Skip to main content

Your old sheets can feel new again – here’s how

How to up your bedsheet game

There’s nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed. It’s comfortable, it's familiar, and your body is used to its shape and form. Hotel beds are so much more luxurious, though, particularly when it comes to the best pristine sheets.

The good news is that some DIY treatments can make your old sheets feel just like those soft, crisp hotel sheets. You’ll have the best of both worlds since you’ll have your own familiar bed topped with luxurious-feeling linens. We’re going to share some simple things you can do to not only make old sheets new again, but also make them feel like they're the best hotel sheets out there.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

1 hour 30 minutes

What You Need

  • Rice water

  • White vinegar

  • Baking soda

  • Iron and ironing board

  • Ironing starch

  • Dryer sheets

  • Mattress pad

Bed with white linens surrounded by light wood furniture against pale blue wall

Ditch your fabric softener

Even though you’re trying to make your sheets feel softer, there’s a reason your favorite laundry companion has to go. Fabric softeners contain oil, and while it initially feels smooth and soft on your sheets, it leaves residue on the fabric that builds up over time. This can make your sheets feel a bit sticky and less like a crisp hotel sheet. Instead of using fabric softener, try some natural ingredients in your washing routine that will help to get your sheets crisp, soft, and fresh smelling.

Rice water

Rice water is literally the water that’s left in the pot after you’ve cooked your rice. Surprisingly, rice water is a great ingredient to add to your load of sheets since it enhances the crispness of the sheets and helps prevent wrinkles.

White vinegar

Vinegar naturally softens fabric since its mild acidity breaks down the residue that laundry detergent leaves behind. With this more natural approach as a fabric softener, you won’t have to deal with the oils of a chemical softener.

Baking soda

The biggest benefit of baking soda is that it absorbs odors and leaves fabric smelling fresh and neutral. Particularly if you’re using vinegar in the wash cycle, baking soda will combat unpleasant odors.

Open door in washing machine with blue bed sheets inside

Care for your bedding frequently and properly

Hotel sheets are cared for daily and with proper techniques to make them feel soft and welcoming. While it may be impractical to follow that strict care routine on your own sheets daily, upping your care game will go a long way in making your sheets feel more like hotel-quality fabric.

How often do you need to wash your sheets?

The biggest reason hotel sheets feel so much better than yours is simply that they are freshly cleaned. Sheets that are overdue for a wash don’t feel as nice as they do when you first pull them out of the dryer, do they? Body oils, skin particles, and dirt accumulate on the surface of the fabric every night, so be sure you’re washing sheets once or twice a week to keep them crisp and fresh.

Clean sheets folded on bed

What’s the proper way to care for sheets?

Step 1: Wash them in hot water. Heat kills bacteria and helps keep your sheets smelling and feeling fresh.

Step 2: Use less detergent. Too much detergent can leave a film on your sheets or encourage soap buildup, which doesn’t feel very nice on your skin. Use about half the recommended amount on your detergent label.

Step 3: Iron them and use starch. It’s a lot of work, but starching and ironing your sheets will give them a gloriously stiff and crisp feel, just like in a hotel bed.

Store sheets in a place that’s well ventilated

Make sure your sheets are completely dry before you put them away, and make sure they’re stored in a cool, dry place. Moisture encourages mildew which can be harmful to you and the sheets. Air should flow freely in the storage area, so your sheets don’t have that dank, musty scent. Consider putting dryer sheets inside the folds of the sheet when you’re storing it so that it’s fresh and clean smelling when you pull it out.

Couple making their bed

Make your bed properly every day

Making your bed keeps your sheets looking smoother and feeling softer for longer. When your bed is left in disarray, the sheets crease, and the fabric becomes worn in those spots. Your skin will certainly feel the difference on your sheets. Beyond simply making your bed every day, making your bed properly goes a long way in creating that hotel bed feel.

Step 1: Put on a mattress pad. Having a bit more cushion underneath you as you snooze will enhance the smoothness of your sheets and make you feel like you’re sleeping on air.

Step 2: Use more sheets and tighten them up. Typically, hotels put one fitted sheet over the mattress pad, two flat sheets over the fitted sheet, and tuck corners under the mattress tightly. You then sleep snugly between the two flat sheets.

Step 3: Smooth your sheets as you’re putting them on the bed and pull them tight over the edges. This creates both the look and feel of a pristine hotel bed. When you slip in between those tightly tucked sheets, you’ll get that signature cocoon feel, just like you get in a luxury hotel bed.

Getting a good night’s sleep is important to your health, energy levels, and productivity. To get a good night’s sleep, though, you need to have a comfortable bed. Making your sheets feel like high-quality hotel bedsheets can up your sleep game tremendously, and you can do it with just a few simple updates to your sheets’ care and maintenance routine. With our tips, you can sleep like royalty every night.

Editors' Recommendations

Veronica Sparks
Veronica Sparks is a writer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who loves writing about gardening, home décor, and DIY life. She’s…
How to upcycle your Goodwill finds into beautiful home decor
We adore this bar cart transformation!
cool upcycled entertainment unit idea beautiful women painting cabinet trim

If you love all things home decorating, odds are you may have spent some time on Reddit. The subreddit page r/HomeDecorating has loads of information, inspiration, and how-tos on all things home decor and how to find the best deals, where to find them, and how to turn regular items into dream items for your home.

Take this one example from Redditor u/aquareyus, who showed off an inexpensive Goodwill find that they turned into a gorgeous piece for home entertaining. "Took this $20 goodwill find & made the bar cart of my dreams. Cheers," they wrote, showing a before-and-after picture that is quite the transformation.

Read more
How to turn your spare room into a luxe at-home movie theater
Tips for transforming your unused space into a cozy movie room
People eating popcorn

While the spare room is often reserved as a guest bedroom, not everyone hosts relatives or friends overnight frequently enough to require one. If this is the case, the spare room sits to gather dust, taking up valuable space in the home and only fulfilling its purpose once or twice a year.

If you’re a homeowner who doesn’t host many overnight guests, you might consider switching out the guest room for a more entertaining alternative: a movie room.

Read more
Make faucets shine like new with this incredible hack
Want to keep your faucets sparkling? Use this hack to polish chrome fixtures
White bathroom sink on counter and mirror

Nothing beats a squeaky-clean bathroom or kitchen. Not only does a spotless sink make you feel safe from germs and viruses, but it also makes you proud to have your guests visit and use the restroom when they stop by.

Here's the problem with chrome faucets, though: They're prone to water spots and fingerprints that make them look dirty when they've just been cleaned. Luckily, we've got the fastest hack you've ever seen for keeping chrome sparkling. Let's talk about how to polish faucets the easy way using parchment paper.

Read more