Can i wash a down comforter in my washing machine
The Ultimate Guide to Washing A Down Comforter
Want to Save? Use Code Blog10 For 10% Off Your Next Order Shop NowWhen it comes to washing a down comforter, you can relax. It’s not hard to do. One of the special things about natural down filling is that it can be washed over and over to ensure a long lifetime to your investment.
While it can be tricky to wash a synthetic comforter, one of the many benefits of down comforters is that they come out of the wash beautifully. With proper care, your down comforter - also called a duvet, or a doona if you are from Down Under - can last many years. Washing your down comforter, whether duck down or goose down, can ensure a long life with your treasured friend.
Do it yourself or dry cleaner ?
Taking a down comforter to the dry cleaner
We recommend that you have your down comforter professionally laundered (not dry cleaned) because it’s easy and worry-free. This means to have your dry cleaner wash the comforter in a commercial-sized washing machine so you can be assured that your comforter will be clean and unharmed. We do not recommend to have your comforter dry cleaned because the harsh chemicals are not good for the down. But, dry cleaning is the sure way to prevent any shrinkage so we put that option on the care tags. Most dry cleaners can do either process but if want your comforter to be laundered, you need to ask to be sure they have washing capabilities because not all dry cleaners launder as well. A survey of dry cleaners across the country showed that it costs from $30 to $50 to have a dry cleaner wash your comforter, often depending on size. One way to cut down on the frequency of needing to wash your comforter is by using a duvet cover. It's like a pillow case for your comforter - just pop it off and throw it in the washer.
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Washing a down comforter at home
If you have a full-sized washing machine, it’s possible to wash your comforter at home. However, if you don’t have a large enough machine to fit your comforter with ample room, it might be best to head to the laundromat.
Just pick the ‘triple load’ machine and follow all the same steps.
- Water Temperature– Hot, warm or cold. We prefer cold water because the fabric can shrink up to 8% in hot water
- Spin Speed– Use the fastest speed to take as much moisture out as possible
- Soap– Gentle soap without additives
Optional:
- Whitening– Use non-chlorine bleach
- Fabric Softener– Not recommended because it will coat the down and reduce its fluff
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- Heat– Hot, warm or low; your choice
- Dry time– Be patient, on low heat it will take multiple cycles depending on your machines
Optional:
- Clean Tennis Balls or Dryer Balls– Add two or three balls to speed up your dry time. It will sound like they are beating up your dryer but they don’t actually hurt it
- Clumping or Odor– These are signs that your comforter is not dry yet. You want it to be completely dry to prevent mold
- Dryer Sheets– Ok to use for freshness
- Line Drying– Not recommended due to risk of damp spots and clumps
- No ironing or steaming
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How often can you wash a down comforter ?
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
Keeping your down comforter in a duvet cover will protect it against dirt, stains and spills. Using a duvet cover can more than double your time in between washings.
Spot cleaning stains is also a great way to extend the time between washings. Push the down away from the area so the down doesn’t get wet while spot cleaning.
- With use of a duvet cover– wash every 3-5 years
- Without a cover– wash every 1-2 years
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In addition, the best thing you can do to keep your comforter looking new is to fluff it every day when you make your bed. By providing a steady flow of air, your down will continue to loft. Redistribute the down in your comforter as needed for Baffle Box or Euro Box designs. To redistribute the fill, you want to push the down with both your hand and forearm together so that you don’t create clumps. Each baffle box has a small opening in one corner to push the down through when refilling a box that has emptied over time.
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How to store your down comforter
Last but not least, many people store their comforters during off seasons. The key to storing your comforter is breathability. Letting the down breathe by keeping your comforter in a cloth bag will prevent any moisture or odor buildup. It should also be stored in a location where it is not compressed and has room to stay fluffy. Give your comforter a good shake when you take it out of the bag next season and it should be ready to go.
- Daily– Give it a shake
- Monthly– Wash your duvet cover
- Yearly– Check for stains and spot clean
- Every 2-3 Years– Give it a wash
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All-natural down is a durable and easy-to-clean material for bedding. With a wash every now and then, your down comforter will stay beautiful and warm for a long time. Lucky for you, care is easy.
Choosing a Down Comforter
If you are in the market for a new down comforter, you’re in the right place! Pacific Coast® comforters are exquisitely made with the best materials available and timeless elegance in its craftsmanship.
We guarantee you’ll have a good night’s sleep every night for years to come. Take a look at our comforters and experience what it’s like to sleep in true luxury. We’re so confident you’ll love our comforters, you can try it out with our 30 Night Comfort Guarantee. If you’re not fully satisfied, you can return your comforter, hassle-free. And while you're at it, add some life to your bedroom with our wide variety of opulent pillows, all-season comforters, stylish down blankets, and silky soft sheets!
