Thursday
Mar272008
Down Comforter
Posted on 
Mar 27, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Mar 27, 2008 at 2:31 PM Can I wash a down comforter in the washing machine? I know I have before, but for some reason I always thought I wasn't supposed to. There are no care instructions on the tag. (Damn manufacturer.)
Reader Comments (16)
I wash mine all the time in the washing machine and have never had a problem.
yes you can
Yes, it's the dryer you must be wary. Load some tennis balls or sneakers in with it to keep it "fluffy".
I always wash my down comforter, but I let it dry on a rack or on the line because I think the dryer is bad for the feathers? I'm not totally sure, but my comforter is ok, and it's been in the wash tons of times.
Oh I forgot all about the tennis ball trick. It does work.
definitely put the tennis balls in!
Yep. Mine has been washed more times than I care to count because one of my lovely felines uses it as a message board on which to express her displeasure. Anytime some strange creature comes in the yard, or I don't change the sheets often enough to suit her, she pees on it.
I'm very glad to know about the tennis ball thing. That will be helpful next time. (crossing fingers that that will be a long time from now!)
No, this will NOT work - water will ruin the feathers in the comforter! Just think in nature how the water rolls off a duck's back! If someone has washed a supposed down comforter and had success, it must have been a mix of synthetic.
I think they say to dry clean, but with pets the most economical way is to wash it yourself. I wash mine and put it in the dryer on the fluff cycle.
yes, but you need to dry it in a dryer with 3-4 tennis balls to refluff the feathers. works great.
Use a mild detergent like woolite for the washer or dreft.
I wash mine both ways. Sometimes when I'm feeling a little lazy, I get it dry cleaned. My local dry cleaner is one of those 'green' guys and the comforter comes back soft and fluffy.
But Debb is right, the dryer is the key and when I do wash it at home,
I use tennis balls to keep it fluffy. But please use clean ones, don't just go down to your local court and start stealing people's balls. Wait, that came out wrong, but you get the gist.
The tennis balls make quite a racket (no pun intended) if you put too many in. Be careful of the tennis balls <> comforter ratio.
I wash and machine-dry mine all the time. When I first got Gaea she was hopping on my bed and peeing on it a lot. I was washing it two, three times a week. I have found that it gets fluffier after washing, too!
they always say dry clean only..
BUT...
if you throw in a tennis ball with it in the dryer, it beats the shit out of all the clumpy mounds of down so all is well!
I took mine to the dry cleaner's once and they said it would be better to put it in washer.
okay, I totally learned something with this post. I didn't know you could wash them at all and thought they were done for if they got dirty or just old in general. So I've been tossin' 'em out and replacing them.
...and you thought MARK was wasteful.
Now I know what I'm doing this weekend!
TO DO LIST:
*Buy/obtain CLEAN tennis balls (at least 3 - there's 3 in a can, right?).
*Buy Woolite/Deft (I don't have a variety of detergent).
*WASH MY COMFORTER!!
yes you can, just hang it up outside on a hot non humid day =]
I found these good http://www.all-seasons-shopping.com/" REL="nofollow">down comforters on this site.