University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska 4-H Clubs: Historical Materials and Publications 4-H Youth Development 1958 Your Sleeping Unit : Extension Circular 11-42-2 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/a4hhistory "Your Sleeping Unit : Extension Circular 11-42-2" (1958). Nebraska 4-H Clubs: Historical Materials and Publications. 262. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/a4hhistory/262 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the 4-H Youth Development at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska 4-H Clubs: Historical Materials and Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1958 E.G. 11-41-2 I r:"T..' AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY N 2b 1953 EXTENSION SERVICE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATING W.V. LAMBERT, DIRECTOR o Your Sleeping Unit Requirements 3 1. Arrange a comfortable and attractive Introduction 4 sleeping area. 2. Learn about bedding: A Comfortable Bed 4 mattresses, springs, pillows, Bedstead 4 sheets, blankets, bedspreads. Springs 5 3. Make or improve at least two: Bed Headboard Pillows 5 Night stand or table Bedspread and/or dust ruffle Sheets 6 Pillow cases Mend or lengthen sheets if neces- Pillowcases 8 sary - bind blankets Other Blankets 8 4. Select or make accessories to com- < Quilts, Comforters 8 plete unit: Lamp Bedspreads 8 Pillows Picture An attractive Sleeping Unit 9 Rug Other Suggestions for Beds 9 Making Bedspreads 11 Making a Dust Ruffle 12 Lighting 12 Bedside Table 13 Chair. 13 Accessories 13 Check Your Completed Unit . 14 < If you select a mattress carefully and give it good care it will last for many INTRODUCTION years. Even though you may not need-a new mattress, you should know what A comfortable, clean bed is the most makes a good quality mattress. When you ( important part of your bedroom. A good buy a mattress this information will be nights rest, good health and good posture helpful. depend to a large extent on your bed and bedding equipment. Besides being com- 1. It is good economy to buy the best fortable and clean you want your bed to be mattress you can afford. attractive and well placed in the room. 2. Mattress and springs should be COMFORTABLE BED purchased at the same time. Wornout springs will limit the life of a new mat- tress. BEDSTEAD 3. The ticking used to cover box- A good bedstead should be sturdy and springs and mattress should be closely should not creak or sway. It should be woven. easy to clean and dust. 4. Borders should be reinforced so When the budget or space is limited it they will not sag or break down. may be well to mount the mattress and springs on legs and eliminate the bed- 5. On innerspring mattresses, ven- stead. The kind of filling and construction tilators are important for airing the in- determines how firm or soft the mattress. side. The three general types of mattresses are innerspring, foam rubber and solid up- 6. On a good mattress look for taped holstered. edges (machine stitching with tape around the top and bottom edges of the mattress). / 1. Innerspring. This type is built like A round filled edge around a mattress on a sandwich with insulating material and top and bottom is used on less expensive padding on both sides of the springs. The mattresses. quality of the mattress is determined by the material and workmanship that is put 7. Most states have bedding laws re- into it. quiring labels on mattresses which de- scribe the materials used, and whether 2. Foam Rubber. Most foam rubber the material is all new or has been ren- ovated. mattresses are only 4" deep and require a deeper bedspring. They require little care and are not likely to give trouble to Care o f mattress - for longer life those who suffer from allergies. 1. Sun and air regularly. 3. Solid Upholstered. This type has little resiliency, a characteristic liked by 2. Turn mattresses frequently - side to side one time and end to end the next people who prefer a firm mattress. How- (Fig. 1). ever, the mattress may become lumpy un- less turned regularly. It is made of layers of felted cotton or hair. To test a mattress, place a yardstick across it at several places. If the mat- ress touches at every point, it no doubt is still level, but if it dips down in spots, it is worn out and needs replacing. Fig. 1 3. Dust mattress once a month with 3. Flat bed springs - this type is a stiff brush or vacuum cleaner. made of metal strips o r wires running lengthwise on the frame and attached to the 4. Use a mattress padto keep the mat- endsXFig. 