Updated at: 28-07-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Making a bed in a military way isn’t one of the many challenging tasks you’ll face on a daily basis. If you want to learn how to make your bed like the military, all you have to do is read our essay on the subject. You can learn a lot with just a little bit of practice.

Follow these 7 simple procedures when you’re in a rush and need a made bed right away. Place the fitted sheet on the mattress first, followed by the flat sheet. Make a diagonal fold at a top sheet corner and tuck it beneath the mattress. Then, tuck the corner beneath the mattress, the diagonal under the bed, and the side under the bed. Turn the mattress over and follow the same steps on the other side.

We’ll show you the ropes on how to set up a military cot, plus throw in some insider knowledge for good measure. What are your plans at this point? Feel free to begin reading now.

Making the Bed Military Style

Making a bed in the military doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does take some time and work. There are a few things you need to do before you can jump into the action.

How to make a bed - Squared Away - Army Jobs - YouTube

What You Will Need to Have

You’ll want to get yourself a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and a pillowcase. Grab a long-handled wooden spoon as well, just in case.

Tip: A top sheet is also called a flat sheet.

Why Make Your Bed

The benefits of discipline and order extend to civilians as well. My good friend and Happiness Project author Gretchen Ruben claims that making your bed every morning might boost your mood. Men who are trying to get their lives in order frequently try to do it by tackling enormous tasks, even if their day-to-day lives are a complete disaster. If you take care of the minor details first, you’ll feel more prepared to tackle the major issues that arise later. Making your bed first thing in the morning may be the best way to get your life out of neutral.

How to Make Your Bed Like a Soldier

Alright. It turns out that mom/sarge/the wacky camp counselor was right after all. It’s recommended that you make your bed each morning. You should do things properly if you’re going to do them at all. Today, we’ll demonstrate how to make a bed like a soldier using instructions from Camp Crowder, a U.S. Army base during World War II. Atten-hut! Time to get down to business, soldier!

Put out the ground cloth. These days, the standard for bed linens is a fitted bottom sheet. The sheet is fitted at the four corners and then spread across the mattress. However, there are a few extra procedures involved if you’re using flat sheets instead of fitted ones. But the pay off is a tightness that you can never get with a fitted sheet.

  • Disperse the ground cloth. Nowadays, a fitted bottom sheet is standard in most households’ bedding. It’s as easy as spreading the sheet out and tucking in the corners to cover the mattress. Fitted sheets make life easier, but if you’re stuck in the stone age and don’t own any, there are a few extra steps to take. A fitted sheet can never match the snugness of a flat sheet.
  • Pull the other end of the sheet taut at the head of the bed. Place the fitted sheet under the mattress and secure it at the foot of the bed in the same manner.
  • If you want to make your first hospital corner, return to the foot of the bed and select a spot at random. At the foot of the bed, 16 inches from the side, grab the sheet that is draping down (Diagram A).
  • Simply lift the sheet with one hand and rest your finger on the top corner (Diagram B).
  • Put the bottom of the curtain under the bed (Diagram C).
  • Put your hand on the corner to keep it from moving while you bring the sheet over. You need to fold the top page at a 45-degree angle. That’s par for the course in the Army (Diagram D).
  • As you make your way to the head of the bed, tuck the last corner of the sheet under the mattress (Diagram E). Proceed to the next corner of the bed, and so on. Any wrinkles in the top sheet should be smoothed out with your hand when you tuck in the bottom sheet.

Flatten the top sheet. Spread out the top sheet on top of the fitted sheet. In terms of where the sheet should be placed on the bed, the end with the deep hem should be at the top. Place the highest point of the sheet over the mattress’s head.

Lay out the quilt. Cover the sheet with your blanket. Keep roughly a six-inch gap between the top of the blanket and the sheet.

