Author Topic: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.  (Read 7605 times)

mskyle

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Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« on: August 29, 2016, 10:28:40 AM »
I saw these at my local Target this weekend... Beantown Bedding Laundry-free Linens and I really think it might be the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

Quote
Beantown Bedding co-founders, Joan Ripple and Kirsten Lambert, came up with the idea for disposable sheets when they learned that their college-aged kids rarely, if ever, washed their bedding while away at school. The thought of dust mites, bacteria, and mold making themselves at home in their sons' and daughters' beds made Joan and Kirsten’s skin crawl.

With their kids’ health and hygiene in mind, they created laundry free eco-friendly sheet sets that can be used for days or weeks and then discarded. Beantown Bedding’s unique Eucalyptus/Tencel blend and clean manufacturing process make the sheets not only soft, durable, and hypoallergenic, but biodegradable as well. When the sheets get dirty, just throw them away , or better yet, put them in a compost pile, and they'll be returned to nature in as little as two weeks.

The appeal of disposable sheets extends well beyond college campuses. For overnight camp, home health care, and vacation property rentals, Beantown Bedding is a clean and simple solution that lets you and your family rest easy.

Their solution to their children not washing their sheets was disposable bedsheets. I just can't even get over how dumb this is.

#1 The sheets cost more than a basic set of sheets from Target. A TwinXL set of Beantown Bedding costs anywhere from $14.99 to $19.99 (you can get a subscription where you get a new set every month).
#2 In my experience, it's not the actual *laundry* part of changing the sheets that stops college students (or, you know, me) from changing the sheets - it's the actual removing the sheets from the bed and remaking the bed part.
#3 Throwing away a set of sheets is incredibly wasteful even if they are compostable, and I do not for a second believe that these are compostable without way more work than, you know, WASHING SHEETS.
#4 OR WHY NOT JUST BUY YOUR KIDS FOUR SETS OF TARGET/WALMART SHEETS AND LET THEM WASH THEM ONCE A SEMESTER
#5 OH BUT ACTUALLY FFS JUST LET YOUR KIDS BE GROSS IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE GROSS, THEY ARE ADULTS

ketchup

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2016, 10:35:02 AM »
Sounds like a great business model if it catches on.  Bed-sheets-as-a-service.  BSaaS.

gliderpilot567

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2016, 10:36:25 AM »
If they "return to nature in two weeks" then what's to prevent them from starting to bio-degrade while still on the sweaty, grimy, stinky teenager's bed? I can't think of a better warm, damp, dark, bacteria-rich environment for the microbes to begin their work. As mskyle suggested in #2 above I bet they will get left on the bed much longer than 2 weeks.


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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2016, 10:38:27 AM »
I remember the first semester I was at college. I considered myself pretty well-prepared. I knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, balance a checkbook, and I worked part-time.

One thing that literally never crossed my mind, though, was changing my sheets. That was one task my mom did all the way up until I graduated high school. I remember laying down on my bed one night - probably six months into my freshman year - and suddenly realizing that my sheets smelled like some unholy mixture of body odor and fetid cheese. I was appalled. And I started laundering my sheets regularly thereafter.

But yeah, this is dumb.

LennStar

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2016, 10:44:52 AM »
Quote
they created laundry free eco-friendly sheet sets that can be used for days or weeks
Pheh! eco-friendly ONE-TIMER?? Such a think does not exist.
Also, hint, you can use really old fashioned sheets for days or even weeks too!! Gosh!

And I too dont believe they rot in 2 weeks but not on your bed.

And yes, its the remaking thats the worst part. With 2 people it is fast and without hassles, but alone... the old 3 hands problem.

mtn

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2016, 10:55:20 AM »
I went an entire semester once without washing my sheets. I just didn't realize I wasn't doing it (I took about 10 showers a week), then when I did realize it it was spring break. Well, when I got back it was as if my clock on them had reset--they hadn't been slept on in a week, they were fine!

That was disgusting. Can't believe I did that.

GuitarStv

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2016, 11:10:15 AM »
I had a friend in university who started off each year by putting three fitted sheets over his mattress.  When the bed started to stink he would peel off the outermost sheet and throw the old one under the bed.  This way he never needed to wash his sheets until the summer.  He's still alive, so I have to assume that washing sheets is largely unnecessary.  :P

BlueHouse

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2016, 11:10:41 AM »
My brother used to put 5 or 6 fitted sheets on a bed and then once a week would just peel the top layer off. Ewww!  ,
ETA:  guitarStv beat me to it!  Or maybe you know my brother? 

Same brother had a small tree growing out of the grout on the shower wall. All the roomates thought it hysterical and tried to see how large it would get. I saw it when it was about 3 feet tall.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2016, 11:13:10 AM by BlueHouse »

Papa Mustache

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2016, 12:01:39 PM »
I remember the first semester I was at college. I considered myself pretty well-prepared. I knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, balance a checkbook, and I worked part-time.

