Two German tourists were completely baffled by the way many Australians make their beds, admitting they had never seen or heard of a top sheet.
The youngsters, Elisa and Sarina, were so confused by the extra piece of bedding on their beds that they posted a video on TikTok in search of answers.
“Could someone tell me what this is?” Sarina asked, pointing at the sheet of paper.
“Am I the only one who doesn’t understand this?” she asked again.
They then questioned whether they should sleep on top of it or under it in a video that captured the attention of thousands of Australians.
This isn’t the first time that the use of a top sheet (or confusion about it) has sparked heated debate online, with millennials often trying to take credit for getting rid of them.
One of those detractors of large sheets commented on the video of the young travelers: “It’s an old people thing.”
But others were willing to answer her questions about the divisive linen and offer their own take on its use.
Elisa and Sarina from for_travelssake have chronicled their travels through Australia, India, Thailand and Laos – they’ve never seen a fitted sheet before.
“Top sheets are a way to avoid having to wash all your bedding every few days; not using a top sheet is like wearing pants but no underwear,” one woman wrote.
“It’s a top sheet, I mean the most uncomfortable thing ever,” another added.
Some Australians have been shocked to discover top sheets are not a common sight around the world after the young women revealed they had travelled across Europe and Asia without seeing them.
‘I just found out that top sheets are cultural.
While others revealed they had learned this the hard way: on the road.
“My biggest bummer was travelling around the UK and Europe during the summer,” one woman said.
A young woman, pictured left, was left baffled after seeing a top sheet for the first time.
“Last year I travelled to the UK and all the hotels (12 hotels) had duvets and no air conditioning so I had to specially request a top sheet in all of them,” fumed another.
Some people described the top sheets as a sensory nightmare and told the girls to get rid of them and get on with their lives.
“I grew up with a top sheet, but as I got older I quickly discarded it; they are uncomfortable,” said one woman.
“It’s like suffocation,” one man added.
But others said they would rather sleep outside than without it.
“If people don’t give me a top sheet, I’ll sleep on a park bench,” one woman joked.
Fans of top sheets also argued that they were especially useful in warmer climates, when a duvet was too hot to use.
Another noted that the average person loses about 1.5 grams of skin each day and top sheets act as a barrier that protects the duvet from the buildup of dead skin cells, bacteria and oil.
“It’s not necessary to wash all your bedding every few days,” she said.
Top sheets are common in some places in the United States, South Africa, and Canada.