How to Fold Hospital Corners: The Complete Guide

Purple fitted sheets from Southshore Fine Linens.

Dive into the art of folding hospital corners and elevate your bed making skills to new heights! 

This guide is perfect for meticulous homemakers, bedding enthusiasts, and those looking to showcase their Southshore Fine Linens sheets. 

We'll provide step-by-step instructions and tips for using hospital corners so you can feel like a pro in no time.

What are hospital corners?

Occasionally referred to as military corners, hospital corners represent a technique for tucking in bed sheets to create clean, crisp edges and minimize the chances of sheets coming undone.

There are plenty of benefits and appealing visual and functional perks of using the hospital corner method, including:

  • Neat and tidy appearance: Hospital corners provide a clean, crisp look to your bed, making it visually appealing and well-organized
  • Enhanced durability: The secure tucking of sheets using hospital corners reduces the chances of sheets coming undone, ensuring they stay in place and last longer
  • Easy maintenance: With sheets firmly tucked in, making the bed each morning becomes a simpler task, requiring only minor adjustments
  • Professional touch: Mastering hospital corners adds a touch of sophistication and luxury to your bedding presentation, similar to what you would find in high-end hotels or military establishments
  • Improved sleep hygiene: Hospital corners help maintain a neat sleep environment by keeping the sheets in place and preventing them from bunching up during the night
  • Versatility: This folding technique can be applied to various types of beds, including standard mattresses, bunk beds, and even air mattresses, ensuring a tidy appearance in any setting
  • Sense of accomplishment: Learning and mastering the art of folding hospital corners can boost your confidence in maintaining a well-kept home and impressing guests with your attention to detail

How to fold hospital corners

Ready to master the art of hospital corners and give your bed that crisp, elegant look? Follow these simple steps to create perfect hospital corners and transform your sleep environment:

  1. Start by placing the fitted sheet on the corner of the mattress. Ensure it's snug and secure, covering the entire mattress.
  2. Spread the flat sheet over the bed, aligning its top edge with the head of the mattress
  3. Tuck in the bed at the foot, pulling the flat sheet tightly across the mattress
  4. Now, let's create those mitered corners. At one corner, lift the flat sheet and fold it at a 45-degree angle, aligning the side edge with the side of the mattress.
  5. Holding the folded edge, tuck the excess sheet under the mattress
  6. Lower the folded edge, and fold the top part down, creating a neat, clean line along the corner of the mattress
  7. Repeat steps 4-6 on the other corners to complete the hospital corners

Congratulations! You've successfully created hospital corners, elevating the elegance and tidiness of your bed making routine.

Is it hard to fold hospital corners?

It's normal for this technique to require multiple attempts before perfecting it, so don't feel disheartened if you don't succeed initially.

As you gain more experience, you'll become more familiar with the folding process and may even develop your own unique tips and tricks to achieve the desired outcome.

Checking out a visual guide or video demonstrating the technique may also assist in the learning process.

To make the folding process smoother, choose a sturdier, crisp sheet material like cotton percale

This type of sheet will facilitate cleaner lines and sharper folds compared to using silkier, less tactile sheets.

Check out luxurious and beautiful flat sheets from Southshore Fine Linens.

Why are they called hospital corners?

The name "hospital corners" comes from the fact that these tight, diagonal folds near the foot of the bed were originally used in hospitals and other medical facilities. The idea was that by making the bed with hospital corners, it would be more hygienic and easier to make up each day.

This technique has also been used in the military as a way to maintain beds in a neat and orderly fashion. Hotels also began to adopt the trend, adding a touch of sophistication and luxury to their bedding presentation.

Find the perfect luxury sheets for your home at Southshore Fine Linens.

Do hospital corners work?

Hospital corners are an efficient method for achieving a well-organized and polished look for your bed.

Through the careful folding and securing of sheets under the mattress, this technique helps keep the sheets firmly in position, minimizing the likelihood of them becoming untucked.

Hospital corners not only bring sophistication and a hotel-like quality to your bed but also contribute to a hygienic sleep space. By honing your skills in folding hospital corners, you can reap the advantages they provide.

However, hospital corners aren't for everyone. This folding method may not work for you if:

  • You're a person who's always on the go and needs to make their bed quickly each morning
  • You like your sheets to be softer and silkier, as these types of sheets may not hold the folds in place
  • You wrap yourself in your sheets and blankets while you sleep, making hospital corners difficult to maintain

Even if hospital corners are not the best choice for you, it's still a nice touch for guest beds if you don't prefer it in your master bedroom.

Southshore Fine Linens: Luxury bedding for your home

Various colors of fitted sheets from Southshore Fine Linens.

There are many ways to make a bed with style and finesse, but none quite compares to the elegance of hospital corners. Whether you're new to bed-making or an experienced enthusiast, Southshore Fine Linens has a wide range of luxurious sheet sets that can help you achieve perfect hospital corners every time.

From percale cotton to cotton and bamboo blends, our collections offer sophistication and quality every time. Visit us today, and let Southshore Fine Linens help make your bed making experience even more enjoyable.