bedding

[Jon3948]

Hey everyone!  This is my first post and I apologize for the "newby" questions in advance haha.  I have been searching the web for hours to find the best bedding for my air bnb. There are so many opinions and I'm not sure who to trust.  I'm looking for quality, but I don't want to break the bank. Does anyone have any recommendations on brand/ bedding?  Thank you in advance! 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jon3948 It depends on the look you are going for and the price-point of your listing. 

High end is likely to be all white sheets duvet covers etc. Totally acceptable but cheaper is a good Walmart cotton sheet and coloured duvet sets. Avoid comforters as they are expensive to clean between guests.

[Dora486]

I wait for Marks and Spencer sales and purchase duvet cover sets, pillow cases etc then.  They really are good and most non iron.

[Sheila646]

Hi, Jon! There are a lot of different options. You will want something durable that holds up to lots of use and cleaning. I've noticed a lot of people like sheet sets from Costco. I went with a local linen supplier who buys for hotels and bed and breakfasts. That may be a more expensive option, but I really wanted to make sure I wasn't buying linens that I would be throwing out in a few months. I believe most of the sheets are Kassatex brand. 

Even if you buy cheaper brands you will probably be spending a lot on linens for each of your beds.

I went with all white sheets and duvet covers. Going forward I think I will forgo the duvet covers and purchase more flat sheets to envelope over the duvets, because wrestling duvets into covers takes too much time and effort. Over the white duvets I use lightweight coverlets. They fit in a washing machine and give the room some color and style. I don't necessarily emphasize quality on coverlets, because it's more likely I'll want to replace them every couple of years for a fresh look.

I took my linen buyer's advice and bought three sets of sheets for each bed. She was absolutely right that sometimes you have tight turns and there isn't time to get all the linens washed before the next guest has to check in. 

it's controversial here, but IMO mattress pads and coverlets don't need to be washed as often since guests aren't sweating and shedding on them directly. I'll clean any of these if I see they are soiled of course. Regardless of whether they appear soiled, mattress pads and coverlets get cleaned once a month or once a quarter depending on the number of booking nights used and whether there are long term guests. 

I also recommend adding allergen and mite protective mattress bags and pillow covers in addition to water resistant mattress pads. They are expensive, but will help protect your most expensive investment (the mattress) from bed bugs and spills. I'm sure it's overkill but I double protect pillows with allergen and mite resistant covers that go inside of the regular pillow shams. You should replace the mattress bags every few years, but you shouldn't have to wash them if your mattress pads are doing their job. The pillow protectors will need to be washed periodically, especially if a stain bleeds through the regular pillow sham. 

Hope that helps.

[Huma0]

@Jon3948 

I don't know what it is like in your location, but I buy a lot of my linens from TK Maxx/Homesense (TJ Maxi in the US, I think). It's not the cheapest option, but I find quality linens at seriously reduced prices there, including 'hotel style' ones with high thread counts. I would, however, avoid very high thread counts (e.g. 800, 1,000). As soft and lovely as they are, they are not very hard wearing, and you want something that you can not only wash frequently, but treat for stains etc.

One of the best investments I have made for my listings is super thick (10cm/2.5 inch) mattress toppers, but you can get even thicker ones. The ones I have are machine washable, but you do need a fairly large machine. The mattress protectors and sheets go on top of them though so they don't have to be washed between every stay. Since I got these, every single guest - and I do mean literally every single one out of hundreds) - says the bed is super comfortable.

I was lucky enough to find these toppers at a big discount, but even at full price, they are worth it as it's a lot cheaper than buying expensive mattresses, plus they offer additional protection for the mattress. The company I bought them from a company called Groundlevel, but I'm not sure if it exists outside of the UK.

I also provide a variety of pillows in each room, e.g. different types, thicknesses and firmness as people really vary in their preferences for those, and some people are allergic to the feather/down ones (also not great for vegans!).

[Huma0]

Meant TJ Maxx în the US.

