How to Clean a Down Comforter

We all know that down comforters are really hard to clean, not that hard but still harder than the usual cloth cleaning that we do at home. This might be as down comforter are huge and heavy and most of the time, down comforters don’t fit in the washing machine. If you are going to hand wash a down comforter then you have to have really strong hands and more so, you need to be strong enough to beat the dirt out of the comforter.

Most of the down comforters in the market will state that in order for you to clean them, you need to dry clean the comforter. Dry-cleaning is good for those of you who can afford to spend money on its expensive cost. However, you can actually clean your own down comforter at home without the need to send them for dry-cleaning at the shop where it costs a lot to have it dry-cleaned. You just need to follow a few steps as mentioned right here and your down comforter will look as if you just bought it from the store; as good as new.

To clean a down comforter, you need:

  • Dryer balls, canvas sneaker or tennis balls
  • Mild laundry detergent
  • Bleach (if it is applicable and suitable with your down comforter)
  • Washer and dryer
  • Dry-clean kit for your dryer
  • Duvet cover

Cleaning a Down Comforter

How to Clean a Down Comforter

  • First thing to do is to take your down comforter from your bed and just place it into your washing machine
    • For a white colored down comforter, you can add some bleach dispenser into the washing machine and the bleach will be automatically dispensed.

You must make sure that your washing machine is suitable and large enough to wash your down comforter. If it is not large enough, you should never try to wash the comforter because it is not suitable and might ruin not only your washing machine, but also damage the comforter.

  • The next step is to add a regular detergent into your washing machine. Most of the down comforters are made with white color fabric and regular detergent should be sufficient enough to clean them. But, you must wash the down comforter sparingly.
  • Once finished washing your down comforter,
    • It will look flat and you need to ensure that it is thoroughly clean before placing it into your dryer.
    • You will notice that your down comforter will look gray in color at first. After a while, you will be able to see whether it is clean or not.
    • Remember to set your dryer to the lowest setting when you start to do the drying process of your down comforter.
  • Next thing to do is to add some dryer balls
    • The purpose of using dryer balls is to fluff the down comforter so that it will look new.
    • For those of you who do not have dryer balls, you can also use tennis balls or even canvas sneaker in replace of dryer balls.
    • If you want a feel of fresh scent on your down comforter, you can simply add a dryer sheet.

By using dryer balls, you would be able to reduce the time of drying the down comforter in half. Besides that, dryer balls are also inexpensive and easily available at your local mall.

  • Once finished drying the down comforter, you need to dry it at least for a day
    • Make sure that you check your down comforter by fluffing it and also feel it to see whether there is still any wetness on your down comforter.
    • Also make sure that there is no moisture left in your down comforter. This is because you do not want the comforter’s feathers to be flattened by the moisture.

Take your comforter out of the dryer once it’s fully dry and place it back onto your bed.

  • Finally, once your down comforter has really dried thoroughly, you can put it back to your bed.

    Always remember that when you want to use your down comforter

    • Ensure that it has dried thoroughly.
    • If it is not thoroughly dried, it will create mildew when you store them in your closet. You must also store it in a cool closet that has good ventilation.
    • Try not to clean your down comforter too often as you do not want its feathers to break down.

With patience and time, you can easily clean your down comforter without making a trip to your dry cleaning shop.

Image Credit:

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