Watch: what's the fastest way to put on a duvet cover?

Putting on a duvet cover is one of life's necessary but annoying jobs. If you're sick of tussling with your 12.5 tog, we've tested all the popular methods on Google to find out which one gets this niggly task off your to-do list most quickly.

Interestingly, our research also found if speed isn't your primary motivation when changing your duvet cover, there's a second method that takes almost no effort. This could be the one for you, particularly if you struggle with mobility or stamina.

Keep scrolling to see the different methods we tried and find out what our testing revealed. Or simply watch our video on the best methods we discovered to put on a duvet cover.

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Fastest way to put on a duvet cover – Inside out

Average time: 1 minute 23 seconds

Three of our five testers found this was the fastest method to put on a duvet cover. On average it was 20 seconds faster than the next quickest method.

The inside-out method was also voted the favourite way of putting on a duvet cover by most of our testers after they'd tried all the different options.

However, while it's quick, this method does require a bit of strength and stamina to do well. If you have shorter arms you may need to do one corner at a time, but you can still complete this method relatively quickly compared with others.

If you want to get the job done quickly, this is the method for you. However, if you want to have an easier time of it and aren't worried about taking a bit longer, check out the method that took the least effort below.

Instructions:

1. Lay your duvet flat out across the bed.
2. Turn your duvet cover inside out and then put your arms into it and reach for the two furthest corners of the cover away from the fastenings.
3. Still wearing the duvet cover over your arms with your hands holding the two corners, reach down to the duvet laid flat on the bed and grab the two closest corners of the duvet to you.
4. Lift your arms up and shake the duvet cover down over the top of the rest of the duvet.
5. Flip the duvet and hold the end with the opening by the corners to give it a final shake to spread the duvet evenly throughout the cover.

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Easiest way to put on a duvet cover – The roll

Average time: 3 minutes 2 seconds

This method of putting on a duvet cover takes quite a bit longer than our fastest method, but it does take the least effort.

All of our testers agreed this method was the least strenuous and most couldn't believe it was going to work until they tried it. 

Instructions:

1. Lay your inside-out duvet cover across the mattress with the opening furthest away from you. 
2. Then lay the duvet on top of the cover, being careful to line up the corners.
3. Starting at the closed end of the duvet cover, begin to roll the duvet and cover together. Think swiss roll.
4. Once it's fully rolled up, fold the duvet cover opening over the top of the roll and fasten. You should have something that looks like a duvet sausage.
5. Then you simply unroll your duvet and shake until the cover is spread out evenly. Like we said, it sounds like it shouldn't work. But it does. 

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Other methods we tried:

All-in

Average time: 1 minute 57 seconds

This is not the fastest or the easiest method, but it does appear to be the most straightforward way of getting the job done.

However, once the duvet is stuffed into the cover, it can be slightly laborious to unfold and ensure it's spread out evenly and flat.

Instructions:

1. Lay the empty duvet cover right-side out across the bed. 
2. Put the entire duvet into the duvet cover.
3. Match each corner of the duvet to a corner within the duvet cover. 
4. Shake to evenly spread out.

The ghost

Average time: 1 minute 47 seconds

Works similarly to the inside-out method, but with this one you cover your whole body, making it difficult to see what you're doing. 

While it didn't take too much longer than our fastest method, it's a bit trickier and so isn't our top recommendation.

Instructions:

1. Lay the duvet flat across your bed.
2. Turn the duvet cover inside out and then put it on over your head and body. 
3. Reach up to find the corners within the duvet cover.
4. Find the corners of the duvet through the cover and pull the duvet towards you. 
5. Shake the cover with the duvet inside to get the cover off you and spread it out evenly over the duvet.

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How we tested

To find the fastest way to put on a duvet cover, we enlisted the help of five testers.

• Each volunteer practised each of the methods once before completing the tests.
• We timed them completing each method, from having the duvet and cover laid out ready on the bed to just before doing up the buttons.
• Each volunteer recorded which method was their favourite before doing the tests, and which was their favourite afterwards.
• Each person completed the test on a double bed with a double duvet and duvet cover.