# Guest room/guest bed - linens on or off between guests?



## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

I got curious about this after reading another thread where someone talked about possibly taking off and washing the linens on the guest bed before guests come. I was surprised because I always strip the bed right after guests leave and wash all the linens, including the blankets. I never make it back up until a day or two before new guests are arriving.

Do you leave your guest bed made up?


----------



## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

I do leave it made up.

I wash the sheets after the guests leave, make the bed up, then wash them again before I know someone's coming to stay. I realize that's a little strange, but that's how I do it.


----------



## ChristyMarie (May 31, 2006)

I strip the bed and wash/switch sheets when guests leave. If it has been long enough for them to get stuff I will wash them if I'm expecting guests - but this only happens in the guest room in the basement. I just washed those a couple of weeks ago and now people will use it often enough that there will be no wasted/stuffy washes needed through the holiday season. Other beds are used enough that they don't get stuffy.

But I would never have a bare bed or leave dirty linens on - that would drive me crazy.


----------



## Irishmommy (Nov 19, 2001)

When I did have a guest bedroom that was only used for company, I always had the bed freshly made and ready to go. As soon as guests left, the room was cleaned/linens changed, ready for the next time. Much less stress.


----------



## MissMommyNiceNice (May 1, 2007)

I voted other. We leave them on all the time, and no one really sleeps there. If someone stays for more than a few days, I'll wash them after they leave. We keep the cats & dog out of those rooms and we rarely go in there so it's not like they're getting dirty in between visitors.


----------



## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
I do leave it made up.

I wash the sheets after the guests leave, make the bed up, then wash them again before I know someone's coming to stay. I realize that's a little strange, but that's how I do it.









This is what we do too in our office/guestroom. I don't want dirty linens on the bed and even if they start out clean, between the toddler, the preschooler and the dog they aren't going to stay that way. Not only will I wash and change the sheets,most of the time I'll vacuum the futon mattress too.









ETA I voted other since I strip the bed and remake it, but then wash them before guests arrive. We get guests about every 3-4 months.


----------



## sweetcheeks (May 21, 2005)

I wash them after someone visits and remake the bed right away. It's the only set of linens I have for that bed and the guest room is usually where DH ends up if he's snoring too much. So I figure if I'm going to kick him out of our bed, I might as well have a nice bed ready for him to sleep in.


----------



## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

I voted other for the same reason as the other "Other" voters.

I strip the bed and remake it with clean sheets after the guests leave. If it's been long enough between guests (more than like 2 weeks), I'll then wash the sheets AGAIN before the guests arrive. Recently we've been using the guest room for naps, so this would need to be done anyway, but I do it this way even when no one has slept on the sheets in the meantime.

I ALWAYS wash the sheets between different sets of guests, even if they were only slept on one night. I'm slightly horrified to think that someone might not do this when I stay at their house.


----------



## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

No guest room here, but often we have guests back to back who use the air mattress. I usually leave the bed made until we have the next guests coming and change them that day (we only leave teh bed up if it is going to be 2 or less days between visits)


----------



## hopefulfaith (Mar 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Irishmommy* 
When I did have a guest bedroom that was only used for company, I always had the bed freshly made and ready to go. As soon as guests left, the room was cleaned/linens changed, ready for the next time. Much less stress.


Me too.


----------



## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *noobmom* 
I voted other for the same reason as the other "Other" voters.

I strip the bed and remake it with clean sheets after the guests leave. If it's been long enough between guests (more than like 2 weeks), I'll then wash the sheets AGAIN before the guests arrive. Recently we've been using the guest room for naps, so this would need to be done anyway, but I do it this way even when no one has slept on the sheets in the meantime.

I ALWAYS wash the sheets between different sets of guests, even if they were only slept on one night. I'm slightly horrified to think that someone might not do this when I stay at their house.

I was way more than slightly horrified when someone told me that they didn't necessarily change the sheets for family members--especially because the person who told me this is an in-law of mine!


----------



## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChristyMarie* 

But I would never have a bare bed or leave dirty linens on - that would drive me crazy.

I strip the bed and leave the mattress to air out for about a day. Then I make it up with the bedspread only - no sheets - so it looks nice.


----------



## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainyday* 
I strip the bed and leave the mattress to air out for about a day. Then I make it up with the bedspread only - no sheets - so it looks nice.

That's what I do too and then I would probably wash/change the bedspread just before a guest arrived because it would have cat hair and grubby little pawprints all over it


----------



## Coconut Chronicles (Aug 31, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *noobmom* 
I strip the bed and remake it with clean sheets after the guests leave. If it's been long enough between guests (more than like 2 weeks), I'll then wash the sheets AGAIN before the guests arrive.

This is what I do also. We have two guest rooms and each room has two sets of sheets. We tend to have a lot of guests though...


----------



## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I voted: _I strip dirty linens and leave them off until guests are coming_

but in reality, I usually re-make the bed a few days later... and then re-wash before we have guests.


----------



## sunnysandiegan (Mar 5, 2008)

Our guest bed is DD's bed and then she sleeps on her trundle bed or the floor. If we have two adult guests, then they each get a bed in DD's room and she sleeps elsewhere (tent in a room is her fave). Obviously, DD's bed is taken care of on a regular basis. With the trundle bed, I keep the mattress cover on it and that's it. It is stored under DD's bed, so no one sees it unless we are expecting guests. Our kitten likes it under there, though, so I wash the mattress cover before guests come. We have three sets of sheets for the two beds. I always rotate them when washing DD's bed linens, so there is no need to wash sheets right before guests. They are all fresh and I just make the bed before guests arrive. We also have two comforters and two duvets and two shams and two regular pillows. I just switch them frequently (when I take care of DD's bedding) so everything remains fresh in-between guests.