[Gillian166]

@Jon3948  @Huma0 

+1 to the mattress topper idea. I have memory foam toppers, think they were around $100AUD, and they transform any mattress, and they serve as a protector, of course I have a mattress protector on top anyway. 

 I also love TK Maxx, cushions, bed throws, candles and body soaps, lotions and shamp/cond are my go-to items. It's nice to find quality items that are not mainstream (most of the brands in our tk maxx are American).  I buy more budget priced mattress protectors and pillow protectors, those items just need to function but not impress!

I think the #1 rule is that you don't need to pay retail, as there's always some shop somewhere having a sale. 

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

I also almost never buy at full retail price, unless that price is already a bargain. You are right that, these days, there are sales on year round, and then you have TK Maxx, which is basically like a permanent sale! 

Even with the mattress toppers, which are great quality, I bought them all at a hefty discount via voucher sites. Like you, I don't buy expensive pillow and mattress protectors though, as it's not really necessary. 

[Lorna170]

@Jon3948   I have purchased linens through Sams Club (Members Mark brand), Costco and OVerstock.com.  Utopia bedding (Amazon) is a good source.

I look for cotton (not microfiber) sheets with a thread count of 400-800.  I bought 3 sets per bed and per bed size (so 2 king beds = 6 sets).

I purchased duvet inserts and duvet covers from IKEA.  Both wear very well and are washable.  Two sets per bed.  The duvets and covers are washed for each and every guest and we are going on year 4 with the current sets.  The duvets come in various weights, so you can purchase lightweight, warm or very warm.  I have a heavy cotton blanket for each bed (stored in the dresser) for guests who want something other than a duvet.

My beds have a bedbug zip around mattress protector, then a durable waterproof zip around cover and then a water-resistant mattress pad.  My pillows have 2 protectors under the pillowcase.  The outer protector is washed with each guest.  I have one spare mattress pad per bed size and multiple pillows, pillow protectors as well as extra white pllowcases.  

If you have multiple bed sizes, purchasing slightly different colors can help housekeeping differentiate which sets go on which beds.  If you want all white, use a Sharpie and MARK a corner of each sheet with the size - K for King, Q for Queen, D for double, T for Twin.

Have fun shopping!

[Gillian166]

@Lorna170  we started out colour coding the sheets, but we buy sheets on sale and now we have a range of grey sheets in light, mid and dark in both Q and K, which is annoying. I have a chart in my laundry with the list of what we have (3 kings, 4 queens, we have a LOT of sheets!) but here's my Ultimate Hack that I learned from hotels:

I've sewn a line of coloured thread across the bottoms of all sheet sets. Royal Blue for King. this helps me know the size and also helps me make the bed and not be guessing if this brand does bottom left for the tag, or bottom right for the tag.... which is maddening!! or my US Polo sheets, which are a tiny bit oversized which is fabulous, but they forgot to put the size on the sheet tag and I have both Q and K in that brand in white and grey .... gah!! so the coloured thread (hot pink for the Queens) really helps. 

@Jon3948  might not have the sewing skills, but you can simply get a sharpie and put a giant " L " in the left bottom corner, and a K or Q. 

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 good tip.

I never get confused with duvet and pillow covers as I buy ones to go with the decor of each room. Sheets, however, are a nightmare because they rarely mention on the label which size they are and, like you, I have two different sizes of beds.

[Gillian166]

@Huma0  yes the doona covers are less of an issue, although I do utter a prayer to God to send whoever thought putting buttons on a doona was a good idea straight to hell. 😅.  

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

Lol, most of mine have buttons, so I have kind of gotten used to it, but I do sigh with relief when I pull out one that has poppers. One of mine has really pretty buttons in two coordinating colours, but what's the point? You can't actually see them once you've made the bed.

[Pat271]

@Gillian166 😅 Yes, it’s thrilling to get 11 of 12 buttons fastened before realizing I must have missed one or more buttons or buttonholes along the way.😅

[Huma0]

@Pat271 @Gillian166 

And at least one button always goes AWOL.