Construct corner slits for a hospital bed using the sheet and blanket. Once the blanket and sheet are out, you can start making those sick hospital corners. First, place the bottom corner of the sheet between the mattress and box springs at the foot of the bed. Rather than having them jumbled under the bed, you should make sure they are spread out evenly between the mattress and box spring.

The corner at the foot of the bed can be used to create still another hospital corner. If you want a professional look, make sure you tuck at a 45-degree angle and keep smoothing out wrinkles as you go. Don’t tuck in the excess overhang on each side of the bed just yet if you’re going for the Army style. You can tuck in the sides if you prefer a less military appearance or if your significant other prefers to sleep with the comforter she prefers on top.

How to Make a Bed Military Style? - Military Life 101

Clothes should be tucked into a folded blanket or sheet. Position yourself at the head of the bed and pull the blanket nearly to the edge of the fitted sheet. Overlapping the blanket with the folded edge of the sheet.

Sheet and blanket should be folded over about four inches. Refold the mattress, this time leaving an area of 18 inches unobstructed at the top. Wrap up the side overhangs now. Don’t forget to iron out the creases! This is about how it should look:

Pile a pillow on top of it. Put your pillow where your head normally rests and you’re all set. The modern army is fond of using dust covers to protect their pillows. A second blanket, if you will. However, that is entirely optional. Now, pull out a quarter and bounce it off the headboard. If everything is well-fitted, it should return to your hand without any trouble. Well done, soldier!

Comforters. In modern times, a comforter is often used in addition to a blanket and sheet. While comforters are nice to snuggle into, they do make it so that you can’t bounce a quarter off the mattress. To put your mind at ease, worry not. There is no need for push-ups if the bed is made up with tight sheets and blankets. Getting into a freshly made bed at the end of the day is sure to be a welcome sight.

Grandpa’s Trick from the Army to Get a Super Tight, Tight Bed: Safety Pins

This is the secret to a perfectly made bed every time. You should start by gathering a number of safety pins. Put a safety pin through the sheets and blankets first, then tuck them under the mattress. Pin the blanket and sheet to the mattress before tucking them under the bed. Repeat this process from the bed’s foot all the way up the edges to the mattress’s center. This will help keep your bed in excellent condition all week long. Your wife may be disapproving if you plan to use this method on her expensive Egyptian cotton sheets with a thread count of 700. Take caution when employing.

How to Make Your Bed Every Day in Less Than a Minute

Making a bed with neat hospital corners and a straight edge takes some time, but it’s not difficult to keep it that way throughout the week. It takes less than a minute to make your bed every morning. It is common practice to walk around a bed and straighten it as you go. That back and forth is a complete waste of time.

Making your bed while you’re still in it is a time-saving hack I picked up from a college roommate. When you first get up, just sit up in bed and put things in order. Although it may seem counterintuitive, doing this while seated in the middle of your bed is actually more convenient than standing on the side of your bed. Once you’ve got everything straight, you can slide out from beneath the blanket by folding the top of the blanket over your head. Whenever you get out of bed, make sure to re-tuck the sheet under the mattress. I hate you! The bed was promptly prepared upon arrival.

Note, however, that this is probably only suitable for use with a single or double mattress. Larger sizes make it difficult to move about under the blankets.

What You Will Need to Do

1. Put the fitted sheet on the mattress

When you’re standing at the foot of the bed, it’s easier to throw the fitted sheet over the mattress. Secure it to the bed by tucking each corner under the mattress and making sure the elastic is snug around the entire perimeter. Even if you shift positions in your sleep, it will be difficult for the knot to untie itself in this configuration.

2. Put the top sheet over the fitted sheet

The next step is to place the flat sheet on top of the fitted one. Position the sheet’s longer hem toward the top of the bed. Next, smooth the top of the sheet down until it is flush with the top of the mattress. The sheet should extend past the sides of the bed.