How to Wash & Dry a Down Comforter: Easy Tips & Tricks
How to Wash & Dry a Down Comforter: Easy Tips & TricksWritten by Grove Collaborative
Last Updated: August 12, 2022
Comforter bunched and twisted? Unsure how to even wash a down comforter? With our simple guide, you’ll be back to a clean comforter and cozy bed in no time.
All of the down in your comforter suddenly down at your feet? We’ve been there. After you read our down comforter cleaning guide, you’ll be warm and cozy in all directions — no dry cleaners necessary! While laundering items like pillowcases, sheets, and duvet covers is easy, cleaning some of your bigger, bulkier bedding items is more challenging.
One of the most intimidating bedding items to clean is the down comforter. Often made from feathers and plumules from ducks and geese (although vegan and synthetic options exist!), down comforters can seem unwieldy to clean. They’re big, heavy, delicate, white, clumpy, and temperature-sensitive — meaning many people simply drop their comforter off at the dry cleaners to avoid dealing with it altogether. Considering the potentially harmful chemicals dry cleaners use — chemicals that’ll off-gas into your bedroom air and even directly into your face — there has to be a better option.
Since most down comforters can be washed at home, we’re here to walk you through the process. Follow this guide, and you’ll have a fresh, clean comforter — without a big bill to show for it.
Down comforter cleaning basics
Will washing a down comforter ruin it?
If done properly, no, washing a down comforter will not ruin it! Like all delicate textiles, there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid permanently damaging your down comforter.
Using properly sized laundry machines, delicate cycles, mild temperatures, and mild detergents are all things to keep in mind. Fear not – we'll break down these details and more during the step-by-step instructions below.
How often should you clean your down comforter?
Sans any major spills, you should clean your down comforter once every one to two years. If you have a removable duvet cover on your comforter that you can take off and wash, cleaning your down comforter once every two years is plenty.
Can my washing machine handle my down comforter?
Probably not, but maybe. Here’s how to know:
Read the owner's manual and care tags
The first thing you’re going to want to do is check both the manual for your washing machine and the care tag for your down comforter. At-home and in-unit washing machines are usually too small, top-loading, or equipped with agitators — all things that prevent proper down comforter cleaning.
Many apartment buildings with laundry rooms use front-loading washing machines, but they will likely be too small for a comforter that is any larger than twin-sized.
Unless your building has an additional extra-large washer and dryer unit, your best bet will be to find large ones elsewhere to wash and dry your comforter in.
Go to your local laundromat
Your local laundromat will have the gigantic, roomy washers and dryers that are perfect for your large down comforter. Most laundromats use extra large, front-loading washing and drying machines, ideal for a spacious, proper clean.
If your down comforter is extra big (or crunchy,) you may need multiple wash and drying cycles, so be sure to bring plenty of quarters and a lot of dryer balls (which help speed up drying times) with you to operate the machines.
What do you need to wash a down comforter?
Washing a down comforter just requires a mild detergent and dryer balls. Easy, right?
Instead of special tools or soaps, the most important element is the washing machine itself — a roomy machine gives your comforter space so that the whole thing gets thoroughly washed, rinsed, and dried without twisting or bunching.
Guide to washing your down comforter
Step 1: Select a warm-water wash
Intense temperatures on either end of the spectrum can harm a down comforter.
If the wash water is too hot, the down can singe or burn. Too cold, and the down can clump and lose some of its soft touch. A warm cycle wash is the ideal middle ground for a down comforter.
Step 2: Select a gentle cycle
Like intense temperatures, intense spin cycles, agitation, and general tossing can lead to clumping, bunching, twisting, and tearing — all in all, an uneven clean for your down comforter.
A long, gentle cycle avoids all those potential issues and leads to a nice, even clean.
Step 3: Use mild or down detergent and dryer balls
For most down comforters, a single load’s worth of any mild, gentle, or natural detergent will do the trick.
Down detergent, or down wash, is most commonly used on down jackets and coats, specially made without harsh chemicals like bleach and sulfates, which can damage your down.
Dryer balls are natural drying aids that will help speed up the time it takes to dry big items and leave them feeling soft after washing too.
GROVE TIP
Skip the softener!
Harsh laundry detergents are terrible for down, stripping it of its natural, protective, insulating coating. But you’ll also want to forego the fabric softener — and detergents that contain softeners — since they leave a harmful coating on your down material that reduces its fluff, increases clumping, and decreases warmth — turning your down into a downer.