One thing that literally never crossed my mind, though, was changing my sheets. That was one task my mom did all the way up until I graduated high school. I remember laying down on my bed one night - probably six months into my freshman year - and suddenly realizing that my sheets smelled like some unholy mixture of body odor and fetid cheese. I was appalled. And I started laundering my sheets regularly thereafter.

But yeah, this is dumb.

I live in the sweaty south. Its hard not to remember to change the sheets.

Mississippi Mudstache

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2016, 12:12:12 PM »
I remember the first semester I was at college. I considered myself pretty well-prepared. I knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, balance a checkbook, and I worked part-time.

One thing that literally never crossed my mind, though, was changing my sheets. That was one task my mom did all the way up until I graduated high school. I remember laying down on my bed one night - probably six months into my freshman year - and suddenly realizing that my sheets smelled like some unholy mixture of body odor and fetid cheese. I was appalled. And I started laundering my sheets regularly thereafter.

But yeah, this is dumb.

I live in the sweaty south. Its hard not to remember to change the sheets.

Eh, I'm from Georgia. I just take a shower before I get in the bed. I've never, ever understood why some people shower in the morning instead of at night. But until college, I never understood the effect of six months' worth of accumulated body oils on the aroma of unwashed bedsheets. Live and learn.

neophyte

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2016, 12:26:27 PM »
It seems ridiculous for college students, when laziness is the cause and living in grime probably won't kill them. I've known people providing in-home care for dying loved ones who've had to change sheets multiple times a day. I can see the appeal of this in circumstances where everything else is so overwhelming it's all you can do to hold yourself together.  A laundry service is still probably a better financial choice though.

mtn

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2016, 12:32:00 PM »
It seems ridiculous for college students, when laziness is the cause and living in grime probably won't kill them. I've known people providing in-home care for dying loved ones who've had to change sheets multiple times a day. I can see the appeal of this in circumstances where everything else is so overwhelming it's all you can do to hold yourself together.  A laundry service is still probably a better financial choice though.

Ooo. Never thought about that. That is the perfect use for it. And it doesn't matter sometimes if laundry service is the cheaper choice, sometimes tossing it is the easiest and ease>finance.

ooeei

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #12 on: August 30, 2016, 06:48:57 AM »
When I was in college I had two sets of sheets, and don't think I changed them my freshman year except MAYBE at Christmas break.  As someone said above, it's not the laundry part that kids don't want to do.

With that being said, there will be plenty of concerned parents who just can't fathom why their kids won't change their sheets, and will be sucked in by this advertising.

MayDay

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #13 on: September 01, 2016, 09:08:03 AM »
When my kids went through pukey, diaper explosion baby stages, I would layer waterproof pad >> sheet >> waterproof pad >> sheet, like 6 layers, so that when they exploded in the middle of the night, I could just take off the dirty sheet and pad, and have a fresh one ready to go.

College students are so gross. 

The end.

crispy

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #14 on: September 01, 2016, 09:21:16 AM »
I saw these at my local Target this weekend... Beantown Bedding Laundry-free Linens and I really think it might be the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

Quote
Beantown Bedding co-founders, Joan Ripple and Kirsten Lambert, came up with the idea for disposable sheets when they learned that their college-aged kids rarely, if ever, washed their bedding while away at school. The thought of dust mites, bacteria, and mold making themselves at home in their sons' and daughters' beds made Joan and Kirsten’s skin crawl.

With their kids’ health and hygiene in mind, they created laundry free eco-friendly sheet sets that can be used for days or weeks and then discarded. Beantown Bedding’s unique Eucalyptus/Tencel blend and clean manufacturing process make the sheets not only soft, durable, and hypoallergenic, but biodegradable as well. When the sheets get dirty, just throw them away , or better yet, put them in a compost pile, and they'll be returned to nature in as little as two weeks.

The appeal of disposable sheets extends well beyond college campuses. For overnight camp, home health care, and vacation property rentals, Beantown Bedding is a clean and simple solution that lets you and your family rest easy.

Their solution to their children not washing their sheets was disposable bedsheets. I just can't even get over how dumb this is.

#1 The sheets cost more than a basic set of sheets from Target. A TwinXL set of Beantown Bedding costs anywhere from $14.99 to $19.99 (you can get a subscription where you get a new set every month).
#2 In my experience, it's not the actual *laundry* part of changing the sheets that stops college students (or, you know, me) from changing the sheets - it's the actual removing the sheets from the bed and remaking the bed part.
#3 Throwing away a set of sheets is incredibly wasteful even if they are compostable, and I do not for a second believe that these are compostable without way more work than, you know, WASHING SHEETS.
#4 OR WHY NOT JUST BUY YOUR KIDS FOUR SETS OF TARGET/WALMART SHEETS AND LET THEM WASH THEM ONCE A SEMESTER
#5 OH BUT ACTUALLY FFS JUST LET YOUR KIDS BE GROSS IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE GROSS, THEY ARE ADULTS

My first real job was working at the only Tencel manufacturing facility in the world...nice to see it is still being made even if for stupid, disposable sheets.

