Lots of people make their beds every morning. But also, lots of us don’t.
While I admit I appreciate the discipline of making one’s bed – along with the feeling a tidy bedroom brings – the truth of the matter is, it just doesn’t happen on the regular in my home. So instead of beating myself up about it, I did some research.
And it turns out that making your bed every morning really isn’t a healthy choice.
Mama, you do you. If your day doesn’t start until those covers are pulled up and those pillows are fluffed, then do it. But if you’re like me and are looking for reasons to skip that task every morning without the guilt, here are three:
Your sheets need to dry out. We all lose water while we sleep. The jury’s out on the exact amount that gets absorbed by our sheets and mattress, but the truth is that we all release a small amount of water through our skin during the night. When you make your bed first thing in the morning, it never gets to fully dry out.
You are killing dust mites. If anyone in your family struggles with allergies or asthma, this is hands-down the reason to hang your hat on. Research shows that exposure to air and sunlight kill dust mites, which otherwise would snuggle into that warm, moist, skin-cell-filled perfectly made bed and feed and breed to their heart’s content. Leaving your bed unmade was actually identified as the best way to reduce the number of dust mites in your home.
It’s not an efficient use of your time. Admittedly this isn’t the strongest argument of the bunch, but things are better in threes, so here you go. Mama, you’ve got a lot to do and hardly have time to do it all. You can’t magically create more time, but you can prioritize the things that matter (ie, feeding your children, keeping them alive, and making sure you keep your job if you’re an income-earning supermom). That bed’s just gonna get used again, so if you’re feeling crunched for time, skip it. Plus, you can justify it by saying you’re prioritizing your kiddo’s health (see above).
I know the peace a perfectly made bed can bring to a home. In fact, one year it was my New Year’s Resolution to make it every day. I loved the feeling, but that habit has gone by the wayside and I now go through phases. Some months I make my bed 90% of the time, while others it doesn’t get made once.
So mama, do what’s best for you. And if that means leaving your bed unmade, then own it. Guilt-free.
After all, there’s no “right way” to do life. {No matter what the pro-bed-makers tell you.}
Do you make your bed every day? Why or why not?