Down comforter drying basics
How long does it take to dry a down comforter?
Drying your down comforter requires a lot of one thing: patience. Depending on the size of your comforter, it can take anywhere from 2–4 hours to fully dry, but wool dryer balls can help cut down on time.
Can I air dry a down comforter?
We don't recommend air-drying a down comforter. If the down on the inside is not completely and thoroughly dried, it can quickly develop mildew and mold.
Not only that, air drying a down comforter takes forever.
Guide to drying your down comforter
Step 1: Use the right dryer
Stick to a large, front loading dryer.
Similar to the wash cycle, stick to the delicate, low-temperature settings. Intense dryer temperatures, even more than intense water temperatures, can damage the down — taking the comfort out of the comforter — so patience is key.
Step 2: Add dryer balls
One highly recommended item for drying a down comforter is wool dryer balls — and lots of them.
Wool dryer balls act as safe agitators, creating more space for warm air to travel throughout the comforter. Throw at least a half dozen wool dryer balls (or a few tennis balls, in a pinch) in the dryer for faster, more even drying.
Step 3: Pause to fluff, and air it out
Throughout the drying process — every hour or so — stop the dryer, take out the comforter, and give it a good shake.
Fluffing it up will help keep the interior down evenly distributed so it dries evenly.
Once it’s dry, hang the comforter from a clothesline, or drape it across some chairs, to air it out on all sides. Let it hang for an hour or so, then put it back on your bed, and enjoy!
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How to wash a duvet? Tips for home care.
We all love duvets because they that they are very warm and gentle. But any product in everyday life requires its own separate care. And then the question is asked: “How to wash a duvet? Can Is it possible to wash a duvet at home? Down and feather duvets quite voluminous and whimsical in their care. There are several methods that will help you to return to a blanket novelty and to give freshness. In modern world household appliances have made life much easier, such as washing automatic machine. Now we will describe to you several ways to wash duvets in at home and beyond.
Preparation:
Down and feather duvets cannot be washed without proper preparation. Regardless of whether you wash it manually or in a washing machine, you need to perform a couple of actions.
Visually check blanket. If you see holes or seams that have parted, then immediately need to be sewn. This will prevent the filler from falling out during washing and drying.
On every downy The blanket should have a tag (sewn-in) for caring for it. Need to follow directions manufacturer indicated on it. What do the icons mean: bath - means - can be washed in water, the numbers in the tank or on a washing machine - the maximum water temperature, hand in the basin - hand wash only, square with a circle inside - drying (the dots inside this symbol correspond to the drying temperature, 1 - low temperature, 2 - medium, 3 - high).
If a the down and feather blanket is old and has not been cleaned for a long time, then you should soak it for about 1 hour in ordinary water.
The amount of capacity required is not small, advice soak a blanket in the bathroom. Wash through dry cleaning. The most convenient way.
If you do not want to waste your own time, then take your duvet to the dry cleaners. In this case, everything will be done for you. Will hold preparation of the product, wash and dry your blanket.
Local stain removal.
If on your blanket there are stains, but there is no desire to wash it completely, then you can remove the stain with with minimal effort.
Take a small container and dilute in it mild soap solution. It is best to use liquid products, powder is bad is washed out of the fluff. Try to spread the fluff away from pollution. Apply a small amount of solution and rub. Wash off with water. Pretty good dry, you can use a hair dryer, at a distance of at least 20 cm from the blanket.
Hand wash.
Wash the duvet by hand only when there is a badge on the patch a crossed-out washing machine, and there is an icon of a basin with hands in water.
Take a bath in sufficient amount of water.
Add detergent product, add a small amount, use liquid care products, the powder is poorly washed out of fluff and feathers.
Place downy blanket in soapy water. Press down on blankets until they are completely hide under water.
Leave in water for 1 hour.
Gently massage wash the blanket with movements, do not rub.
If you see spots that were not immediately noticeable, then treat with laundry soap.
Rinse the blanket less than 3 times.
Squeeze with your hands ask relatives for help, duvets become unbearable when absorb moisture.
Lay out to dry.
Washing in the washing machine.
Check if there is a washing machine icon on the patch.
Before loading the duvet, make sure the duvet fits snugly into the machine drum. There should be no overload.
The temperature regime is not over 30 degrees.
Can be used tennis balls when washed, they will keep the fluff in good shape and prevent it from wrinkle.
Add detergent, add a small amount, use liquid care products, the powder is poorly washed out of fluff and pen.
Use an extra rinse.
Spinning is best at the lowest speed, but we recommend squeeze manually.