TVRodriguez

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #15 on: September 01, 2016, 09:23:35 AM »
I remember the first semester I was at college. I considered myself pretty well-prepared. I knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, balance a checkbook, and I worked part-time.

One thing that literally never crossed my mind, though, was changing my sheets. That was one task my mom did all the way up until I graduated high school. I remember laying down on my bed one night - probably six months into my freshman year - and suddenly realizing that my sheets smelled like some unholy mixture of body odor and fetid cheese. I was appalled. And I started laundering my sheets regularly thereafter.

But yeah, this is dumb.

+1

Kaspian

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #16 on: September 01, 2016, 09:58:08 AM »
Quote
The thought of dust mites, bacteria, and mold making themselves at home in their sons' and daughters' beds made Joan and Kirsten’s skin crawl.

Disposable sheets because of "parental skin crawl"?  Great.  I was 20 once and I don't remember death-by-dustmite being an issue among me and my friends.  Alcohol being pumped from stomachs in an emergency room, on the other hand...
« Last Edit: September 01, 2016, 09:59:58 AM by Kaspian »

galliver

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #17 on: September 01, 2016, 10:52:21 AM »


I remember the first semester I was at college. I considered myself pretty well-prepared. I knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, balance a checkbook, and I worked part-time.

One thing that literally never crossed my mind, though, was changing my sheets. That was one task my mom did all the way up until I graduated high school. I remember laying down on my bed one night - probably six months into my freshman year - and suddenly realizing that my sheets smelled like some unholy mixture of body odor and fetid cheese. I was appalled. And I started laundering my sheets regularly thereafter.

But yeah, this is dumb.

I live in the sweaty south. Its hard not to remember to change the sheets.

Eh, I'm from Georgia. I just take a shower before I get in the bed. I've never, ever understood why some people shower in the morning instead of at night. But until college, I never understood the effect of six months' worth of accumulated body oils on the aroma of unwashed bedsheets. Live and learn.

I shower in the morning because otherwise I look like a cross between Albert Einstein and that "aliens" guy from the History Channel. And showing more than once a day is actually pretty bad for your skin.

I do change my sheets pretty regularly, though. Since high school. I think it does help to have multiple sets for this, so you can decouple the chores of changing and washing. My peers that had new comforters, towels, dishes, etc but only one set of sheets didn't quite make sense to me.

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Papa Mustache

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #18 on: September 02, 2016, 02:28:30 PM »
Does anyone remember the odor of living in barracks or dorms? The classrooms could get this way too.

LiveLean

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #19 on: September 02, 2016, 05:28:38 PM »

1. In your college years, you in theory have more company in your bed that might result in soiled sheets. (Yes, I know, married people have more sex allegedly).

2. Plus, my dorm did not have AC. Very gross in August and September. And that dorm is still in use without AC some 30 years later.

3. A few nights of crashing as a sweaty drunk makes sheets nasty.

I'm by no means Felix Unger. But I used to throw all of my laundry on the bed and then unfold the sheets and use it as a laundry bag.


BlueHouse

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #20 on: September 02, 2016, 07:22:29 PM »
but only one set of sheets didn't quite make sense to me

Makes perfect sense to me and its my preferred method. Remove sheets. Launder. Replace sheets.

No folding. No storage. Plus, cats love the warm sheets and love to jump in when I'm making the bed.

SeaEhm

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #21 on: September 02, 2016, 07:28:36 PM »
You guys spend money for bed sheets and then spend money to wash them?

Just sleep on the mattress and then go forage for some lemons to help kill bacteria and then forage for some lavender to have a nice lemon lavender scent.

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #22 on: September 02, 2016, 07:41:54 PM »
I had two sets of bright yellow sheets in college. They were free - I got them from my grandparent's house when we were moving them into assisted living. I tried to change the sheets every other week (still do). I hate putting sheets on the bed, so sometimes not so good about that.

