making the darn bed!

twohappycampers

Well-known member
Hey! I know I'm not the only one that struggles to get that bottom fitted sheet on nice and straight and tight. I want it to go on easily and come off easily, and yet stay in place. I can't lift the mattress up at the corners (it's a heavy king size and the top corners especially are difficult to get at). As much as I love nice clean fresh sheets, I dread changing-the-sheets days! (as in "what muscle am I going to pull this time, trying to get this on?) I've seen on these forums about applying something like self-stick tiles or linoleum to the wood the mattress sits on, so you can more easily slide the mattress down to reach those top corners, then slide the mattress back up. I think that's a great idea, but that would mean having to remove the mattress to apply the tiles or whatever, which I can't do alone, and my great husband already has too much on his to-do list.

Has anyone ever tried www.sheetsuspenders.com or similar sheet straps? It seems to be a one-time deal where you slide these straps under the mattress in a criss-cross fashion, and they have clips on the ends that you clip to the corners of your sheets. Then when you want to change the sheet, you unclip and clip on a new one. It sounds do-able to me. What do think?

PS I've tried those clippy-things that just go over the corners, without much success.
 

back2nature

Well-known member
Nope, never tried them. We did the vinyl tablecloth thing under the mattress. Wasn't hard to air-staple-gun it on with the two of us. I'm happy with that. Works for me.
 

Paul & Nan

Well-known member
Think the clip things would still require you to put the sheet around the corners, so same old problem. We used a large trash can on its side to hold the mattress up enough to lay down selfstick tiles, a one person job once the can is in place as you can scoot it some. The tile makes a big difference. Nan
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
It would appear that to get those on, you're still going to have to lift the mattress at least once. Might as well use your feminine wiles to get hubby to move the mattress off the platform while you tile it. Then he can put it back on. Once tiled, the mattress slides easily and you can get at the corners.

Tiling it with self-sticks is simple. Best to apply a liberal coating of primer/sealer to the platform OSB before putting the tile down. You can trim the edges of the tiled platform with inexpensive corner molding and double-sided carpet tape to finish the job. Hardest part is wrestling the mattress out of the way.
 

twohappycampers

Well-known member
Thanks Nan! I'm trying to picture the trash can on its side holding up the mattress. Could you elaborate? Thinking I could get my husband to set it up before he goes to work and then I could work on it during the day, laying the tiles.

It's raining cats and dogs here today (Vancouver Island, west coast Canada). A perfect day for visiting here with the friends I feel I'm starting to make. Have yourself a good day!
 

twohappycampers

Well-known member
Thanks! Looks pretty cool! Would I have to wait long for the primer to dry before applying the tiles? I'd want to do it in one day so we can sleep on it that night.

Feminine wiles, hey? Wonder if I can remember how to use them :) It's been a while since I've "wiled" - oh, hey, that's pretty funny! :D
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Thanks! Looks pretty cool! Would I have to wait long for the primer to dry before applying the tiles? I'd want to do it in one day so we can sleep on it that night.

Feminine wiles, hey? Wonder if I can remember how to use them :) It's been a while since I've "wiled" - oh, hey, that's pretty funny! :D

You won't have to wait too long before putting down the tiles. I think I waited about an hour, maybe a few minutes more. It's water-based (latex), but dries pretty quick, and it doesn't have a flammable solvent odor or problem. Then applying the tiles is just like doing a floor, only a lot smaller. You do need to cut around the hinges, but a utility knife and a straight-edge (or steady hand) will do the job. Remember, you're the only one going to see it, so it doesn't have to be guest-perfect. You may find some screw head that sit proud of the wood, too. You can try driving them deeper (not recommended), replacing them with flat-head wood screws, or just cut a small hole in the tile to clear them (I got lazy and did this...didn't have any flat-head wood screws with me). Start to finish, I think it took me about four hours. That included fighting the mattress off and back on. For a king platform, you'll need a quart of primer and about 34 sq. feet of tile. It doesn't have to be expensive stuff, either.

As for "wiles," it depends. There are "feminine wiles" which no man can resist (well, maybe some can...but that's another lifestyle) and there is the other "while." Such as: "Do this for me or it will be a LOOONNNGGG while before you get your dinner cooked for you.":D
 

2psnapod1

Texas-South Chapter Leader-Retired
We used the suspenders for probably at least 5 years and they work great! Kept the bottom sheet on the bed perfectly. But like was said earlier - you still have to lift the mattress up to get them under the mattress. Hopefully you can get your husband in a good mood and he'll help you with putting the tiles down.

