We are a duvet-only family. Fine for just the two of us, and when I inherited my mother's twin beds (beautiful MCM stuff), I got new bedding for them, duvets and covers from IKEA, for the guest room. And I put the old flat sheets in a drawer in the guest room. Can't tell you how many times we have found that guests remake the beds with top sheets. Sigh.

FWIW, we live on the Central Coast of CA, close enough to the ocean to need no AC and we have cool (60 degree) nights even in the summer,

I never buy sheet "sets". What a waste. I buy fitted sheets and pillowcases. Period. I think I'll put Mother's old flat sheets away in the garage,

olychick, have you tried turning the duvet cover inside out, tying the retaining strings on one end (if any), and then slowly "rolling" the cover onto the comforter? I find it much easier than the stuffing method.

I grew up with a top sheet but ditched it long ago.

I just switched to duvet cover/no flat sheets a few days ago for my children. It is so much easier to make their beds, but I haven't gone through the process of washing the covers yet. That seems like it will be a chore. For my own bed I just use a flat sheet and a quilt that falls almost to the floor. It's super easy to make because there isn't much bulk and the sheet doesn't need to be tucked or even positioned on the bed evenly. I can't do that for my children though because the climate control in my house isn't very good. In the winter they freeze while we burn up so they need heavier covers.

I forego the top sheet in cooler weather and use only the duvet. In cold temps, I put a flannel duvet cover on my wool-filled, and then down, comforters and sleep directly under it. In spring and fall, it's a cotton duvet cover. But in summer ,when it's hot, the comforter is too warm, so I switch to a top sheet and light blanket.

But yes, sleeping under just a comforter with a duvet on it is so yummy. I tried it because it's what my father does, and he's a very wise person! And lo an behold, he's right again!

I think people feel that putting duvet covers on comforters is too hard. IT isn't, once you figure out how to do it. So many people also have king beds, and therefore comforters, and I can see how putting a duvet cover on a king comforter might be cumbersome.

Best source of warmth is body heat. Kew, get flannel covers for your kids winter comforters. They'll be toasty.

I grew up with flat sheets (on both top and bottom), a blanket and a bedspread.

I've tried just the duvet in a cover and I didn't like it. Mostly, I seem to need the tucked in top sheet. With just the duvet, my feet poke out and get cold--and that wakes me up. Then there's the hassle of taking the cover off every week, washing it and putting it back on.

Plus, duvets don't cover the box spring and then you need a bedskirt. I am bedskirt challenged and can't tuck in the top sheet without tucking in the bedskirt as well, leading to several minutes of tucking in and pulling out and tucking in again.

My trick is to buy a flat sheet a size larger than my bed. A full sheet on a twin bed, a queen sheet on a full bed. This gives you plenty of fabric to tuck in, and the bed stays made much better over night, no matter how much you kick or squirm around.

Making the bed in the morning consists of pulling everything up to the top of the bed smoothly, refolding the sheet over the blanket, tucking it on on both sides, and pulling the bedspread up over the pillows. A step or two more than the duvet, but not much more.

It all comes down to personal preference, I think. If you use blankets, the top sheet protects them from body oils and dirt. If you use a duvet, the cover protects it.

I grew up with a fitted and top sheet used with a blanket. Bedspreads, comforters, etc. were used mainly to cover the bed and pulled down at night (not used). That's how I still do to this day. I don't remember how old I was before I even knew what a duvet was!

We're in the south also and sometimes just a sheet feels good, although I almost always have a sheet and a blanket. In winter we use flannel sheets and I love the feel of them. Actually, I love a good feeling sheet - summer or fall. I also grew up with quilts and still love those as an added layer in really cold temps.

I guess I'm used to making a bed with a top sheet, blanket, etc. but I'm not sure how much you are tucking in. I also love the look of folding down the covers and having a pretty/or coordinating top sheet show.

I didn't even know that people use duvet covers as top sheets. So, you guys must wash yours a lot? My daughter does this and when I sleep in her bed it feels like something's missing, like she didn't feel like making a proper bed and just threw the comforter on.

I too grew up with top/bottom sheets, blanket and something on top, e.g., a bedspread. Now I use a duvet cover instead of a bedspread. I'm still not sure if the duvet is the cover or the thing inside.

I'm generally opposed to spending a fortune on bedding and fussing with skirts and shams and a herd of pillows. It's not a spa get-away. It's where (my cats and) I sleep and where I get dressed.

So, the duvet covers get washed as often as the sheets do? Not using a top sheet with a comforter or duvet cover just seems dirty to me. I'd be very uncomfortable as a guest, slipping into a bed without a top sheet.

