Folding Fitted Sheets Challenge: Ben vs Michelle

Have you ever struggled with folding a fitted sheet? If so, you're not alone. Many people find this task to be a real puzzle, with some even considering it one of life's greatest challenges. In a recent video two contestants, Michelle and Ben, engaged in a friendly competition to see who could fold a fitted sheet the fastest. But little did they know that their attempts would not only entertain but also shed light on the best way to tackle this perplexing household chore! Let's take a look:

Here is the transcript from that video:

Now, let's move on to the topic of fitted sheets. I understand that many people find them to be quite problematic. In fact, I came across someone who claimed that one of the biggest challenges in life is figuring out how to fold a fitted sheet. At first, I thought it was a bit exaggerated, but it turns out everyone struggles with it. So, today, we're going to show you how to fold a fitted sheet. But before that, we'll have a little competition. Michelle and I will race to see who can fold a fitted sheet the fastest.

Last week, Amanda from Love My Pets and James suggested that we teach people not only how to fold a fitted sheet but also how to quickly put on a quilt cover. So, this week, we accepted their challenge. Now, let's address the drama between the contestants. We'll make it fair by starting with crumpled sheets as if they've just been taken off the bed or out of the washing machine. I'll time the race on my phone, so you'll have to trust me to be accurate.

The first one to finish folding wins. Good luck to both of you! Before we begin, Tracy asked if you'd been practising all week. I haven't, but Ben here seems to have been sneaking off and practising secretly. But it won't make much of a difference. Let's see who comes out on top.

Alright, let's begin! First attempt at folding the fitted sheets. Three, two, one, go! Oh, it looks like Michelle is struggling. Well, Ben folded his fitted sheet first. But let's wait for Michelle to finish as well. Although it wasn't much of a competition, mine isn't very neat either. But here's the thing: folding a fitted sheet properly takes up less space compared to just stuffing it in a pillowcase. So, if you have limited storage space or want easy access, folding is the way to go.

Now, I think we should have a rematch. We've had people in the comments requesting it, and Jen and Hannah are particularly eager for a rematch. Alright, I'll put away my secret weapon. Let us know in the comments if you prefer Ben's method or just chucking it in a pillowcase. We'll do it two different ways this time, but the basic principles remain the same.

Alright, are you ready? Second attempt at the challenge. Three, two, one, go! Maybe some music would add to the excitement. Oops, it seems Michelle is struggling again. I finished, but Michelle, you still seem lost in there. Oh well, it's all part of the learning process. Oh, it's inside out. Just give us a moment to sort it out.

We received a suggestion from Bridget, who mentioned that putting your sheets, pillowcase, and cover into another pillowcase, but folded, can be a good idea. That way, you only need to take out one parcel from the linen press. It's actually a smart approach. And Jen also mentioned that they do it that way too. Well, this has been a humbling experience for Ben, even though he tried to cheat. He still hasn't quite mastered it.

I think I might have started off on the wrong foot as well. But now we can all see the easiest and best way to fold a fitted sheet. It's quite satisfying, isn't it? I hope you'll succeed in your folding endeavours. Should we move on? No, no, Michelle is still going. By the time we get to the next slide... Week, it does work if you get it right. I can imagine [Laughter] this way is a little bit better if you don't have such a big area to fold it on, I think. So, it can be a bit tricky. The difference was that Michelle did it on the bed, and Ben did it with his hands. So, similar results.

Charlie commented that Ben is struggling, and Jen jokingly asked if there would be a rabbit at the end. Anyway, Michelle, it seems Ben's sheet looked neater in the end. Ah, but you took forever, Michelle. If I had taken that long, mine would be perfectly pressed, right? Now, Michelle, would you like to explain your method of folding a fitted sheet? It's obviously the easiest or quickest way, right? Yeah, I just had it a bit flipped around at the start. I'll make some excuses. I don't know if you can see this, but normally you would have your fitted sheet hanging on the line. So, if you just take it off the line and you've got this and that, you can do it either way. It doesn't matter. But put the two ends together and flip it.

Oh, that was magic. I don't even know how you did that. Then, do the same. Grab the two ends here. Obviously, it's easier when it's on a table or something. And flip it. Make sure you flip it the same way as the other one. Then, it's just a matter of trying to get it into a foldable shape, like a rectangle. And then, fold it in, in, that, and just fold it in. There are fancy ways if you want to tuck in bits and pieces, but I don't know how to do that. So, if you're going to put it in a pillowcase along with your duvet cover and a flat sheet, then it makes sense.

It doesn't have to be perfect. Just fold it so it's all nice and... so it's better than a ball. Hannah commented, "That was so graceful, Michelle." Oh, thank you. Many years of practice. Well, I've only had a few days to practice. So, you run a bedding company. Yeah, but I showed you how I do it, right? Yeah, yeah. We do have Michelle take on a lot of the folding responsibilities. Yes, yeah. Now, let's hear Ben's explanation. Alright, so I'll try to explain my method, which involves holding it up. You have the inside and the outside or the back and the front.

Yeah, let me just get a drink while you're doing that. Jody commented, "Awesome job! You make me laugh." We're glad we can make you laugh. Alright, so on the sheet, you have the front and the reverse. There's a seam on the reverse side. So, what I'm doing is having the front side towards my body and then trying to find the corners, just like Michelle was doing. I'm still knocking around here, just wait a minute.

Ah, there we go. I've got it. So, I've got my corner with the seam on the outside, so the back on the top. Then I'm joining those two seams together and folding it over the top so that the two seams touch each other. Then I'm swapping hands here and coming around to find the next seam on this side. I'm getting my hand inside, finding the seam, and putting the front side on top. Basically, I'm joining the two corners together with the seams aligned. Then I find the last one, stack and poke them all in underneath, holding all the seams together on top of my arm. Then, you get this sort of picture like this, and you can find this just below here, just a little bit, and you get a square. You get to square it off, and you have a pretty much nice square straight off your arm. Then you just fold it in half and fold it in thirds, or quarters, I suppose, and then over again.

And there you go, you have your square. With a lot of practice, I reckon you could do it faster. I can do it faster when I'm off-camera, without any pressure. I was doing it pretty well. And I think I set up my sheet better at the beginning. So, yeah, any excuse you've got to give, but the basic idea is the same. You join the corners together, and in my case, you have two seams together stacked on top, and then you find the other two corners, get the two seams together, and fold it down. So, hopefully, that solves one of life's biggest problems for you.

Let us know in the comments how you fold your fitted sheets. Do you shove them in a pillowcase or iron them? I had a conversation this week about ironing sheets. Sorry, if you iron your sheets before putting them away. Yes, some people like to iron them. Actually, some people even iron underwear, hankies, and tea towels.

So, let me get this right. You would like to iron the sheets before they go into the closet? Yeah, they come off the line and then iron them. I understand it from my grandparents' days because the cotton sheets were very harsh. Nowadays, with all these different blends, I don't fully understand the obsession with ironing sheets anymore.

But hey, it seems like everyone in the comments agrees that those who iron their sheets are a bit crazy. We had comments from parents saying no, Bridget saying no ironing, Tracy calling them crazy people, and Hannah strongly advising against ironing the sheets. Jody shared her approach of not folding the sheets but washing them and putting them straight back on the bed, which is a smart time-saving technique.

I can understand ironing the sheets after they're on the bed if you want that picture-perfect bedroom look, as sometimes they can come out of the wash with creases. But overall, the consensus seems to be that ironing sheets is unnecessary. Anyway, I hope you learned something tonight.