We haven't used the suspenders since we moved into our 5th wheel in May because the very first thing my husband did was to install the tiles under the bed...it sure does make a HUGE difference when changing/making the bed.
 

twohappycampers

Well-known member
Hi - nice to hear from someone who has used these suspenders. Were they the ones that criss-cross under the mattress, from corner to corner? They're advertised as not having to lift the mattress at all, you just initially "walk", sort of "slide", wiggle, whatever the straps into position, and from then on they stay in place and you just clip and unclip your sheet. Man, this is hard to describe, but I just saw it on a video.

They're under $20, I've only seen them online, not in any store but then I haven't looked either :) They might just be worth a try, I'm thinking, and if they work well enough, well, I can put off the more major fix like tiles or whatever until hubby has more time. He's still working full-time at a very physically demanding job, and is abolutely beat most all the time!!!
 

2psnapod1

Texas-South Chapter Leader-Retired
Yep...they are exactly what you have in the link. I guess you could 'wiggle' them on...we just picked up the mattress and put them under it. We got ours online some time ago and pretty sure we also paid less then $20. We were very pleased with how they worked. Do you have a child, neighbor, friend etc that could help you lift the mattress to put them on? If I were nearby I'd lend a hand!:angel:
 

twohappycampers

Well-known member
AWWW, you're sweet!! I'm sure my sweetheart (meaning my husband) would help me lift that mattress and get them in place if I can't wiggle them on myself. The straps will stay in place, though, when I go to change the sheet, right? Thanks for replying - I'll probably give them a try. A simple solution until we can get to a better fix like the tiles or whatever.
 

2psnapod1

Texas-South Chapter Leader-Retired
Yep...they stayed in place for us. I was just always careful when I took off the sheet that I didn't let the suspenders 'fling' back under the mattress. LOL Good luck!
 

2psnapod2

Texas-South Chapter Leaders-Retired
Hire the neighbor kid, it was not too hard to do. The tiles cost about $20 at the big box store. 4 Hrs X $20 and the tiles= $100. done.
 

SueJean

Active Member
Hi Ya!

I just had to pitch in my "two cents" here as this is a real sore spot with my Darling. :mad:

It's not just making the bed, it's constantly having to RE-make the bed that drives us crazy. We're both "wild sleepers" and wake up with the sheets in wads (top and bottom!)

We did install the sticky tiles on the base platform to help us slide the mattress more easily. I didn't completely cover the wood. I left 3 inch gaps between the tiles and just checker-boarded them across. (If that makes any sense....:confused:) The tiles are slightly raised over the wood surface so you get the same slide effect and save cutting and trying to get the right amount of tiles.

One other thing we found that helped was to turn the sheets 90 degrees and put them on what would be considered side-to-side. This seemed to help them stay on better.

I haven't seen the suspenders for sheets though it sound like a good idea. I was thinking to go to one of my favorite thrift stores and pick up a couple of pairs of guy's suspenders and just re-purpose them for this use. :) Could be cheaper if you could find some.

Just some thoughts.............

Blessings,

SueJean
 

Therapy

Member
I was glad to see that others had already found a solution for a problem I have just encountered. Putting the fitted sheets on the bed was the hardest thing I ran across trying to set up house once we got her home last week. I love the idea of the self-stick tiles or linoleum to give the mattress a good sliding base. However, it also brought a question to mind immediately since we do move around while sleeping. Does it also make the mattress slide up/down at night too? I love our Big Country, especially after trading in a 2002 Dutchmen 33s for her and we look forward to traveling around more than just our home base state. Are there many Georgia owners on here? Look forward to talking to everyone and meeting at rallies soon.
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Hello Therapy and welcome to the forum. There is a lot of good information available here.
Yep, putting on sheets is always an event unless you line the platform with something slippery.
We have the self stick tiles and the mattress does not move at night.

Peace
Dave
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
I was glad to see that others had already found a solution for a problem I have just encountered. Putting the fitted sheets on the bed was the hardest thing I ran across trying to set up house once we got her home last week. I love the idea of the self-stick tiles or linoleum to give the mattress a good sliding base. However, it also brought a question to mind immediately since we do move around while sleeping. Does it also make the mattress slide up/down at night too? I love our Big Country, especially after trading in a 2002 Dutchmen 33s for her and we look forward to traveling around more than just our home base state. Are there many Georgia owners on here? Look forward to talking to everyone and meeting at rallies soon.

Not unless you're really into "active" married (or just consenting adult) people night-time activities:eek:
 
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