Bed linen

Vintagegirl

I keep bedlinen for guest room in drawer of same also good towels. I have used vacuum bags but they seem to lose vacuum after a certain time so best for short travel trips maybe or am I using cheap ones? I once had 17 duvets to cover the three seasons and tog values. Now trimmed back as less visitors but duvets are hard to dispose of.

Are you on Facebook? Our city has a few pages on FB for gifting items you no longer use. I have gifted a few duvets through one page to people who need them, I've also gifted quite a bit if other stuff throughout the years, it's great because you get rid of things you don't need anymore and they are going to people who will make use of them. Some people suggest gifting duvets, towels and pillows to local dogs homes or the RSPCA but if my stuff is still good then, I'd rather gift it to people who need it.

Our bedding is kept in the bottom drawer of my chest of drawers. I have 3 duvet covers with matching pillow cases 3 fitted sheets and 6 white pillow cases. In the other 2 bedrooms I have 2 single z beds, and a single/king size pull out daybed. All duvets and pillows are stored in grey zip up bags (amazon) and kept on the top shelf of our wardrobe. Sheets, duvet covers, pillow cases are in the small chest of drawers in one bedroom and in a zip grey bag under my bed. I have 2 DS, DD, Nephew, and 3 DGC staying frequently here overnight so I often have a houseful. It's rare if we get 2 weeks alone.

In 50 years, I've never had more than 2 sets of bedding per bed. Dilly of Stacey Solomon fame tells me to put the clean set under the mattress so they look ironed when you change the sheets.

We are a bit of archaic in our choice of bedding. For many years we lived in hot countries and always used cellular blankets and the habit has stayed with us. We can’t cope with duvets, fighting them and getting overheated and unhappy. We have four blankets that we add/ subtract according to the temperature. They are so easy to wash and dry and I do this very regularly. Flat sheets are so neat to store compared with duvet covers and don’t take up much room nor do I have a fight with the duvet when changing the bed. We have duvets for guest rooms but as I am pretty ancient and have short arms, I leave guests to put the cover on the duvet. I am amazed more people are not like us as. Each to his own.

I'm lucky enough to have a big linen cupboard.

If duvets are made with feathers or down, they can be used in compost.

V3: Had forgotten about "top to bottom". I suppose because most people now have duvets, the habit has disappeared. But I do remember the bliss of getting into the cold, crisp linen sheets which had just come back from the laundry (delivered in a large, rectangular box). I still have some of my mother's linen, complete with laundry tag! H2170!!

Oh, and my father used to have a circular box of collars delivered every week! Do the young know what a collar stud is?

I gave a lot of my extra bed linen to a Women's refuge nearby which was in need

Sillymoo

Side to middle sheets remind me of growing up in the 50s/60s!

And "top to bottom" when the sheets were changed, to save on the laundry.

I was only talking of "sides to middle" sheets yesterday.
I used to do this but I'm afraid yesterday I decided not to.

I also used a flat felled seam, taught by my mother.

I did downsize my stash, But I still have 3 sets for each bed. The single bed is not in use, so the spare sheets are packed into a big cushion cover that sits on the bed. The spare duvet and guest towels is squished into a vacuum pack - not a fan as it just goes into a funny shape, nothing like the adverts, but it does keep them clean and dust free on top of the wardrobe.
I have space in my old airing cupboard for the towels (also decluttered to the local dog sanctuary)and 2 sets. The winter duvet goes in the underbed drawer.

All the beds are ottoman’s. I have king, double & single. Each bed has its own storage box for the right size bedding. Two sets each bed. Extra pillows, I use those bags that the pillows come in, also use those bags for extra throws & mattress covers, etc. Towels are kept in a single size airing cupboard my husband made me.

Lakeland may be the way to go.

Thanks for all the ideas on this thread.
Ideas I would not even have thought of.

I need/will have a further think.

@fancythat
I find the vacuum packs very useful.
Pillows can be packed this way.
Don't overfill the packs as they can split when being moved if they are very heavy.
Lakeland are good quality

Philippa111

Older bed linen is something I really cherish and hang on to. If it’s pure cotton it has a lovely soft surface through much use and washing and the quality is far superior to anything you can get now.. even John Lewis’s at vast expense. I sleep with little on and love the soft feel of the older almost velvety feel of the older cotton .. some of it as far back as the 50’s!!. When they have gone thin in the middle I have even been known to tear them in two and sewn the outside edges together!!

