Which Bedding set up works best for you?

[G-C-R-M0]

Hey fellow hosts,

I wanted to send out a poll here on how hosts usually set up your bedroom beddings.  What I mean by this is the way you put together the bottom sheet, top sheet vs duvet, comforter.

Please respond to the thread using 1 or 2:
1. American/Traditional set up - bottom sheet, top/flat sheet, comforter without duvet

2. European/Millenial set up - bottom sheet, NO top/flat sheet, comforter inside duvet cover

And if you have additional thoughts/comments on why one over the other, that'd be appreciated.

I read somewhere that set up with top sheet is really impractical and is going away, to the point that most sellers now do not even sell top sheet in the set anymore, and you have to purchase it separately.

Duvet covers make sense because you just wrap your comforter and voila! you're done. This is the standard in Europe, and now millenials are adopting it.

Thanks for your time and input!

[Jim472]

Since the original survey has turned into a general bedding one I figured I'll share a product review. I bought these protectors for about 10 USD each before I started hosting. They are super thin and I use them under the typical white, kind of puffy, protectors we're all familiar with. I've only had one accident and wow do they work. I had a kid pee the bed and it completely leaked through the white one only to be stopped and absorbed by this, the mattress was dry underneath. It soaked up so much liquid that I even had to hand wash it because my washing machine couldn't do a spin cycle with it due to water weight. Crazy good investment. 

[Ann783]

I use top sheet and the duvet cover

[Diane440]

Short answer: Number 1 - the traditional 'muricin way!

Long answer:  I still see top sheets used in all hotel rooms I book and plenty sets still on the shelves at my local bed & bath stores. So, I don't see that going away anytime soon. It also depends on your décor. If going for a modern look, the comforter over the bottom sheet (sans top sheet) works in a minimalist, sleek setting but may not work in a more traditional or retro setting. My décor is more traditional with retro themed rooms that make the 2-sheet style with cotton blanket and bedspread topper (duvet cover?) a bit more inviting and cozy, which is the style I'm going for. 

[Kevin1322]

We do  bottom sheet, top sheet and duvet. Plus another duvet stored in a box under the bed ion case they want to heat up but want to use the heating..

For most of us europeans the top sheet is usually omitted in our day to day lives, but other cultures seem to like it.  It seems quite a harmeless thing to throw in.

I add that the extra duvet is rarely used,  and the top sheet doesn't seem to do any harm.

[Sarah977]

@Kevin1322  Exactly- it's a harmless, trivial, easy thing to provide in case a guest prefers it. Refusing to do so, saying "That isn't how we do things here" is somewhat akin to refusing to provide coffee cream for guests because you, your family and everyone else you know uses 2% milk. 

If a guest who's accustommed to only sleeping under a duvet wants to remove the top sheet I make the bed with and only use the duvet, they are free to do so. Why not give guests who are used to having a top sheet the same option?

[Stephanie]

This is why this topic is fascinating to me @Kevin1322 . Similarly as a Brit, I had no clue there was any other set up than bottom sheet and duvet?

[Scott-and-Mary-Ellen0]

American: In summer in New Hampshire, bottom sheet, top sheet, light blanket, quilt/comforter on top (like a bedspread). In winter, bottom, top, heavier blanket, quilt/comforter on top. We wash quilts and blankets (2 listings) about once a month, or more often if needed. We recently had a man stay in our home and it was obvious he slept on top of the quilt, so we washed it again.

We have decorative pillow shams but realized early on that some people didn't realize the real pillowcase was inside (we also use dust mite/bed bug proof pillow covers inside the case) and slept on that. So now we just place them over the pillows and remove them in front of the guests as we check them in. 

[Sarah977]

@Scott-and-Mary-Ellen0  I don't get it. Why use shams at all if you remove them when the guest checks in? Just so they can see the space for one minute with the shams on? This decorative pillow craze is fine on our own beds, if we like them, but it just seems pointless in a guest space, since they tend to sleep on them or just throw them on the floor. If hosts want to jazz up the look of the bed, just get some colorful or patterned regular pillow cases.

[Sandra126]

3

[Stephanie]

4

[Catriona16]

I go for the #1: European/Millenial set up - bottom sheet, NO top/flat sheet, comforter inside duvet cover.

I grew up in the UK, so a duvet was, and still is, my norm. 

I do the same thing for guests.

In over 4 years of hosting (in the US), I have had only 4 requests for a "top sheet" and once the guests realise that the duvet cover comes off, and is washed between guests, they are ok. 

Frankly I am a little disgusted by #2: American/Traditional set up - bottom sheet, top/flat sheet, comforter without duvet. The comforter gets touched in more ways than are imaginable, and should be completely changed and washed between guests. As a Registered Nurse, my understanding of infection control is excellent. It concerns me when I see hosts use the same comforter with different guests, yes I have witnessed this. AND, all those extra pillows and cushions on the bed that no one really uses, hmmmm, they certainly will not be washed between guests. 

[Bronwyn100]

I have top and bottom sheets and duvet in cover. When it’s hot people like to just have a sheet over them. 4 pillows. Pillow and mattress cover gets washed after each stay. 

[John7474]

same.. bottom sheet - top sheet and a duvet cover.. 

[Katrina393]

The idea to me of no top sheet is so gross!  (In US at least, Mexico too) not having a top sheet and only having duvet/'comforter/blanket directly against my skin would/has made me very uncomfortable and "ghetto" feeling. I understand different cultures etc. But as a host I could never not offer a top sheet.