In this article, you will learn a few things about bed skirts, one of them being: Does a bed skirt go under the mattress. We will explain how to put on a bed skirt the right way. Putting on a bed skirt is something you can do by yourself. You do not need the help of another person although two people will make the process faster.
But why do people even need bed skirts?
- Bed skirts prevent dust from accumulating under the bed.
- They will keep your mattress warm by blocking draught under the bed.
- Bed skirts cover old box springs and hidden storage that you may have under the bed.
Does a Bed Skirt Go Under the Mattress?
Box spring cover type of bed skirt goes under the mattress and hang 1 inch from the floor. A wrap-around bed skirt does not go under the mattress because it can be installed on a bed frame without lifting it.
If you’re using a box spring, your bed skirt should be placed between it and the mattress. Depending on the type and design, you can either install the bed skirt by removing the mattress or without removing the mattress.
Even though removing the mattress is not always necessary, most bed skirts require that you remove the mattress. Detachable bed skirt like the one below does not have to go under mattress.
Fortunately, putting on a bed skirt is quite easy even when you’re doing it alone. The only problem people sometimes find is lifting the mattress off the bed, especially if they’re dealing with larger beds (queen or king size).
Briefly, let’s see how you can put on a bed skirt without removing the mattress when working as one person.
Putting on a Bed Skirt without Removing Mattress
When working alone and your mattress is too heavy to lift, you don’t have to remove the mattress.
To put on a bed skirt without removing the mattress, use a Wonder Skirt. With it, there is no need to lift the mattress.
The wonder skirt has split corners making it possible to fit on any type of bed regardless of whether it has a headboard or footboard.
On top of being easy to use, the wonder skirt is machine washable, has an elastic band to fit corners perfectly, and comes in all bed sizes (twin, full, queen, and king sizes).
Using this method will save you a lot of time when you’re alone and can’t get any help.
How to Put on a Bed Skirt
1. Remove Pillows and Items from the Mattress
The first step is to begin by removing all items you have placed above the mattress. These items can make the mattress heavy to lift.
2. Lift the Mattress
Pull the mattress out of the bed.
If you have a larger mattress, it will be heavier for an individual to carry. Call one of your siblings to offer a helping hand.
For easy installation of the bed skirt, lift the mattress from the bed frame and place it aside.
Putting back the mattress without moving the bed skirt is quite difficult. To achieve success here, you will need a helping hand once again.
Alternatively, you can use the following techniques to keep the bed skirt in position on your own:
- Hooking the bed skirt in position (Use these 5-dollar thumbtacks to hold it in place).
- Rolling the bed skirt beneath the mattress loosely placed on the bed.
Hooking the bed skirt with thumbtacks will help in restricting movement caused by mattress on top. Ensure a decent amount of spacing between individual thumbtacks to ensure that the bed skirt is secured on the box spring equally from all sides.
3. Place the Bed Skirts
The next step is to fit the bed skirts over the spring box.
When installing a full-style skirt that goes over the bed then hangs at the edges, you will spread it over the box spring the same way you would a bed sheet over the mattress.
At this stage, you will need to use thumbtacks. Make sure they are within your reach so that you can begin attaching the bed skirts.
Unwrap and spread the bed skirt over the surface.
Be gentle with it when unfolding it.
Find the head end of it (where there is no fabric) then pick one upper corner from which you will start. Work your way to the diagonal corner. Move over to the last two corners of the bed.
Get rid of all folds in the bed skirt by stretching it to the maximum length. This will ensure that you get a neat spread when putting back the mattress.
4. Remove any Visible Folds
There should be no sign of folds over the box spring. If you don’t get what I’m talking about, check the image below.
Once you’ve squared up the bed skirt to eliminate all the bumps.
You’re supposed to bring all the seams to the far edge of the bed as shown below.
The bed skirt will be attached correctly if all the four seams have reached the edge.
Typically, a bed skirt should fit as shown in the image above
It should hang just 1 inch from the floor.
If it is too long and touches the floor, you might need to pull it a little back onto the box spring and hold it in place with your thumbtacks.
Alternatively, if you can’t find thumbtacks, you can elastic or hook-and-loop tape features to attack skirt panels to the edges of the bed.
5. Return Mattress to Its Position
After putting all of the thumbtacks in the required areas, lift and place back the mattress over the bed as usual.
Double-check if there are any sides of the bed skirt not hanging properly.
6. Style the Bed Skirt
The last step is to style the bed skirt. If its corners are gathered, bunch the folds to give it a fuller appearance. In case you’re installing a tailored one, adjust its split corners to hide the bed frame and other things below it.