3. Tuck the bottom of the top sheet under the mattress

Tuck the bottom of the top sheet beneath the mattress by raising the bottom of the mattress with one hand while holding it up with the other. This is where the sheet will go, between the box spring and the mattress. Make sure the sheet is tucked under the mattress with the corners tucked in. Here, the long-handled wooden spoon you’ve been saving for this purpose will come in in for neatly tucking in the sheet.

4. Make a diagonal fold at the corner of the top sheet

Now, with one foot of space between you and the foot of the bed, pick up the top sheet and pull it straight up to create a diagonal fold. The fold can be flattened with your hands by laying it on top of the bed.

5. Tuck the corner and the diagonal fold under the mattress

If you want your bed to seem neat and tidy, step four involves tucking the corner of the sheet under the mattress. In this process, you can use your hands to make the diagonal fold look even and secure it under the mattress. In this case, the fold should fall below the bed’s edge.

6. Tuck the side of the sheet under the bed

At this point, you can tuck the side of the top sheet under the edge of the bed. The head of the bed is not the place for the extra foot of sheet. Furthermore, a clean finish can be achieved by folding the top of the sheet down.

7. Repeat the procedure for the other side of the mattress

If you’re using a fitted sheet, you can tuck one end beneath the mattress now. Be careful not to tuck the sheet’s very end under the mattress near the top of the bed. When you want a clean finish on your sheet, fold the top down.

“Hospital corners” are a bed frame modification that may be required of you by your branch or unit. This is not something we came up with on the spot. How to manufacture them is as follows:

  • First, get everything you’ll need ready.

A flat sheet is required, which is a rectangle sheet without any rounded corners or elastics that make the corners stretchy for gripping the mattress.

  • Second, place the flat sheet on top of the mattress so that it is smooth and even.

The flat sheet should be placed on top of the mattress, with the three ends hanging off the side and foot of the bed. Starting at the head of the bed, pull the flat sheet down until it is flush with the mattress.

  • Third, fasten the flat sheet at the bottom and iron out any creases.

You should next turn the bed around and tuck the bottom of the flat sheet under the mattress. This stage requires a minor mattress lift. Also, ensure sure the sheet is not bunched up by sliding your hand between the mattress and the foundation.

  • Four, set up a “tent” in the foot of the bed.

As a next step, pull up the sheet’s corners and construct a “tent” by placing one hand in the center and allowing the two sides fall down at 45-degree angles, while holding the sheet where the tent meets the mattress’ surface down with the other hand.

  • Fifth, tuck away the “tent’s” excess fabric and smooth out any bunching.

Smooth out any wrinkles or folds by hand and tuck in any loose threads of fabric. Holding up your “tent” while doing this is recommended. The mattress can serve as a landing spot for the “tent” if you find yourself unable to carry it.

  • Step 6: Release the “tent” and tuck it beneath the mattress so that it covers the corner and side that were just tucked.

Let the “tent” slide back down the side and corner of the mattress you just tucked it into. The next step is to tuck it under the mattress while simultaneously ironing out any wrinkles. Continue doing this for the remaining corner(s), and then iron out any creases.

These are the time-tested steps for making a bed in the military fashion. Even though we broke it down into seven or eight steps, you can do it in under a minute if you follow our lead. You probably won’t get it right the first time. But, have no fear! “‘Practice makes perfect,” as the old adage says.

Basic Training: Waking Up and Going to Sleep | Military.com

Once you learn how to make a bed in the military style, you won’t be able to go back to your old ways of doing things. You can also boast to your loved ones that your bed is up to military standards.

Making beds in the army is a fantastic approach to develop self-control. Having that sense of mastery over your own life is a welcome side effect. Who knew that getting two tasks done at once was as easy as making your bed?

Conclusion

There’s nothing more professional than a neat and well-kept bed, and that’s what you should aim for with a military-style mattress. Did you learn anything useful about the military’s preferred method of bed making? How simple were the directions to carry out? Please share your thoughts in the section below. Tell your friends and family about this as well!