Making a bed in the morning with a top sheet probably adds 30 seconds to my daily routine. I know...onorous beyond reason! :-)

I'm with rhizo.

i grew up with blankets and bedspreads and later comforters and top sheets-- my mother never washed the bedspreads or comforters weekly- just the sheets.
i am a nurse, and of course i learned to make beds the same way in nursing school and every hotel and friends' house i have ever stayed at had beds made with top sheets too, so i have never slept without a topsheet!

i prefer comforters, etc (with nonremoveable covers) and use a full set of sheets and only regularly wash the sheets... to me, taking the duvet out of the cover frequently and washing would be much more of a pain than making the bed with a top sheet! (can't say that i nicely make the bed every single day either!)
i'm sure if i grew up without topsheets, i would view it differently!
tho, come to think of it, a couple of my college aged sons have ditched the top sheet and just sleep under the blanket or comforter- neither wash anything on their beds too frequently tho i don't think.....!!

Another one that uses a top sheet with the duvet (and cover) in the cooler months -- and with the lighter weight comforter in the summer .....

So much easier to wash the top sheet (and the rest of the basic bedding -- bottom sheet, pillow cases etc.)

I have a "thing" about clean, fresh, sheets...I change/wash ours 2x per week. There is absolutely no way I would want to stuff/destuff duvet covers that often! To me that is much more work than tucking in my top sheet when I make my bed each day.

Growing up, we always had fitted, top sheet, with a patterned or colored comforter. I never entertained not having a top sheet!

We live in the south but, even with a/c, I'm often hot. My top sheet is my main cover and I use a patterned duvet cover only (no duvet) in case I want something more. The two layer cover would be too much for me in the summer and in the winter I appreciate the 3 layers. DH gets cold, so he'll have an electric blanket on his side in the winter.

That said, my kids usually scrunch the top sheet to the bottom of the bed, overnight, and sleep with comforter/quilt only. I don't use a cover/duvet for them for ease of laundering. Maybe I should delete the top sheet from their beds!

Straightening the top sheet in the morning takes like 20 seconds. Most of that is taken up by me walking around the bed to the other side. I don't like a tucked in feeling, except at the foot of the bed. Here in the Bay Area, our summer nights tend to cool off and I use the same type of bedding year-round. Stopped using flannel sheets decades ago. For the few nights when it doesn't cool off, I start with just the top sheet but invariably end up completely covered by morning.

I haven't read all the posts, but I think it depends on the generation. Some generations in the US grew up with bedspreads. They were washed periodically, and protected by a flat sheet. Then, comforters came in style. Same thing. When we were kids I remember when we switched to duvets and duvet covers. Sheets are optional w duvet covers, but id rather wash a sheet that arm wrestle getting my duvet back in.

Even the lightest duvet is too much for me, especially in summer, so I use a top sheet and a combination of cotton quilts. When I make the bed, I do not tuck the sheets into the sides. Why would I need to? They are covered by the quilt.

I don't like the way a bed looks when is is made in the European fashion with two folded duvets on top and the flat sheet and pillow cases showing. I know it's all about what you are accustomed to seeing, but those beds look unmade to me.

I haven't read all the posts...but honestly, I don't get the popularity of duvets and covers. I've tried them and still have them in the guest rooms but I'll never use them again. They don't stay in place and yes....I've used all the tricks with ties and such. They always look rumpled, not smooth like a bedspread or quilt. PITA to stuff/unstuff. Way more work than a quilt or bedspread IMO.

Can't imagine not using a top sheet, unless you're washing that duvet cover every time you change the sheets. Would you want to sleep in a hotel bed where there was just a duvet that you know isn't getting washed in between guests? The top sheet (or duvet if that's all you use) collects body odor/oils, dead skin cells, etc. just like the bottom sheet... ok....not life threatening....but not using a top sheet or not washing a duvet cover if you don't use a top sheet would be like getting in a half dirty bed to me.

Actually, I think a duvet cover is cleaner than sheets, the reason is that they cover the whole comforter/blanket. I always put a top sheet on the beds for guests and renters, but I always give them the option of sleeping without the sheet, esp. in winter, since it's warmer, but always wash the duvet cover. What I'm never sure about, in terms of cleanliness, are blankets.

However, I would guess that not many people wash their duvet covers like they wash their sheets. Which is why I let tenants and guests know I've washed the duvet cover.