Growing up, my mom had a philosophy that we were responsible for our bedrooms. As long as she could walk in the room, she didn't care. I lived in a pretty dirty room for several years before I started to care. Then it started to improve, but still not great. I do distinctly remember not changing my sheets for 6+ months, and we had cats who slept with me almost every night. I think 11/12 grade I got a little better. Didn't really get good until 21 and living by myself.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #23 on: September 03, 2016, 10:39:31 AM »
Can I recommend disposable clean room paper suits as pyjamas?
No need to wash, or even own, sheets.
In fact if you wear them all the time you don't need clothes, or haircuts.



paddedhat

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #24 on: September 03, 2016, 12:01:45 PM »
My daughter got stuck with a first year room mate that had the worst helicopter mom in history. This girl hit 18 YO and didn't know how to perform a single domestic task. One weekend involved a bit of drama when mom couldn't make her standing Sunday appointment to do the Kid's wash, grocery shop, stock the fridge with expensive, ready to heat meals, and put fresh sheets on her bed. In a panic, the girl asked my kid for help with doing laundry. As mine is busy doing her own wash, the girl tells her that she has loaded the machine, and want's to know what's next? My daughter takes a look and says, "Well, the first step is to pull all your dirty clothes out of the big machine marked DRYER and stick them in the one that says WASHER". Later that year, the kid was in a panic when her Lean Cuisine ran out. My kid told her to just make some spaghetti. The girl was begging my kid to do it for her, My kid was busy with a paper deadline, and replied, "time to grow up. Either follow the directions on the box, or go hungry"

ketchup

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #25 on: September 03, 2016, 02:30:58 PM »
My daughter got stuck with a first year room mate that had the worst helicopter mom in history. This girl hit 18 YO and didn't know how to perform a single domestic task. One weekend involved a bit of drama when mom couldn't make her standing Sunday appointment to do the Kid's wash, grocery shop, stock the fridge with expensive, ready to heat meals, and put fresh sheets on her bed. In a panic, the girl asked my kid for help with doing laundry. As mine is busy doing her own wash, the girl tells her that she has loaded the machine, and want's to know what's next? My daughter takes a look and says, "Well, the first step is to pull all your dirty clothes out of the big machine marked DRYER and stick them in the one that says WASHER". Later that year, the kid was in a panic when her Lean Cuisine ran out. My kid told her to just make some spaghetti. The girl was begging my kid to do it for her, My kid was busy with a paper deadline, and replied, "time to grow up. Either follow the directions on the box, or go hungry"
Yikes, I thought I was a bit out of touch back when I left for school, but I already knew how to wash clothes and make pasta...

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #26 on: September 03, 2016, 04:49:49 PM »
I had a friend in university who started off each year by putting three fitted sheets over his mattress.  When the bed started to stink he would peel off the outermost sheet and throw the old one under the bed.  This way he never needed to wash his sheets until the summer.  He's still alive, so I have to assume that washing sheets is largely unnecessary.  :P

I know someone who did this as the father of newborn twins. Made up the cot, layered with mattress protector, sheet, blanket, mattress protector, sheet, blanket, so if one of the bubs had an accident or got sick they weren't re-making the cot in the middle of the night.

When my kids went through pukey, diaper explosion baby stages, I would layer waterproof pad >> sheet >> waterproof pad >> sheet, like 6 layers, so that when they exploded in the middle of the night, I could just take off the dirty sheet and pad, and have a fresh one ready to go.

College students are so gross. 

The end.

MayDay beat me to it!

MrsPete

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #27 on: September 05, 2016, 07:41:59 PM »
This general concept isn't new, though the disposable part is a twist.  When I was a freshman my roommate had the "linen package", which meant that once a week she bagged up her sheets/towels, went down to the basement, met the linen guy, and traded them in for clean items. 

She only did this one semester before she realized that it was a complete waste of money.  She came back from Christmas owning her own sheets and towels. 

RetiredAt63

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #28 on: September 06, 2016, 08:50:07 AM »
In res we were expected to strip our beds and leave the dirty linens on them one morning a week (this was in the dark ages before fitted sheets).  When we got back from classes the clean linens would be sitting on our beds, so we could make them.  It was part of the residence fee.  Everyone knew, and everyone did it.  Mind you it was a women's dorm, but I think it was the same in the men's dorms.

Anyone old enough to be in University should have been making their bed at home for a few years by then.  And doing their own laundry, and basic cooking. Good parenting = prepared children/young adults.  Of course the young adults can always choose to be slobs, but they should at least have the life skills they don't want to use.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #29 on: September 06, 2016, 08:55:51 AM »
I wasn't doing laundry until I was on my own b/c my mother was (and is) very protective of her laundry machines. Had to make sure one of us guys wasn't about to throw in a towel that was garage dirty...

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Re: Disposable bedsheets... sigh.
« Reply #30 on: September 06, 2016, 09:07:39 AM »
Am I the only one that really doesn't make my bed that often? Unless I'm cleaning my room, when I need to use it as a platform, I just leave it unmade. It isn't that messy though--I'm a pretty calm sleeper.

I'll throw the caveat on there that if my wife or I was particularly hot or cold at any point in the night we do need to make it at that point since we probably tossed and turned some, or else pushed/pulled covers.

 

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