this method of bed making.

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  4. I used to be really good at short-sheeting a bed
    :-P

    I love this idea. Especially since a flat sheet costs way less than a comforter. great idea!

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  5. Learn something new every single day of my life...cool...I am gonna triple sheet my bed!!!

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  6. Great tips! I don't know when I started getting phobic with the bugs (as in bed!). This idea makes me feel better. I always take my own pillow if we're driving. If not, I'm stuck. I hate hotel pillows but I don't want to stay home, either!
    ~~~Blessings~~~

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  7. A couple of years ago I decided high thread count was mandatory. As it turns out quality is cheaper in the long run and triple sheeting a beautiful luxury.

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  8. I had never heard of triple sheeting a bed before tonight, but it has me intrigued and I will certainly give it a try.
    I love a sexy looking bed.

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  9. Doesn't adding the quilt defeat the hygienic purpose, though not the delicious coziness??

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    Replies
    1. I guess it would seem that way, huh? A lot of hotels and B&Bs don't bother with a comforter or quilt over the top sheet at this point and use a heavier comforter rather than a blanket in between the two sheets. I'm thinking that the comforter/quilt are used more in colder climates as you'd need something a little heavier than just sheets and a blanket - but that's just a guess on my part!

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  10. If you are triple sheeting a queen bed do you use king size flat sheets?

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    Replies
    1. Nope, you could still use queen size sheets unless the comforter that you were covering with the sheets was larger.

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