How to Keep Your Bed Clean, Fresh, & in Great Condition!

Since we use our beds for at least a third of our lives, it is very important that we keep them in tip-top shape. And with Valentine's Day on the mind, it is also nice to know how to keep our beds at the height of excellence, you know, because of all the action, your bed's going to be getting, after eating all that chocolate and stuff. So here are a few ways to make your bed a better place. You guys know I'm all about the smells, and nothing is more inviting than a fresh, clean smelling bed. In fact, according to a recent study done by the National Sleep Foundation, the participants reported that sheets with a clean, fresh scent helped them to sleep more comfortably. Why would we not want to do this all the time, and why don't I ever sleep with the National Sleep Foundation? Anyway, make your own linen spray by adding one part distilled water to one part cheap, flavorless and colorless vodka, throw in 20 to 30 drops of a calming essential oil, like lavender, you can make a little mixture, to help settle things down.

Give your linens a spritz about 20 minutes before you plan to visit your bed, and that way the scent can settle in and everything can dry. If you want to have a welcoming, better bed, fresh linens will always do the trick. If you have a washable duvet cover, like I do, then launder that too. If you have one that isn't washable, consider taking it to a dry cleaner to have it cleaned. You can also use a steam cleaner to freshen it up. A lot of people ask me how often they should wash bed linens, and while it's ideal to do this weekly, let's face it, most of you all don't have time for that. So try to give them a wash maximum every two weeks, and there's a very good reason to keep them clean. Check out the aforementioned bed-making video for all the gory details. I promise you, you will probably be motivated to do your sheets more often. Finally for those of you who drink protein shakes in bed and get protein stains on your bed sheets, use simple dishwashing detergent, the powdered kind, and make sure it doesn't have bleach in it. Just create a paste with a little cold water and the detergent, and then gently rub that into the stain, wait a minute, and then rinse with cold water and a cloth. Wash as normal.

The reason we're using dishwashing detergent is because it has enzymes in it, and enzymes help break down protein stains. And we're using cold water because hot water will set the stain. If you, like my dear husband, are an active bed user, you may find your fitted sheets slide off the mattress from time to time. So to prevent this, there is the cutest, easiest little fix for it. These little elastic suspenders keep your fitted sheets securely on your mattress. They can be easily undone to change out linens and help prevent those pesky problems I was just mentioning. I will link them down below. There's also this stuff, which is sort of like shelf liner, but it is fitted to the mattress size that you have, and it sort of just helps keep your sheets in place.

These are called Sheet Snugs. These are called Sheet Straps. Either way, you can find them. I'll link them down below for you. If you have a duvet with a removable cover, like I do -- and by the way, we have a video on how easy it is to put the duvet cover back on, and I will link that down below, it's part of our bed-making article --you might want to consider getting these. They are called Duvet Clips, and they basically clip your actual duvet to the inside of your duvet cover. So that way, the duvet doesn't slip and slide around, and you get big clumps of your duvet in one section of the cover and nothing but some limp, empty sheets on the other side of the cover. If you have anything but a king bed, four should do you. If you do have a king bed, your duvet's probably huge, and you might want to consider two packs. You basically clip four, one on each corner, and then you can clip four on the opposing ends.

Now if you have a bed skirt that just cannot manage to stay in place, you need these. They are bed skirt pins, and they look like this. And they're absolutely perfect for keeping your bed skirt in place. Simply pin them into your mattress foundation once you put your bed skirt on, and voila, you now have a photo-shoot ready bed. And if you want your bed skirt to look beautiful, but cannot deal with those wrinkles, no less the thought of ironing them, grab your steamer and begin to steam the bed skirt to get rid of the wrinkles. Now, if you don't have a steamer and you want a little hack, you can grab your flatiron that you use for your hair, so long as the plates are clean and you can use that to quickly get any of the wrinkles out. Your mattress can fall into a slump, literally, and that can make for an uncomfortable mattress experience. So every season rotate your mattress two turns clockwise, and that will literally flip it and help even out the wear.

So, now that your bed is all ready for use, go forward with the knowledge that your bed is in the best shape of its life and ready for Valentine's Day or any other day for that matter.Tell me CMS nation: What do you do on February 14th? Is it just another day on the calendar, or does something special ensue? Let me know in the comments down below.