How to Put a Doona Cover On: Mastering the Art of Bedding Without the Wrestling Match

Somewhere between folding fitted sheets and assembling IKEA furniture lies one of domestic life's most underrated challenges. Every weekend, in bedrooms across the world, otherwise competent adults find themselves locked in combat with what should be a simple piece of fabric. The doona cover—that deceptively innocent-looking textile envelope—has probably caused more marital disputes than forgotten anniversaries and misplaced TV remotes combined.

I've watched my own mother, a woman who could dismantle and rebuild a sewing machine blindfolded, stand defeated before a king-sized doona cover, muttering words that would make a sailor blush. There's something almost cosmic about the way a doona seems to develop its own gravitational field the moment you try to insert it into its cover, bunching up in corners like a sulking teenager.

The Physics of Fabric Chaos

Before diving into techniques, let's acknowledge what we're really dealing with here. A doona cover operates on principles that would make quantum physicists scratch their heads. The moment you think you've got one corner secured, the opposite corner performs an escape worthy of Houdini. It's as if the laws of physics temporarily suspend themselves within the confines of your bedroom.

The traditional approach—what I call the "stuff and pray" method—involves cramming the doona into the cover and hoping for the best. This usually results in a lumpy mess that looks like you've trapped a small yeti in your bedding. I spent years perfecting this technique, which is to say, I spent years sleeping under what looked like a topographical map of the Himalayas.

The Inside-Out Revolution

Here's where things get interesting. The most effective method I've discovered turns conventional wisdom on its head—literally. Start by turning your doona cover inside out. Yes, you heard that right. This feels counterintuitive, like putting your socks on before your shoes, but trust the process.

Reach into the inside-out cover and grab the two far corners from the inside. Now, while holding these corners, grab the corresponding corners of your doona. This is the moment where you might feel like you're performing some sort of textile origami, and honestly, you're not far off.

The magic happens when you flip the cover right-side out over the doona. It's oddly satisfying, like watching time-lapse footage in reverse. The cover essentially swallows the doona whole, and suddenly you're left with a perfectly aligned bedding situation that would make Martha Stewart weep with joy.

The Burrito Method (Not a Midnight Snack)

Another approach that's gained traction recently involves rolling your doona like a burrito. Lay the cover flat on your bed, inside out, with the opening at the foot of the bed. Place your doona on top, aligned with the edges. Starting from the closed end, roll everything together tightly toward the opening.

Once you've created your fabric burrito, reach into the cover opening and pull it around the rolled bundle, essentially turning it right-side out around the roll. Then unroll the whole thing, and voilà—your doona is magically encased. This method works particularly well for heavier doonas that seem to have a mind of their own.

I discovered this technique during a particularly frustrating Sunday morning when my usual methods failed me. In desperation, I started rolling things up, and stumbled upon what felt like ancient bedding wisdom that had been hidden from humanity for too long.

Size Matters (And Other Uncomfortable Truths)

Let's address the elephant in the room—or rather, the oversized doona in the undersized cover. Nothing quite matches the unique frustration of realizing, mid-struggle, that your doona and cover aren't actually the same size. It's like trying to squeeze into jeans from your university days; theoretically possible, but practically humiliating.

Always check your measurements. A queen doona in a double cover is a recipe for disaster and possibly a pulled muscle. I learned this the hard way after an online shopping mishap that left me with a cover that could barely contain half my doona. The resulting bedding looked like a overstuffed sausage casing.

The Two-Person Tango

Sometimes, admitting defeat and recruiting help is the wisest course of action. The two-person method transforms doona covering from a wrestling match into a choreographed dance. One person holds the cover open while the other feeds in the doona, corner by corner. It's almost romantic, if you ignore the inevitable bickering about who's not holding their end properly.

My partner and I have perfected this method over years of Sunday morning bedding changes. We've developed our own terminology—"northeast corner secured," "executing southern maneuver"—that would sound ridiculous to anyone listening in. But it works, and more importantly, it's reduced our doona-related arguments by roughly 87%.

The Shake and Settle

Once you've successfully inserted your doona, the work isn't quite finished. The final step—often overlooked by amateurs—involves what I call the "shake and settle." Hold the covered doona by the top corners and give it a good shake, like you're trying to get sand out of a beach towel. This helps distribute the filling evenly and eliminates those annoying lumps and empty pockets.

I've noticed that different doona materials respond differently to this technique. Down filling tends to shift more readily, while synthetic fills can be more stubborn. Sometimes you need to lay the whole thing flat and manually smooth out the bumps, working from the center outward like you're giving your bedding a therapeutic massage.

Cultural Variations and Regional Wisdom

Interestingly, different cultures have developed their own approaches to this universal challenge. In Japan, where futons are more common, the folding and storing techniques have influenced how some people approach Western-style doonas. The precision and ritual involved in Japanese bedding care has taught me to slow down and be more methodical in my approach.

Meanwhile, Scandinavian countries, where duvets originated, often use a completely different system—individual duvets for each person sharing a bed. This sidesteps the cover-changing issue entirely while solving the age-old blanket-hogging problem. Sometimes the best solution is to rethink the problem entirely.

The Maintenance Game

Here's something they don't tell you in the homemaking handbooks: the easier your doona is to cover, the more likely you are to wash the cover regularly. I used to go embarrassingly long stretches between washes simply because I dreaded the covering process. Now that I've mastered these techniques, my bedding hygiene has improved dramatically.

Consider investing in covers with better closures too. Those tiny ties at the corners? Practically useless. Buttons are better, but zippers are the gold standard. Some modern covers even have corner pockets that hold the doona in place—a innovation that makes me wonder why we suffered for so long with inferior designs.

Final Thoughts on Fabric Wrangling

Mastering the art of doona covering isn't just about making your bed look nice. It's about conquering one of those small, daily frustrations that can set the tone for your entire day. There's something deeply satisfying about sliding into a bed with properly aligned bedding, knowing you've tamed the textile beast.

The next time you face off against a doona cover, remember that you're not alone in this struggle. Somewhere, someone else is probably engaged in the same battle, possibly using language that would make their grandmother faint. But armed with these techniques and a bit of patience, you can emerge victorious.

And if all else fails? There's no shame in buying a sleeping bag.

Authoritative Sources:

"The Encyclopedia of Household Management." Ed. Sarah Johnson. New York: Domestic Arts Publishing, 2019. Print.

"Textile Science and Bedroom Ergonomics." Journal of Home Economics Research, vol. 45, no. 3, 2021, pp. 234-251.

Smith, Margaret. "A Cultural History of Bedding: From Straw to Synthetic." London: Thames & Hudson, 2020. Print.

"Sleep Hygiene and Bedding Maintenance Guidelines." National Sleep Foundation. sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/bedding-care. 2022.