I doubt there’s anyone who enjoys waking up in a tangled mess of sheets every morning. For the longest time, I just accepted that loose bedsheets were one of those unavoidable parts of adulthood, like paying bills or dealing with slow Wi-Fi. Every morning, I’d tuck them back in, only for the corners to pop out again the next night. It was even worse when the sheets started slipping as I tried to fall asleep. I’d grab my phone to distract myself, which only made things worse. Late-night scrolling led to tech fatigue, making my mornings harder. It felt like an endless cycle.
Eventually, I realized it didn’t have to be this way. I started experimenting with small, clever hacks to keep my sheets in place, and some of them actually worked.
Tie the corners together under the mattress
Old-school trick your grandma would totally approve of
This is the simplest hack, though depending on the size of your bed, you might need an extra pair of hands or an extra-large bedsheet. All you have to do is take two opposite corners of your fitted sheet (for instance, at the foot of the bed) and tie them together underneath the mattress. Repeat the same for the other end. The knots create tension that keeps the sheet from slipping free.
When I was staying in a hostel for my master’s program, I used a king-size bedsheet (84×75) for my single bed mattress (75×42). That extra fabric made it easy to tie both ends underneath the mattress, and the sheet stayed perfectly snug all night.
It’s harder to pull off the same trick on a full or king-sized bed. Even if you have an oversized sheet, you’ll probably need help to tie it in place. But there’s a workaround: instead of using a larger sheet, you can tie four long ropes (maybe your old shoelaces) to each corner of your fitted sheet. Then, tie the adjacent ropes together beneath the mattress.
Soft ribbons or strips of leftover fabric work just as well. Since the knots stay hidden under the mattress, there’s no visual clutter and no need to buy any special gadgets.
Velcro strips, buttons, and snaps work like magic
The simplest stick is usually the slickest fix
You can attach the hook side (the rough one) of Velcro strips to the underside corners of your fitted sheet and stick or sew the loop side to the underside of your mattress (or the other way around). The order doesn’t really matter, as long as the two sides can press together to form a secure bond. Once fastened, they keep the sheet in place, especially when applied edge-to-edge. Just be careful when positioning the Velcro so it doesn’t snag your favorite sheets.
I’ve also experimented with buttons. I sewed buttonholes into the corners of my sheets and attached buttons to the underside of the mattress. That setup worked surprisingly well.
In theory, snap fasteners could do the job, too, but installing them feels like more trouble than it’s worth. Velcro is easier to apply and holds up better to laundering. Snaps, on the other hand, can pop loose if you move around a lot in your sleep, and they’re more prone to wear over time.
Cost-wise, you can expect to spend under $10 for any of these methods, and they’ll last for years (even snaps). It’s not the most elegant solution, but really, who’s inspecting the underside of your mattress anyway?
Turn your sheets into bags
Who needs a fitted sheet when you can have a sheet cocoon?
This was another trick I tried back at university, both as an undergrad and later during my master’s. It takes a bit of DIY effort, but it can transform an ordinary flat sheet into something that hugs your mattress perfectly. The idea is to sew or glue the two adjacent edges of two flat sheets together to create a large bag that slips over your mattress, almost like putting your bed into a cocoon.
How snug it fits depends on your measurements and whether you decide to add zippers. If you skip the zippers, don’t aim for a tight fit; you’ll regret it the moment you try to wrestle the sheet onto your mattress. But if you do include a zipper or another type of fastener, you can sew it to exact measurements for a clean, custom look.
This method works especially well for smaller mattresses, where you can repurpose larger sheets you already own. Still, nothing is stopping you from doing the same on a full or king-sized bed. It’s particularly handy if your mattress is an unusual size or thickness that standard fitted sheets don’t accommodate. By turning flat sheets into custom bags, you can tailor the fit exactly to your bed’s quirks.
4. Add elastic for a custom-fitted look
DIY your way to hotel-bed perfection
If you’ve ever slept in a nice hotel, maybe while using mobile apps to drift off, you’ve probably noticed how the sheets stay perfectly taut, no matter how much you move. That crisp, smooth look often comes from elastic tension built into the sheet edges. Fortunately, you can recreate the same effect at home.
Start by measuring slightly more than the full perimeter of your mattress, including its height. Then, buy a sturdy elastic band; something between half an inch and an inch wide works well. Choose a length that’s just a bit shorter than your measurement so that, when stretched, it pulls the sheet tight. Sew the elastic directly into the perimeter hem of your bottom sheet, or feed it through a casing, whichever you’re comfortable with.
If that sounds like too, there’s an easier route: just buy sheets with elastic bands already built in. I’ll admit, I’m not always eager to work with elastic, but this upgrade pays off quickly. Once it’s done, you don’t have to tie, clip, or adjust your sheets every other day. It’s especially effective if your mattress is tall, irregularly shaped, or layered with extras like toppers or pads.
Another option is to use sheet straps, also called sheet suspenders. These are elastic bands with clips at both ends that attach under each corner and crisscross beneath the mattress. Most have adjustable straps with sturdy metal clips that grip the fabric without tearing it. Popular versions, like the Gorilla Grip Bed Sheet Straps, cost less than $20 for a set of four and fit most mattress sizes. The clips use small plastic teeth to protect your sheets, and you can adjust the tension to find your sweet spot. Just don’t pull them too tight, or one might snap loose and hit you in the face on a sheet-changing day. Ask me how I know.
This elastic option works on virtually any sheet type—deep-pocket, shallow, silk, or cotton. If you’re a restless sleeper, or you share a bed with someone who treats sleep like an Olympic sport, and you’d rather skip the DIY route, this might be the best option for you. Just remember that elastic wears out over time, so plan to replace it every couple of years. And when washing, avoid overstretching elastic while it’s wet so it keeps its spring.
Say goodbye to midnight sheet wrestling
Loose sheets might be common, but they’re no longer my problem. More importantly, fixing this one small annoyance reduced my smartphone use in bed and improved my sleep quality.
Without the distraction of shifting sheets or the temptation to grab my phone when I couldn’t get comfortable, I started falling asleep faster. Mornings felt less groggy, and my overall sleep routine felt calmer. It turns out that when you remove small irritations from your sleep environment, the effect compounds in ways you wouldn’t expect.
The best part is that you don’t need to overhaul your entire bedroom or invest in luxury bedding to get there. Sometimes, the difference between restless nights and solid, restorative sleep is as simple as a $20 pack of straps or a few minutes with some Velcro.