There is nothing worse than sleeping in a bed with the wrong fitted sheet or duvet cover. Unfortunately, most of us have experienced this. The Linen Drawer team has some helpful tips for buying the right size bedding.
This situation can befall someone who buys bed linen without knowing their bed/mattress size, or who buys a “bargain” and finds it has shrunk more than expected after washing.
The following guidelines apply –
- Know your bed size – you’ll need a notebook (or something to record the size), a tape measure (at least 3 meters telescoping) and a little time.
- First, measure the width of your mattress. Measure the width of the center of the bed, not the edges.Note the width
- Also measure the middle length of the mattress.Please note the length
- Height (Depth/Thickness) – Measures edge and center height.Note the depth
- All bedding dimensions are expressed as width x length x depth (where applicable).
Fitted Sheet – Mattress depth/height is most important. The depth of the corners of the fitted sheet is indicated on the product you purchase. In the past, most mattresses were 25-30 cm.
However, current mattresses vary in depth, so it is imperative to cover the depth of the mattress with a fitted sheet. At Linen Drawer, I prefer to tuck the fitted sheet 3-5 cm under the mattress. This ensures that the fitted sheet fits snugly and doesn’t “crawl up” from the sides. Linen Drawer products have added shrinkage to ensure a proper fit and no warping of mattresses after washing.
For demonstration purposes, we are using a Queen standard mattress (152 x 190 cm x 30 cm) to calculate the size.
Flat Sheets – There are several factors to consider here. How deep is the mattress? Do you tuck your sheets all the way in or just the bottom? How much turndown do you like on your bed?
A flat sheet should cover the depth, width and length of the mattress as well as the folds. A 152/190/30 cm (standard queen size) mattress requires a minimum flat sheet size of 242 x 255 cm, as the ‘normal’ turndown is 20 cm and the comfort fold down is 15 cm.
Here’s the calculation:
Width 152cm + 30cm + 30cm (depth on 2 mattress sides) +15cm +15cm (tuck-in on 2 sides) = 242cm
Length 190cm + mattress depth 30cm + 15cm (folded) + 20cm (top folded) = 255cm
Linen Drawer offers sheets in a size of 250 x 270cm to ensure ample tuck-in and ample turndown at the top.
Inside the comforter – should be covered with about 5 cm plus on each side of the mattress.
The calculation for a standard queen size comforter looks like this:
- Width 152cm + 30cm + 30cm (depth on both sides of the mattress) + 5cm + 5cm (covering both sides of the mattress) = 222cm
- Length 180cm + 30cm (mattress depth) + 5cm = 215cm Note – When placing the duvet on the bed, it is common to place it about 15-20cm above the bed. This will allow the flat sheet to flip over onto it. , the pillow has its own designated space.
- The minimum size for a queen comforter is 222 x 205cm (20cm is taken from the length for turndown). Since most duvets are circular in size, a comforter inner sized 230 x 200 cm is sufficient to cover a mattress depth of 30 cm.
Linen Drawer offers standard size duvet covers that fit all standard duvet liner sizes from single to super king.
Check out our bed linen size chart created by Linen Drawer. Please note that knowing your mattress size (width, length and depth) is of utmost importance.
If you need a special size for various reasons, such as a very high/deep mattress or a special size bed/mattress, please contact the linen drawer. info@linendrawer.co.za.
For more information, please visit our website. www.linendrower.co.za.