How do I dry my duvet?
It is long enough process and takes about 24 hours, it is not recommended to dry longer. A task dry in the shortest amount of time. It is recommended to choose for washing sunny and warm day. If there is a balcony, then we take it out into the air and lay out so that the fabric does not touch each other. Great for drying a regular linen rack will do. Sold in any household store. And I'm sure you have one at home too. If there is no balcony, then spread out near the batteries. Every 3 hours, the blanket needs to be fluffed and straightened. Thus it evenly saturated with fresh air and dries faster.
Care is needed for any products not only for downy. The main thing when washing is to prepare it for further work. Read the inserts, it always says how to wash textile products. Use liquid detergents. And dry in warm weather on ventilated space. These simple rules will keep your duvets looking their best.
How to wash a duvet in the washing machine
It is impossible to imagine a comfortable sleep without a clean and soft bed. Those who have ever slept under a duvet will never exchange it for an artificial analogue. But what to do when it's time to wash?
We will tell you how to wash your duvet in the washing machine so as not to harm it and not overload the CMA. Is it possible to wash a duvet in a washing machine? And even these measures do not protect the down blanket from dust and stains. Don't forget about dust mites and bacteria that can cause skin reactions and disrupt sleep.
Even if you dry such a blanket in the sun in the old fashioned way, it will not disinfect the filler, so washing is not a whim, but a necessity.
The question is, can the product be washed in a washing machine? The hostesses advise taking it to a dry cleaner, where they will wash and dry the blanket thoroughly, sort out and disinfect the “stuffing”. But this applies to blankets that have been in operation for a long time.
If your item is relatively new and you would like to freshen it up or remove a stain, machine wash is the easiest solution.
It all depends on the dimensions of the product - whether it correlates with the capacity of the drum. If you have a one and a half bed (or even a two), it will not fit into a washer with a load of up to 7 kg. The blanket will get wet, heavy and become an unbearable burden for the moving parts of the SM.
Important! If the drum is full, be prepared for a bad spin. Washing will go in a small amount of water, so the quality of the process will be low.
Automatic washing is not prohibited, but should be a thoughtful and balanced decision.
If the blanket is large, and the drum is less than 7 kg, then do not risk it - wash the item by hand.
Attention! Take a look at the tag - it will indicate which wash is suitable for the product. Inspect the fabric for damage - if there is even a small hole, the fluff will spill out into the drum, from there it will go into the drain system and clog the filter, pipe or pump. Disassembly of the SMA body in this case is inevitable.
Washing process
If you decide to machine wash your duvet, buy a special detergent. Downy things are washed with special shampoos for natural fillers. Check how well the gel is washed out of the tissue. If the product rinses out perfectly, the quality of the wash will be higher.
Wash the duvet in the following steps:
- Soak. Fill the bathtub with water (temperature 40 degrees) halfway, dissolve a little shampoo for downy things and table vinegar in it. Lay the blanket for a quarter of an hour, do not keep it longer: swan and any other fluff does not tolerate prolonged exposure to water.
- Drain the water and wait for the excess to drain to make it easier to transfer the item to the washer.
- Carefully transfer to a basin and from there to the drum.
- Spread the blanket so that it evenly covers the entire drum - this way you will protect the machine from imbalance.
- Throw a few laundry balls with the laundry. Balls can be replaced with tennis balls. They will not allow the natural filler to go astray.
- Close sunroof.
- Open the cuvette and pour detergent into the main wash compartment at the dosage indicated on the bottle.
- Do not use rinse aid - professional down shampoos already have this component.
- Select the appropriate mode. If you are an LG brand SM owner, then wash on the "Duvet" mode. In other brands, click "Delicate" or "Hand Wash".
- Correct the temperature setting if it is higher than 40 degrees in the program.
- Limit the spin speed of the drum to 800-1000 for 1 minute.
- Wait for the machine to complete the cycle.
- Remove the duvet, check whether the wash was successful and the degree of spinning (repeat if necessary).
- Start drying.
How to dry things with down filling
Anything filled with natural down must be dried properly. When drying the duvet, follow these rules:
- Avoid direct sunlight to avoid damaging the filling. Hang the product in the shade, choosing a ventilated place.
- Do not dry in the yard in strong winds, otherwise you will have to overwash - a damp cloth will collect dust and specks.
- If you have an apartment with a balcony on the north or west side, you can dry on it. The main thing is that nothing smokes under the windows. It is better for residents of industrial areas to abandon such an undertaking.
- At home, you can stretch the blanket on the dryer or ironing board.
- Do not hang the product with ropes to avoid knocking down.