I must have a top and bottom sheet, blanket(s), and the bedpread/quilt/top covering gets folded to the end of the bed and not touched.
To make the bed in the morning, the flat sheet is tucked in around, the blanket smoothed out and the top covering pulled up and straightened. Then pillows sitting on the bench are arranged.
Takes 2-3 minutes at most. The way the top covering is folded down at night has a lot to do with how easy it is to make the bed in the morning.

Can't imagine not having a top sheet....what joaniepoanie said.

When I was a child, I went through a phase of not wanting to make my bed, not an option, so I slept on the floor in my sleeping bag just so I wouldn't have to make the bed!

I have always used a top sheet and never found making the bed to be difficult. I use a quilted coverlet on my bed and it is wide enough to cover the sheet without tucking it in. In the winter I use a down comforter between the sheet and the quilt. IN the summer, I use just the sheet and the quilt, even though I have AC. There's no way I would wrestle a duvet cover off and on again every week. On balmy nights, I turn off the AC, open the windows and sleep under just the sheet.

I do like the look of duvets.

Hate top sheets, hate making the bed with them. Duvet with no sheet, and yes I wash it each week. Thank goodness my first duvet came with instructions on how to put it on easily (turn it inside out, lay comforter on top, pull the corners through.) If you don't know this trick, I can see why you'd be turned off by the process.

However in the hot summer, I use a sheet and light blanket; the duvet is too hot.

The other way to put a duvet cover on, this is how I do it: Lay the duvet cover flat on the bed. Grab the corner of the comforter, and put it into the cover, pulling the cover down along the seam until you reach the corner. Tie the comforter in, then do the other side. Then just reach under and pull the bunched up cover to the end, tie the bottom corners in, button it up, and flap it until it's smooth. Easy as pie. I'm going to try it worm girl's way too.

Back in the day, my mom used to send all the sheets out to the French Laundry. No fitted sheets yet. When we changed our beds each week, the bottom sheet and pillow cases would go to the laundry and the top sheet would become the bottom sheet, fresh sheet on the top. Maybe it was my mom's way to economize after paying for someone else to wash, dry and iron the sheets.

linelle, my mother did the same thing with the top sheet moving down to be the bottom sheet, only she did all the laundry. With seven kids, I'm sure she did this to save on laundry--it would cut the number of sheets washed each week in half.

camlan! The top sheet really didn't see much action, so moving it to the bottom seemed reasonable. Back then we called them "contour" sheets, not fitted.

I remember the sheets all wrapped in blue paper and string from the laundry. Once my mom sent all my dad and brother's underwear to the laundry by mistake. They returned all pressed and folded.

Linelle & Camlan, that sounds wonderfully decadent!

I MUST have a top sheet, and it must be tucked tight-like in a hotel. My DH is the complete opposite, so every.single.night I have to remake the bed because he's pulled the sheet out.

We have a duvet & cover-I find it easy to put on (king size) by turning the cover inside out, tie the bottom, then shake it out and then tie up the top.

I was the duvet every couple months, but change the sheets at least once a week. I never considered not having a top sheet-I require it year round. I like the cool sheets year round. DH like flannel sheets, but they're too hot for my taste.

This is very interesting-when we met, DH did not use top sheets-and it grossed me out so much. I could never imagine not having a top sheet. And making the bed just takes seconds, really-pull the top sheet up, pull the duvet up, pull the top sheet down. I don't tuck the sides up beyond a foot or so from the end of the bed-the duvet covers the rest.

I also quit using a bed skirt and bought a coordinating color (to the duvet cover) fitted sheet and placed it over the box springs-no problems with tucking the sheets in over that.

I just bought some bunk beds for my stepson and I am switching him to a duvet and cover only. It's roughing making up the top bunk.

I like the idea of a duvet cover only, but in reality I prefer both sheets tucked in tightly at the bottom so there is no danger of the monsters getting my feet.

I'm kidding.

Kind of.

Carrie, That's so silly. Everyone knows monsters can get up into the sheets.

I have a few friends whose cleaning people iron their sheets. I am afraid to find out what that feels like, since I don't want be paying for that to be done!

We were on vacation once and had some laundry done. Accidentally my toddler's socks got sent with the laundry. They came back folded, in tissue paper, wrapped with a satiny ribbon with the hotel's logo embroidered on it, in a wicker basket discreetly placed in our closet while we dined downstairs. $8 for that teeny tiny pair of socks to be laundered.

My Mom not only ironed the sheets, but hung them outside to dry during the warmer months. In the winter, they were hung I the basement. What a treat it was getting into that freshly made bed, and this was done once a week .

