This Is The Easiest Way To Soften Bed Sheets

The only thing we love more than a good hack is a low-cost hack, and the brilliant minds behind TruTV's Hack My Life series just served as a serious game changer.

An episode revealed an ingenious trick for making cheap, scratchy bed sheets feel like a million bucks. And the best part: It only costs about $3.

The show had six blind testers lie down on two beds to prove the effectiveness of the hack, each dressed in a different set of sheets—one with super fancy sheets and the other outfitted in a cheap set "hacked" with baking soda and vinegar. At the end of the experiment, five out of the six testers admitted they believed that the expensive bed sheets were actually the cheap ones.

You better believe we'll try this out before considering splurging on a new pricey set of sheets!

What You'll Need To "Hack Your Sheets"

Make your own magic happen by throwing your lackluster sheets into the washer with one full cup of baking soda and ½ cup of vinegar and running for one full cycle.

It is best to start the wash on hot and switch to cold during the rinse cycle. Another tip for using this trick is to wait to include the vinegar until the rinse cycle. The results are ultra-soft sheets. This trick will help you get the sheets you want without breaking your back or wallet.

When washing multiple sheets, separate the top and fitted sheets, so the washing machine has enough space. This tip is usually necessary for bed sizes queen or larger.

Additional Ways To Soften Bed Sheets

In addition to this simple baking soda and vinegar hack, there are other ways to add softness to your bed sheets using household staples. These simple tricks will make your sheets so luxurious that you might never want to leave the bed.

Salt

Adding about one cup of salt to a laundry tub or basin filled with cool water is an excellent substitute for baking soda and vinegar. If using Epsom salts, about 50 grams, use something to stir it into the cool water for a few minutes before placing the sheets in the laundry tub. Place the sheets in cool water and let them soak for a few days. After allowing the sheets to absorb the salt, wash your bedding as you usually would and dry them.

Line Drying

While this tip might be more time-consuming than the traditional dryer, line drying helps soften sheets by avoiding intense heat. Opting for line drying outdoors is a simple way to decrease your sheet's post-wash rough texture and shrinking. Always use the lowest dryer setting if you need to use a dryer.

Another dryer tip is to use dryer balls. Adding these to the dryer can prevent the sheets from stiffening, adding a softer quality. 

Wash Sheets Multiple Times

Not the best option for an environmentally conscious solution, washing bedding twice (or multiple times) can assist in creating soft sheets. This tip is time-consuming, but as a rule, the more you wash sheets, the softer the bedding becomes with every cycle. Adding fabric softener to the wash helps add an even more soft quality to your bedding.