Wash your comforter? Let alone wash the good down comforter? Many people shy away from this for fear of spoiling their beds. However, anyone can easily clean their beds at home if they follow these 10 tips.
Despite covers, comforters and pillows also get dirty over time. Mites, bacteria or bed bugs can also be a problem. Find out here how to wash your comforter correctly and avoid clumping.
Why comforters need to be washed
Every night, the body loses almost two liters of moisture, which penetrates the comforter cover as well as the comforter and pillow. The warm and moist environment causes microorganisms to spread inside the bedding, which can weaken your immune system. In addition to moisture, people also lose skin flakes, which are the food source for house dust mites. These lay their droppings in pillows and blankets and can trigger allergies in sensitive people.
How often should you wash your comforter?
You should wash your comforters once or twice a year. Since, of course, in the headpillow often accumulate even more moisture and dirt, you should wash them a little more often. So put them in the washing machine at least twice a year.
Follow these tips
Washing pillows or comforters is usually very easy. To avoid bad odors or clumping, you should pay attention to a few things when washing:
Study the washing label
Before washing, you should always take a look at the information on the label. They will tell you how you can wash your comforter. If the label on older comforters is yellowed and illegible, simply follow the rules in the points below. Then nothing should go wrong.
Do not use fabric softener
You should definitely avoid using fabric softener on comforters filled with down or feathers. This is because it forms a wafer-thin layer between the individual feathers and leads to clumping. Fabric softener can also cause lumps in blankets made from other materials. Therefore, always leave it out.
Use a low spin speed
Too high a spin speed can cause down and feathers to break more quickly. It is best to spin your down comforters at 400 to 800 revolutions per minute to protect the filling. Blankets made of synthetic fibers are less sensitive and can withstand higher spin speeds.
Better to double rinse
Due to the dense filling and the large volume in the washing machine, comforters may be more difficult to rinse. It is therefore best to play it safe and rinse your comforters and pillows twice after washing. This way, no detergent residue is left behind, which can cause clumping when drying.
Dry blankets in the dryer
There are several advantages to drying comforters in the dryer. Firstly, this minimizes clumping and secondly, the blankets dry much faster. If you leave the blankets to dry indoors, they will take a very long time and new germs can form, causing bad odors. Alternatively, you can also dry the blankets outside in the fresh air. However, pollen allergy sufferers should pay attention to the pollen season.
Attention: Avoid too high temperatures when drying in the dryer, otherwise the feathers in down comforters can become brittle.
Use the right detergent
It is best to use liquid detergent as it leaves fewer detergent stains and clumps. If you have down comforters, you should use a mild or special down detergent.
Wash blankets at 60 °C
If possible, comforters should be washed at 60 °C to kill mites and bacteria. However, not all materials can withstand such high temperatures. You can find an overview here:
- Down comforters: up to 60 °C
- Feather comforters: up to 60 °C
- Cotton comforters with synthetic fiber filling: up to 90 °C
- Microfiber comforters: up to 60 °C
- Silk comforters: to the dry cleaner; up to a maximum of 30 °C
- Camel hair comforters: dry clean; up to a maximum of 40 °C
- Cashmere comforters: dry clean; up to a maximum of 30 °C
Which washing program is the right one?
Gentle wash programs are suitable for comforters and pillows. The programs for delicates and wool can also be used.
Use tennis balls or washing balls
To avoid lumps in the comforter, use wash balls or tennis balls. Put them in the dryer to fluff up the filling.
Do not overload the washing machine
When washing comforters, always wash them individually, even if there is still room in the machine. The more free space there is, the better the detergent can spread and the comforter can be rinsed.
Washing very large comforters
If your comforter is too big for the machine, the only option is often to take it to the dry cleaners. Or you can try a launderette. They often have larger washing machines that can also accommodate large items of laundry. Alternatively, you can also wash comforters in the bathtub. Pay attention to the soaking time of the detergent and rinse the comforter thoroughly afterwards.
How to care for your bedding properly
Even if you can’t avoid hair, dander and moisture ending up in your comforter when you sleep, you can prolong the feeling of freshness with a few tips:
- Shake vigorously – Blankets and pillows should be shaken and fluffed regularly to remove trapped moisture.
- Regular airing out – open your blanket and pillow after getting up and hang them outside to air out.
- Change bed linen regularly – Bed linen should be changed every two weeks.
- Brush off dirt – Stains and dirt should always be brushed off immediately.
If you wash your bed linen, comforter and pillows regularly, your bed will remain clean and inviting for a long time. As a rule of thumb, comforters and pillows should be washed once or twice a year and replaced every six to eight years.
Sources: betten, stuttgarter-nachrichten, focus
Thumbnail images: ©pinterest/Hip2Save
