The Easiest Way to Put on a Duvet Cover

It’s So simple once you know this simple trick!

We sleep Scandinavian-style in our house — no top sheet, no blankets, no sharing. Just a duvet for each person. We get better sleep as a result, and this solution has made for a far happier bed-sharing marriage. However, every time she visits my mother says, “Washing your duvet covers all the time seems like so much work!”

But honestly, it isn’t.

In fact, I think it is less work than making beds and tending to top sheets and blankets and comforters and the like. But like many people, my mom is intimidated by the simple act of putting the duvet cover on the duvet. And here’s the thing, it isn’t easy if you don’t know the right way to do it. I struggled for years until I learned this magic trick.

Truly, this is the simplest way to put a duvet cover on a duvet — no matter what the size!

A few tips to help you along the way:

1. Buy a duvet cover with ties inside — or add them. A good duvet cover will have a tie at each of the four corners inside. This is to tie the duvet in place — but it also helps when putting the cover on. If your duvet cover doesn’t have ties, add them! Just cut 4 equal pieces of ribbon, seam binding, or cording — approximately 1/3 yard for each piece. Fold each piece in half, and then sew one piece into each corner of the duvet on the inside at the seam. This can be done by hand or on a machine.

2. Wash it closed and inside out. When I strip off our duvet covers to go into the laundry, I turn them inside out, and then button or snap them closed. This is helpful in three ways. First: it keeps the duvet cover from getting tangled in the laundry. It also keeps other laundry from getting balled up inside the duvet cover. And when the duvet cover comes out of the dryer or off the line, it is ready to go back on the duvet — because for this method you want it inside-out to start. If you have a spare set of duvet covers like we do, just fold your duvet covers inside out and store them so they are ready when it is time to change the sheets.

3. Work on the bed. It is easiest to put the duvet cover on working on a large flat surface, so do this on the bed.

Ok. Now that we have covered the basics, here’s the easiest way to put a duvet cover on a duvet:

How to Put on a Duvet Cover:

1. Start with the duvet cover inside out.

2. Lay the duvet cover out flat on the bed.

3. Lay the duvet on top of the cover.

4. Tie all four corners.

5. Starting at the end opposite the cover opening, loosely roll everything toward the opening. Make sure the cover is on the outside of the roll.

6. Tuck the roll through the cover opening.

7. Shake the duvet out and pull at all four corners to make sure it is completely unrolled.

8. Button or snap it closed.

9. Make your bed!

My Favorite Duvets

This is part of a larger series on beds, bedding, and duvet covers! I hope you’ll check out all of the links as well as my Spring 2019 One Room Challenge — the Guest Room Refresh.