Not having a top sheet is incomprehensible to me. If you take a bath/ shower every night before getting under the duvet, that would be ok. If not, think of the mites, daily dirt that's going on the duvet cover. I would much rather wash a top sheet every week with the fitted sheet/ pillow cases than removing the duvet cover and having the hastle of putting it back on every week. If you don't wash it every week, well personally I find the thought disgusting, but that's just me and the way I was brought up, maybe by a Mother who may have been a little OCD.

Carrie, you're not thinking clearly. Monsters can always get at your feet, but if your feet are trapped in a tucked-in sheet, you can't kick those monsters from here to Kingdom Come, and so they will have their way with your feet.

Untucked = safer. Police will tell you, "Untuck your sheets!"

Patty_cakes, I hang all of my laundry to dry once the temp hits 40 degrees. I love it. There is nothing like a bed made with sheets hung in the sun to dry. It is also economical and conserves energy. If it's sunny, I hang the sheets to dry on turnover days so that my tenants who are renting for their vacation can climb into that fresh bed their first night at my house.

Electricity has gotten so expensive. W/o the dryer, my electric bill is @ $25/mo. Tenants come in and refuse to hang laundry to dry and use the dryer, and my bill skyrockets to $160, which makes me want to hang THEM out to dry!

Tibb, I've thought of installing an umbrella clothesline, but am unsure about the HOA. Maybe I could hang them out in the VERY early morning when the sun first comes up. lol I know in the rural areas of Austin I wouldn't have to even think about it, but in a housing development your choices aren't your own. I envy you!! Maybe next house. ;)

Tibbrix, I will respectfully disagree. I have been told that the only time exposed sleeping feet are safe is while on the couch, but only because the monsters are too big to fit underneath.

I grew up in So Cal and my mom hung all our laundry out. We didn't have a dryer until I was grown. The weather was usually pretty great....4 miles from the beach...so yes, the sheets were springtime fresh. Mom always ironed the pillow cases. The towels were awful however...stiff as a board. I can't Imagine hanging laundry out now here on the east coast except for maybe spring and fall...certainly not in the disgusting hot and humid summer.

My grandmother lived with my aunt and her family. They were totally old school...they ironed everything, including underwear, sheets, towels. Can you imagine doing that today?

Joanie, and they did it in high heels and with smiles on their faces!

I do hang my towels to dry, but then I throw them in the dryer on fluff to soften them up. I'm on the East Coast, and line dry everything spring through fall. But I don't wear high heels when I'm hanging my laundry. Well, sometimes I do.

Carrie, I just can't believe how wrong you are. Okay, here's another scenario: let's say the power goes out. Who will get to the Haagen-Dasz, before it melts, first? The person tucked in, or the person whose legs aren't bound by a sheet?

I rest my case.

You need the top sheet because the monsters are impotent if your mouth is covered by the sheet and they can't make a positive I.D.

Plus top sheets are easier to grab and wave up and down to get rid of any unfortunate aromas.

As long as my neck is covered, the monsters are rendered impotent. That's the only body part they want. I have my TOP SHEET draped around my shoulders while the rest of my body is exposed to the breeze of the fan.

You do not need a sheet if you have a dream/monster shark...

It eats bad dreams and keeps monsters away. For the kids. ;)

I am fascinated by this conversation. So question for those who don't use the top sheet, do you still buy a sheet set (fitted sheet, top sheet, pillow cases) or do you look to buy sheets a la carte and only buy a fitted sheet?

I neer buy sheets by the set, even though I don't use a duvet in lieu of a top sheet. Just not as high quality.

I can't imagine getting the duvet cover on & off with every time I wash sheets. I have always used a top sheet.

I think it was this thread that led me to try removing the top sheet a couple of years ago! And OMG, I love it. So does my spouse. No more sheet getting tangled around me or in my legs and feet! During the summer we remove the duvet and just sleep with the cover, or sometimes I put a thin blanket in it.

I don't have any trouble stuffing a duvet though. We have it down to a science. Probably save time doing that once a week vs. futzing with the top sheet every day.

Hello. I’m wondering if anyone has made a bed like this: first fitted sheet, then flat sheet, then a blanket or two and last another flat sheet that holds everything tightly. We let our dogs sleep with us and the top sheet keeps blankets cleaner. Also, the blankets shrink quite often so the top flat sheet keeps everything tucked in. years ago an acquaintance told me this method and that she learned of it in a plush hotel. Any feedback I would love

This thread made me laugh-love the monsters comments...agree that tucked it too tight makes it so much harder to kick them.

Just mentioned trying to remove the top sheet to try the duvet (remove/wash weekly) and he said, “No way-I need the sheet so I can remove the cover when I get hot!” He sleeps with just the sheet part of the night, majority of the year.