Short answer: wash your sheets if you can. There’s really no better way to “freshen” them.

Longer answer:

My dad, who has passed away, used to live out on a farm (a four-hour drive from us) by himself, and he had a housekeeper come several times a week. She was on the elderly side, and really didn’t do that much. I think the most helpful thing she did was to just be there, to keep my dad from feeling lonely—even though they usually stayed in different parts of the house.Scented room spray factory

Anyway, for whatever reason, my dad not only didn’t have the housekeeper wash the sheets between our visits (us and other extended family), he would get upset if he saw me washing them (he had a washer and dryer). So I tried to do it when he didn’t see me, but invariably, I would get busted.

So…..I decided to call his housekeeper before visiting, and ask her if she would wash the sheets before we got there. I tried this several times. Each time she would say, “Ok, I’ll freshen the sheets.” What does that mean?! I never found out. It could have ranged from hanging them outside on the deck railing, to running them thru the dryer, to spraying them with something, on the bed (this one really bothers me), to (most likely) just making sure the beds looked freshly made.

I think my dad would have left the same sheets on the bed for years, if he had his way (which he had become used to having). Even though there were different family members using the beds AND two of those family members sleeping with (get this) DOGS in the bed with them. And not only that, but my dad was a smoker, and the whole house and ventilation system was filled with smoke.

Was there a way to “freshen” sheets in this environment? Yes, by running them through the washing machine! Oh, and most of the work in washing sheets, if you have a working washing machine is putting them back on, i.e. making the bed. So while the sheets are off the bed, just wash them already, if you can.

PS - one time we went to visit and pulled the covers down to find mouse droppings in the sheets. Not very fresh, in my opinion.