Counter argument: A tidy looking room makes me happier. Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time, ergo, making your bed is not wasted time.

If your house is the reflection of your mental state, then the other way around is also true.

When I got sober, the first thing my sponsor told me to do every day was to make my bed. 15 years later, I still make my bed and all else follows.

The only reason I make the bed every morning is because we have dogs that like to lay on it when we aren't home and there is nothing worse when you are crawling in bed at night and finding dirt or sand all in it.

When the pandemic hit, I went from never, ever working from home to being at home as close 100% of the time as you can get (we even had all our groceries delivered). It would have been very easy for me to just roll out of bed and turn on the computer in the morning, but I decided it was probably better for my mental health to continue getting up, showering, shaving, getting dressed (even if just in sweats or shorts), and making the bed. I was in that mode for almost two years before a partial return to on-site work.

I don't think that's necessary for everyone, but I do think it helped me keep a good mental state during a tough time. So I'd think this is broadly true: for some people there's not much point and for others it's an important mental health practice.

The only reason that ever convinced me was the opinion that it simply feels nicer to get into a made bed at the end of a long day.

I have been going through a prolonged breakup and have been very depressed, so it has been hard to be motivated to do anything. Making my bed every morning is a task I set myself to accomplish and it makes me feel like I can set a task and complete it. It also has the double benefit of allowing me to end my day with something that looks nice and not as disheveled as I feel.

Some people have trouble finding the motivation to do much of anything. Making your bed is the (alleged) cure.

It's easy. It's a nothing burger of a task. But, you do it first thing, and you start your day off having completed a task.

The thought is that completing just one simple task is going to predispose you to a day of doing something more consistently than starting your day off doing nothing.

I don't think this is an unpopular opinion. I make my bed as my bedroom can be seen from the living room; sometimes I leave the door open. Otherwise I don't care.

Unsure about the bacterial concerns you have tho. Feels like a non-issue as long as your sheets are changed frequently.

I think some people make their beds as to them the room looks untidy if they don't, its just preference. But it is definitely a boomer generation thing, my parents were the same.

Anybody else make the bed right before sleeping in it? I make my bed everyday, but only immediately before turning my lights off and going to sleep. My bed in unmade most of the time.

If you're soaking your sheets in sweat it's probably a good idea to hang them instead of just leaving them there. They'll dry and air out more effectively. This comes from someone who washes all their bedding weekly though, it's kind of a must after switching to showering at night. If I go to bed clean I want to wake up clean, and going to bed clean in a clean bed has done wonders for my sleep.

Is this unpopular? I thought it was just common knowledge to not make a bed because of the moisture.

You do you! It does look nicer when it's made though, and it makes the room feel cleaner. (IMO)

Fwiw I do both.

First after I get out of the bed, especially if I was hot & sweating, I throw the sheets off (turned over to expose the part touching me to the air) and leave it that way. As you say, this "unmaking" is the important part for sanitary reasons.

Then after like an hour make the bed, b/c of how it makes me feel inside.

Obviously your schedule may impose constraints - e.g. if you have to leave quickly after waking then make the bed when you get home?

One of my favorite things in life is getting into a nice made bed. If I was rich, I'd pay someone to put fresh sheets on my bed every day. My wife doesn't give a shit either way. I wonder what the venn diagram looks like of people that don't make their bed with the argument about moisture vs people that wear raw denim jeans.

Unless you find value in cleanliness, which I do.

Making the bed keeps the pollen and other allergens away from where I put my face.

I leave sheets open until after my shower. They’ve had a chance to air dry any moisture and don’t stink as quickly. Then I just pull the bedding up: almost like fixed but for a mere two seconds of effort