While most people keep their bedroom clean and tidy by washing their sheets and covers regularly, a lot of us forget about our beloved down duvets. While they definitely don’t get dirty as quickly as their covers, they do need the occasional cleaning. So how do you do that? Here you’ll see all the needed information to get your down duvet as clean as new!
Before We Start…
Make sure you only wash your duvet when needed. Cleaning it too often might reduce the quality of the product because of the natural structure of the down filling. Normally you will want to clean it once or twice per year. If you do decide to wash it then make sure you read the provided care label and washing instructions. Some duvets might recommend professional cleaning but taking care of them at home is also possible if you have everything required. So, what is required?
What You Need to Wash Your Duvet
In order to properly clean the duvet, you will need a front-loading washing machine with big enough capacity. The duvet should at most take three quarters of the cylinder and should not be folded or crammed in- spread it as much as you can. You will also need a few clean tennis balls and cleans socks to put them in (more on that later). It is recommended to use soft liquid detergent and no softener!
Recommended Washing Program
Down duvets should be washed on a delicate program at no more than 60°C. Include extra rinse and spin cycles if possible. Use as little as a quarter of your regular detergent dose, or if that proves too little- a third or half. You need to make sure there is no soap residue after the wash. Do not add softener or bleach. Before washing, put two or three tennis balls in clean socks and tie the socks so the balls don’t come out. Put them in the washer. They help increase the turbulence to better remove sweat, body oils and dirtiness from the duvet and prevents the down from clumping together.
Drying the Bedding
Before taking out your duvet from the washer, make sure there is no leftover soap residue. Once thoroughly rinsed you can carefully remove the duvet from the washer. Be careful, though, as wet down can get quite heavy.
Once taken out, you can either dry it in a sufficiently large dryer or place it on a clothesline or drying rack. The latter would obviously require good weather conditions and enough space and might take a while to dry. If you decide to use a tumble dryer, check the care label to see if it’s adviced and whether there are any special requirements. We recommend not exceeding a temperature of 60°C and using low or air-dry settings. You can, again, add the balls to ensure the down spreads evenly but it is also recommended to occasionally stop the dryer to check on the fluff and hand fluff it if needed.
The drying process can take quite a while but you need to make sure the duvet is completely dry before using it. Dry duvets feel light and with an evenly spread filling. If you have any doubts whether your duvet is completely dry it’s best to dry it for a bit longer. Even slightly wet duvets are at risk of mildew and odor, which you surely want to avoid.
Once thoroughly cleaned and fully dried, your duvets will be as good as new and ready to be used. Put back the cover and you are good to go. If your duvet is quite old and washing isn’t enough, maybe it is time for a new one. You can check our collection of down duvets on our website as well as our sateen bed sheets that compliment them.
If you enjoyed this article, you can read other useful and interesting post we have on our blog and make sure you subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest tips and promotions, as well as notifications on when we post again. Also follow us on social media where we post interesting and helpful content on the topic of sleep, down, and more! Good night!