My Gran taught me how to 'sides to middle' sheets with a felled seam

I use vacuum bags from Lakeland, more expensive than most but they do last, I can store my huge amount of bedlinen and towels for when the hordes descend in about three of these .

Philippa111

Older bed linen is something I really cherish and hang on to. If it’s pure cotton it has a lovely soft surface through much use and washing and the quality is far superior to anything you can get now.. even John Lewis’s at vast expense. I sleep with little on and love the soft feel of the older almost velvety feel of the older cotton .. some of it as far back as the 50’s!!. When they have gone thin in the middle I have even been known to tear them in two and sewn the outside edges together!!

I despair of the quality of most new cotton sheets, the M&S supima used to last well, but most now seem to wear thin so quickly. I prefer a thicker cotton, and don't like the "sateen" finish that is so popular now as it is so thin that you can see through the pillowcases.
I do have some old Peter Reid pillowcases and sheets in what I think they used to call "Linen Union" but last time I looked they were selling at an amazingly high price.

I have wall dividing one side of my bedroom (about 10' x 5'6") giving me a walk-in wardrobe. One side is hanging space, the other has floor to ceiling shelves all along one side, deep enough for folded linen, towels and all the household stuff that has no other home. I find these open shelves are better for storage than cupboards as you can find things so easily - it really doesn't matter that you wouldn't normally think of keeping them in a wardrobe.
I'm also in a quandary about my linen, we used to have a lot of guests but rarely have people staying now so realistically don't need much at all. I also had loads of king sized duvets but have given most of these to my children, just one per bed now in our smaller place.

Side to middle sheets remind me of growing up in the 50s/60s!

I am struggling with this as well. We moved from an eight bedroomed place to this five bedroomed number. The airing cupboard here looks twice the size of our previous one but it does not accommodate as much linen. Furniture still not sorted but I am going to put a cupboard in each bedroom, which will contain the appropriate linen.

The "past it" duvets go into the dog baskets and some used as underblankets on the single beds (they are complete with school nametapes!). We are using several "sides to middle" KS sheets and I have made pillowcases out of 2' 6" bunk bed sheets! The edge bits go into the rag box for dusters or car cleaning!!

Waste not and all that ..........................

Older bed linen is something I really cherish and hang on to. If it’s pure cotton it has a lovely soft surface through much use and washing and the quality is far superior to anything you can get now.. even John Lewis’s at vast expense. I sleep with little on and love the soft feel of the older almost velvety feel of the older cotton .. some of it as far back as the 50’s!!. When they have gone thin in the middle I have even been known to tear them in two and sewn the outside edges together!!

I have recently decluttered mine, I have a canvas storage thing which hangs in a big wardrobe, the type you might see for camping, with separated partitions. I find it really useful and for towels, it just velcros over the rail
Because the duvets are so reasonable in B&M as I'm not particular about feathers, and they come in different togs, I just dispose of and get a new one with £10, although I have washed when it fits in the washer if smaller
I always get easy care sheets and I wash them on a good day. Dry very quickly. But I appreciate not everybody like cutting corners 😆Good luck with it.

Thank you for the extra posts.

Still musing on duvets and pillows in particular.

I did vacuum pack a few things which have helped a bit.

Not sure pillows can be vacuum packed?
I havent got around to finding that out yet.

I am thinking about buying an ottoman??

I do keep beds made up most of the time.

I dont have as many beds with underneath storage as I would have liked.

I replace by bed linnen in the correct room as looking for all the different sizes in the linnen cupboard became too big a task. Also I now have a Stiltz lift which comes up near the cupboad so it is not fully accessible when the lift is up.

I have a cleaner once a fort night and she makes any beds that are not fully made up and returns and sheets. I have a laundry bag in each room sothat guests can strip their beds before they go. then I collect them and take them down in the lift. etc.

Duvets can be recycled at Dunelm, at least they can at our local one. Worth checking as they do this to keep them out of landfill.