How to Do "Hospital Corners" When Making Your Bed

This method will give your bed a tidy look worthy of a five-star rating.

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The term "hospital corners" may not sound very warm and inviting, but it's actually a bed-making method you've probably seen at many of your favorite hotels—and you can recreate it at home. “Making your bed with hospital corners is a technique that gives your flat sheet a clean, smooth, and fitted look,” says Stephen Light, CEO and co-owner at Nolah Sleep. This method shows attention to detail in a bed's presentation, and Light explains that this is why it’s popular in luxury hotels. However, he says the benefits aren’t just aesthetic. “The technique also keeps you nice and snug while you sleep,” he add.

But, what is this technique, and is it the same as military corners? Light says it is, and Parima Ijaz, founder of bedding brand Pure Parima, says the names can be used interchangeably. She adds that hospital and military personnel use this method to keep the bed sheets neat and tidy for a crisp, clean look.

Hospital corners, or military corners, refer to a particular method for folding the corners of a flat when making your bed. “Since your flat sheet comes to a 90 degree angle at each corner, when it flops down at the edge of the bed, it will result in excess fabric that can be difficult to pull under the mattress and can sometimes look untidy and quite messy,” Ijaz explains. “Using the hospital corner method helps to give your mattress corners a neat, fitted, and polished look while keeping the sheet tucked in securely.”

If you're someone who prefers the look of a perfectly made bed and likes to feel extra snug at night—this method is for you. Learn how to do hospital corners at home with the steps below.

Most people have a fitted sheet underneath and a flat sheet on top. Place the fitted sheet on the bed as you normally would, making sure it's pulled tight.

If you don't use a fitted sheet, you can do this method with two flat sheets. If using a flat sheet on the bottom, just make sure the sheet is big enough to hang over all the edges of the mattress and tuck in all four corners, rather than just the bottom two.

Next, lay the flat sheet on the bed. “When laying out your flat sheet, line up the top edge with the top of your mattress,” says Ijaz. “Make sure it overhangs evenly on the other three sides.”

Smooth and flatten the flat sheet with your hand. “At the bottom of the bed, lift the mattress and tuck the flat sheet underneath,” Light says.

At one corner of the bed, grab the excess sheet fabric that's left hanging at the side. “[Hold the excess] flat sheet about a foot away from the corner,” Light says. “Now, fold it up onto the top of the bed, creating a 45-degree angle.” In other words, it should look like a triangle.

After you've folded the corner of the sheet on top of the mattress, there will be excess fabric hanging down. “Take the excess fabric that's hanging at the bottom edge of the mattress, pull it tight, and tuck it under the mattress,” Light explains.

Grab the folded triangle you created on top of the mattress and fold it back down over the edge, creating a diagonal line. “Pull it tight and tuck it under the mattress,” says Light.

Then, repeat this process on the other bottom corner of the bed. (If you're using a flat sheet on the bottom, repeat this process on all four corners of the bed.)

If you need a visual guide, Ijaz’s company Pure Parima made a short tutorial video that you can view here.

When making up your bed, there’s no appreciable time difference between creating hospital corners and using other methods.

According to Light, since this technique focuses on the bottom two corners of your bed, he says it should be relatively easy to achieve even if your bed is pushed up against a wall. "However, it's difficult to do if your bed is in a corner,” Light says. In this case, Ijaz recommends pulling the bed away from the wall just enough to comfortably tuck your folds. “The benefit of having your sheets tucked in this way is constant security and neatness to keep you sleeping more comfortably with less hassle.”