Washing a Down Comforter?

Frugal Sunnie
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January 14, 20130 found this helpful

Look along all four sides of the comforter to see if there is a label with laundry instructions. Look closely because on a down comforter sometimes the label 'sinks' into the seam and is hard to find.

The most important thing in washing a down comforter is to be sure there are no holes, rips, tears in the cover to let feathers out of the bag (sorry, couldn't resist) during washing (and drying) - nothing worse than even so little as a handful of wet feathers in the washer. The weave of the fibres on the cover should be close and tight, too, to prevent the quill ends from poking through.

If no label can be found you need to decide what the cover is made of-if it's a non-natural fibre like acrylic or polyester you'll need to wash it on a 'synthetic' cycle, or set the washer control for 'permanent press' to be sure the washing water is at a lower temp and agitation action set for less vigourous action.

If it feels like cotton, throw it in the machine at the hottest temp and agitation cycle you've got. That's the sure way to really get any bedding really clean and sanitized. Don't worry, the cotton can take it, and so can the feathers.

Which ever cycle you use to wash, be advised the comforter will look 'dead' when you take it out. All of the wet feathers will be clumped at one end of each individual channel, and you will think you've 'killed' your hideously expensive comforter. Don't worry, you haven't.

To dry, you're going to be best off using a tumble dryer. Toss a new tennis ball in with the comforter and set the dryer on a long cycle. The ball will ensure 'fluffing' during the drying cycle, the long time will ensure complete drying of all the clumped feathers. You may want to stop the dryer after a half hour-45 minutes to shake the comforter vigourously (helps distribute the feathers) and then restart the drying.

It you have to air dry it, be prepared to wait days for the feathers to fully dry. Shake it several times during the drying process to ensure feathers are broken free of the clumps-this should speed the drying a little.