----------



## maggiemae (Apr 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *noobmom* 
I'm slightly horrified to think that someone might not do this when I stay at their house.










me too!


----------



## ChristyMarie (May 31, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainyday* 
I strip the bed and leave the mattress to air out for about a day. Then I make it up with the bedspread only - no sheets - so it looks nice.

AAACK! But then what if someone ends up staying over unexpectedly and you have to make up the bed? Then it isn't ready. Or what if you forget because you usually don't do it that way and send a guest in with no linens?

No no no, I have way too many issues to go that route.


----------



## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChristyMarie* 
AAACK! But then what if someone ends up staying over unexpectedly and you have to make up the bed? Then it isn't ready. Or what if you forget because you usually don't do it that way and send a guest in with no linens?

No no no, I have way too many issues to go that route.









If I had an unexpected guest, I'd just go make the bed up. I always have clean mattress pads, linens, and blankets or quilts ready to go.

I don't forget to make up the bed because I always go in the guest room before the guests arrive and make sure everything is set up - clean out any miscellaneous things that have gotten set in there, dust if needed, set out towels, and so on.


----------



## JollyGG (Oct 1, 2008)

My brother visits monthly for his navy reserve weekend. So I usually don't worry too much about changing the sheets between his visits. If he was the last one to sleep in the bed and he only slept in it one night I see no need to change the sheets between his visits.

When my parents or someone else comes I change the sheets before they come. If someone has visited since the last time my brother slept in the bed I wash the sheets before when I'm expecting him.

But I also freely admit I'm not a very good housekeeper.


----------



## sunnysandiegan (Mar 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChristyMarie* 
AAACK! But then what if someone ends up staying over unexpectedly and you have to make up the bed? Then it isn't ready. Or what if you forget because you usually don't do it that way and send a guest in with no linens?

No no no, I have way too many issues to go that route.









It is all a matter of what habits you have. We have to rearrange beds and such before a guest sleeps over, so it is habit to change sheets at that time. All of our sheets are fresh, so it is a simple five minute job to make up the bed -- nothing fancy or complicated.


----------



## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

I strip the bed and wash the linens, blankets too if someone stayed awhile or were not close family. It creeps me out to leave dirty linens on the bed. (I wonder why that doesn't motivate me to wash our own linens more often...)

I remake the bed unless it's a case where we've moved furniture and futons around to accomodate people and they're just going to get piled up again. If the bed will stay set up, then I make it. I will rewash or change pillowcases if it's a long time between guests, and will shake out/change the blankets and freshen things up. I just don't want it to be dusty from sitting there for 6 or more months. I also might wash everything again if the kids have been playing in the bed a lot.

ETA If I have for example my mom for one night, and then my sister for one night I will only change the pillowcases and not the sheets. But if it is not for such a close relationship, I wash everything even if the guest was only there for one night. But I always change the pillowcases between people. And in the case of my mom/sister we discussed it, so I know it is OK.


----------



## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

I always strip the linens after somebody stays over. Then I wash them and put clean ones on. If they've been on a really long time, then when somebody's going to sleep in the bed I'll change the sheets to fresh ones for them.

My guest bed doubles as a daybed. The kids and cats spend time in there. I like to have sheets on the bed all the time, as an added layer between the mattress and potential messes.


----------



## seashells (Jan 23, 2009)

Well, I'm weird. I sleep in the guest room. DH sleeps in the master bedroom. So when guests come, I put all new bedding on for them and move into the master bedroom. When they leave, more often than not, I just sleep in their sheets. Guests are VERY infrequent and they are always either my parents and DH's parents, and I'm not squicked out about sleeping in a bed they slept in once or twice.

So, the guest room sheets are not always fresh... but they are _always_ fresh for guests


----------



## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I don't currently have a guest room, but I voted for what we did when we had one.

I'd strip off the dirty linens after a guest left, and either wash and put them back on within a day or so, or I'd put on a fresh set of linens immediately (before walking out of the room with the dirty linens) and then go wash the dirties and put them away. Leaving an unmade bed with kids in the house is impractical- they're likely to play in there and I don't want the bed to get ruined. If necessary, I'd put on fresh linens again before guest sleeps over, even if they were changed right after the last guest left.

It's easier to have the bed made up and ready for the next guest rather than having to scramble to get everything ready before somebody comes. Even if the kids kinda messed up the guest bed, it's still cleaner than it was after the last guest slept on it, and I don't HAVE TO change the sheets if the guest isn't fussy.


----------



## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

Other-- Our guest bed is a futon in the living room, so after guests leave I wash the linens and put them up and the futon resumes its life as a couch.


----------



## Delicateflower (Feb 1, 2009)

I leave it made up because it's our only double sheet and I hate getting it mixed up with the queen sized ones.


----------



## Maya Larson (Oct 20, 2016)

*Zuhni*

Appealing guest room stylistic theme ought to make your guest feel relaxed and invited, just as your house is a "home far from home." Stick with a mitigating shading plan and fill the room with enriching decorations that have handy uses. Consider the civilities that a pleasant hotel room may offer and endeavor to give the same level of solace and comfort with a more prominent individual touch. Your guest don't expect it like hotel like luxuries from your guest room, however you need to be as great host as you can be.
I believe I wash my guest room bedding for quite some time because it depends on the amount of guests visits normally it took me about month to do so.


----------

