A 'Why Didn't I Think of That?' Way to Put on a Duvet Cover

My boyfriend and I almost break up every time we wash our duvet cover.

It's an unavoidable chore—and one we probably complete more frequently than the average home-dweller, thanks to my habit of drinking coffee in bed.

But every time our duvet cover comes out of the dryer, it leads to the same meltdown. There's linen fluffing, elaborate corner IDing, and the struggle to determine its short sides from its long sides. And then comes the worst part: actually wedging our droopy duvet into the seemingly unending, limp cover, which involves both of us basically climbing into it, each holding one cover of the duvet, as if about to summit a mountain to plant a flag. (Moments later, we look like a windstorm knocked us over and caused the flag to smother us.)

But then, recently, my boyfriend went out of town—I had to find another way. After all, if I got stuck in there, who would hear my cries for help?

Enter this genius technique:

In a video that appears to have made the internet rounds several years back (I suspect my head was too deep inside a duvet cover to have noticed), you can insert the comforter into the duvet cover in a method that strikingly resembles a giant burrito.

The basic method is this:

• Turn your duvet cover inside out and lay it flat.
• Place your duvet on top of the cover.
• From the sealed end of the inside-out cover, roll the cover and duvet in a tight roll toward the open end.
• Once there, flip a corner of the roll right-side out. Do this on the other corner, too.
• Unroll.
• Feel like a brilliant master of life and celebrate your newfound free time by getting directly into bed.

Feeling inspired? Here are some of our other favorite bedroom hacks:

Two Pillowcases are Better Than One:

If you, too, find that your pillows wear out or get funky more quickly than you’d like, it might be time to switch to a two-pillowcase system. Much like pillow protectors (but much less likely to be stiff or crinkley), a second pillowcase underneath the nice, matching top one will add an extra layer of protection from dirt and germs. The added bonuses for this method? Your pillows will actually appear fluffier and fuller with two pillowcases, and you can prolong the life of old ones by using them as the under layer. Win-win-win.

Ditch the Duvet Cover Altogether

Have you ever noticed that cushy hotel beds actually don’t use duvet covers on the comforters at all? Nope, more often than not, they’re employing the “triple sheeting” method, which instead snuggles the comforter between two top sheets. The benefit for hotels is the ease with which they can quickly change and clean bed sheets, so the staff don’t have to waste time shaking a duvet cover around, tying, buttoning, and smoothing (perhaps we should introduce them to the “burrito” method?). If you’re also sick of battling with the bed each time you make it, try following along with the triple sheeting tutorial here.

Maximize Your Under-bed Storage

The 12+ inches under the bed is smart storage just waiting to happen, but more often than not, baskets and bins are shoved under there with reckless abandon, and things disappear into its dark abyss until it’s time to move out. As a solution for you (okay, for us, too) we compiled the very best methods for maximizing this space, from using your luggage as slide-out bins (handles already included!) to fixing wheels onto existing storage for easier access.

This article was updated in November 2020 to add even more why-didn't-I-think-of-that hacks.

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