4). tress clean. Mattress covers can be bought or made from an old quilt. In judg- ing the quality of a ready-made pad hold it up to the light to detect any thin spots in the padding. Also check for even quilting and well finished edges. SPRINGS To test a bedspring a yardstick may be There are three types of springs: box- placed across it as was described for test- springs, metal coil springs and flat bed ing a mattress. Examine the spring for springs. leaning coils, broken connections andmis- ing spirals. 1. , Boxsprings - the coils are mounted on a wood base and tied to each other, to the A spring cover is a wise investment for base and to the border. The top is up- coil springs. It provides protection to the holstered with cotton felt or hair and cov-" mattress from being torn on rough edges of ered with ticking to match the mattress the springs and from rust stains caused by (Fig. 2). springs. To make a spring cover use any closely woven material or cut an old quilt to the proper size and bind the edges with bias tape. Springs should be dusted frequently with a stiff brush or vacuum cleaner. PILLOWS A good pillow gives proper support of the head so that the neck muscles may rest comfortably. A good pillow can be deter- mined to some extent by the filling. Fillings 2. Metal coil springs - the wire coils are not upholstered. (Fig. 3). Cost is 1 . Down - comes from the soft under- less than for box springs. coating of waterfowl. 2. Waterfowl feathers - such as goose and duck are springy and fluffy. 3. Landfowl feathers from chicken and turkey are not as soft and springy as those from waterfowl and tend to mat. 4. Foam rubber - are good for people < who are allergic to feathers. 5. Dacron - makes a soft and pliant pillow that is easy to care for. A combination of down and waterfowl Fluff pillows every day and air pillows feathers makes a very good filling because outside in the shade once a month or as all down lacks the springiness of waterfowl often as possible. feathers. Pillow covers can be made from old ( pillowcases cut shorter and sewed on to Characteristics of a good pillow keep the ticking clean. 1. Light in weight. 2. Resilient - the more it springs ; SHEETS back into place when pressure is released, There are two basic types of sheets and the better the pillow. fabrics used for pillowcases - muslin and percale. A medium weight muslin is 3. Bouyancy - will hold the weight of strong and gives satisfactory wear. Per- the head. cale is a finer quality material and is more expensive. 4. Free from odors, dust, lumps and stiff feathers. The numbers 200, 180, 140 and 128, sometimes found on the label, indicate 5. Closely woven ticking to keep the the thread count of the fabric, which is feathers from working out. the combined number of warp (length- wise) and filling (crosswise) threads in a Care square inch of sheeting. Test your pillow by holding it on out- For a durable sheet the number «>f stretched arm. If it holds its shape it is warp and filling threads should be evenly good, but if it droops, it needs to be re- balanced, that is, approximately the same placed (Fig. 5). number in each direction. The sheet length on the label refers to < the length of the sheet material before hemming and shrinking. The label should indicate whether or not the material is torn. After washing torn lengths appear true in shape. Other things to look for are heavy tape selvage, low sizing and hems finished with fine even stitches. The under sheet should cover the mat- tress and allow ample tuck-in at the head and foot of the bed. For the standard or 76" mattress the 108" length sheet is need- ed. The same length top sheet allows 18" to fold over the blanket. Sheets should be wide enough to pro- vide good tuck-ins along the side of the mattress, which contributes toward smoothness. Fitted Sheets Fitted sheets have some advantages over the flat sheet. They make a smooth- Fig. 5 er, neater bed and therefore increase 6 What Width Sheet? Width of mattress Width of sheet required Single or twin bed 39" wide 63" or 72" Three-quarter bed 48" wide 72" Double bed 54" wide 81" or 90" the comfort of the bed. They also save time and labor in bedmaking. Contour or fitted sheets are made to fit standard, regulation size inner-spring mattresses. They will fit a more shallow foam rubber mattress although they do not stretch as tautly as on a more rigid mat- tress.