Change the sheets before you leave

Coming home from a trip is its own kind of tired. The bags are heavy, the house smells shut up, and the bed still has the sheets from before you left. What that evening is like is partly set before you walk out the door.

Before you leave on a trip, put clean sheets on your bed, so that when you get home tired you have somewhere clean to lie down.

If you are leaving for a hospital stay, or you have no energy to spare, this page may ask too much of you. The end says who else it is not for.

Why the bed first

Many people suggest washing the bedding and putting on fresh sheets before you go. Some people say it counts for most when you come home worn out or jet-lagged, and one person says that after a tiring outdoor trip a clean home and bed gave real relief, in body and mind. One person says changing the sheets before you leave takes some of the gloom out of coming home and makes it feel like a fresh start.

When to do it is a small argument. One person says to put the fresh set on a day or two ahead, which helps you sleep and takes the stress out of the last days. Another says to do it the morning you leave, since waiting adds nothing. One person says to change them after the trip instead, because sheets collect dust while you are away and it is easier once you are back. What decides it, they said, is how long you will be gone and whether pets are at home.

One person says owning more than one set of sheets means you can change right away without waiting for the wash. With only one set, the wash has to finish before you can make the bed up.

Trash and food, which you will smell first

Many people say to take out the trash and deal with perishable food before you go, because the smell and the pests are what meets you at the door. Some people say to let air move through the house too. One person warns that trash left out with the air conditioning off can cause a severe smell. Some people warn that organic waste such as fruit rinds, in warm weather, can bring a strong smell and attract pests quickly. One person warns that food left in the microwave can leave a smell that is hard to remove. One person says to make sure bills such as electricity are paid before you go, so the power is not cut off and the food in the fridge does not spoil.

The rest of the house: keep it small

Many people suggest cleaning the house before you leave, the dishes, trash and vacuuming, so you do not come back to a mess. One person says a tidy house also makes it easier to notice if anything has been moved while you were away. Some people warn that a deep clean before a trip can use up the energy the trip itself needed, particularly if you lean toward perfectionism or the family around you adds pressure. What decides it, they said, is how much pre-trip stress you can take, and how big the job is. Some people suggest sticking to the essentials, trash and dishes.

Pets are a limit on all of it. Some people say a pet can undo a clean house quickly, and some say that if a pet gets on the bed, the clean sheets may not stay clean.

A long trip, or a late arrival

On a long trip, some people say the made bed collects dust, and suggest a spare sheet over the top that you pull off when you get back, or changing the sheets after you return. Some people take the sheets off and leave the bed bare so the mattress can air out, which one person points out is a nuisance if you get in late at night. Whichever you pick, it is the arrival time and the length of the trip that decide.

The day you get back

Some people say to put your travel clothes in the wash as soon as you are home, even if you washed things during the trip. One person pairs the clean sheets with clean clothes laid out for the first days home.

Some people suggest leaving something to look forward to at home, such as something you ordered before you left. Many people suggest taking an extra day off after the trip to rest and unpack; others say that is a waste of limited paid leave, and what decides it is how much leave you have. One person suggests landing on a Thursday or Friday so the weekend follows.

Who this page is not for

If you are heading into hospital, or you are short of energy, one person points out that extra housework before you leave may not be possible. Skip everything but the bed, or skip the bed too.

If you have only one set of sheets and no way to wash it, this page assumes something you may not have. One person pointed out that for someone in extreme poverty even a cheap set of sheets can be out of reach, whatever others assume. This page does not cover where to find sheets or a washing machine.

If the hard part of coming home is not the bed, a clean bed will not reach it. One person notes that coming home can hurt after a loss, for example when a pet has died. One person says that being told to avoid unpleasant feelings, or to treat a low mood after a trip as a mental illness, is no help, because the stress is real and can come from outside things like grief or a hard workplace. This page does not cover that.