Hi, thank you to all of you that posted so much helpful information! I just finished drying my second down comforter. They are both twin sized with a micro fiber type material on the outside. The idea of using two new tennis balls was really smart, they work like a charm. Here's something I noticed no one else mentioned. My cat decided to pee on one of my down comforters, YUCK, what a stinky mess! I was going to have it dry cleaned per manufactures instructions, but I knew it wouldn't get the cat urine smell out. So, I decided to look up how to wash one of these, that's when I found this website. If any one else has this problem, all you have to do is wash the comforter on the gentle cycle. You will need baby detergent (I used Dreft), fill up the washer with cold water on the large load setting on the gentle cycle, add about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of WHITE vinegar, swish the water around to mix everything up, as you add your comforter to the water squeeze as much air out of your comforter as you can and place it around the agitator (you will probably have to force the comforter under the water as much as possible, let it wash. Once it's done immediately remove the comforter, open it up and place it in the dryer, add two or three brand new tennis balls on top (depending on how big your comforter is). I used the timed dry setting, for my twin sized comforters, it took two 20 minute sessions each. Make sure you keep checking them to make sure they're not getting too hot, you may have to keep taking the comforter out and opening it up to make sure it's drying evenly. Make sure you dry them completely or it could mildew. I hope this helps. Also, you can use the vinegar trick with clothes, towels, sheets, or pretty much anything you can wash in a washing machine. Works every time!! Good luck.

I have washed my down comforters and other items for many years. From an old thread: Purchase special down washing soap from a camping store or use Cuddledown down-washing product. In a pinch you can use sweater washing products without built-in f/s, but NOT liquid Woolite. The ban on Woolite applies to FL's as it is very sudsy. If you were doing this in a TL, Woolite would be OK. Do not use regular laundry detergents, especially anything with enzymes (like Cheer for instance) which will be very hard on the down. Most regular laundry detergents have various additives that could be very damaging to the down by stripping it. The special down soap is worth the trouble to locate. I have had very good luck with stuff from Cuddledown, and they sell by mail order. I prefer a product called Downe, but it may be hard to find. First inspect the comforter very carefully to locate and repair any tiny tears or seam rips. If you don't do this beforehand you will be picking the down off the inside of your machine. Pretreat any especially grimey areas with a bit of the liquid down soap. If the spots are really bad, push the down away and use a liquid spot cleaner product just on the soiled area of the shell. Rinse well in a bath tub to remove as much of the pretreater as you can as it will be hard on the down. Take the comforter down to your washing machine and stuff it in. Do not be worried if it barely fits; it's full of air and when that is pressed out, it will wash just fine. Run a cold, rinse-and-spin cycle (or whatever passes for that on your machine, even a quick wash program). DO NOT ADD SOAP at this point. Keep repeating this cycle until the machine has completely saturated the item and the spinning action has collapsed the down and driven the air out of the comforter. It should look quite smashed. It is now ready to be washed. Set the machine up for a short to medium length wash period with a high water level, at mildly warm temps with gentle action, with as many rinses as possible and an energetic spin cycle. Often gentle action comes with an attentuated spin cyle. If that's the case, don't worry about it. After the gentle wash cycle is completed, leave the item in the machine and perform a high-speed spin-only program to drive out as much moisture as possible. Use only a small amount of the down soap, as it often is quite foamy. Use NO fabric softener, though a bit of vinegar won't hurt. When you retrieve your comforter after the wash cycle it will look utterly awful, but that's OK. In fact, if it doesn't look like you've pretty much ruined it, it probably isn't clean! I generally try to do comforters on warm breezy days as I like to alternate machine drying with line drying. However I always start with a period of machine drying. When you purchase the down soap you should also get some fat nylon rings. These are necessary to bang up the wet down clumps and add some necessary static electricity at the end to regain maximum loft. Some people use clean tennis shoes or tennis balls, instead, but I find the rings more satisfactory. You can put them in clean cotton socks if the banging is annoying. You can also get these rings at pet stores that sell Nylabone dog toys. Run the dryer at low temps for an hour or more. Pause it occasionally to check that things are going well and to shake out the comforter. After an hour I would hang mine out in the wind, and alternate between periods of 2 or 3 hours outside and another hour in the dryer. The shell will dry hours before the down will, but you absolutely must soldier on and get the filling fully dry. You can pause the half-dry comforter overnight if you don't want to run it while you're sleeping. Just hang it somewhere outside the dryer and arranged relatively loosely. You do not want to allow any opportunity for the down to get moldy before it is completely dry! You will know when it is fully dry because the it will regain its original loft and a careful "feeling" of it will reveal no little bumps of clumped (and therefore still damp) down. Home-washing of down items is a lot of work, but the advantage is that they are cleaned without drycleaning solvents. Properly done they will wind up clean, soft and sweet-smelling. HTH, L.

I too have recently purchased the 328's and love them. The they are in a main floor laundry room (wood subfloor with wood laminate flooring) and the washer is very quiet. The only time I hear it is when it is filling for the rinse cycle. Don't know why that is noisier than filling for the wash unless it is the sound of the water going thru a different compartment of the dispenser?? Its unbelievable how quiet it spins when its really revved up. Sometimes it will wobble slightly when its first starting to spin and then once it gets balanced and takes off - doesn't move at all. I don't think there is any cycle other than sanitize that will heat the water, but I don't understand why that would be an issue?? I mean, if you want the water that hot, why wouldn't you just choose that setting? I really like the dryer also. As far as the wrinkle release option, I think it heats for awhile then cools down. The refresh cycle I think just heats. The wrinkle prevent will intermittantly tumble on just air for 90 minutes after clothes are dry. I didn't see spending $300-400 more for the set for the steam option. We don't have alot of clothes that need to be dry-cleaned, so I don't think I would have used that option enough to warrant the cost. I have used the SilverCare option once. Just wanted to see if there's a difference in the way the clothes smell, but they smell fresh regardless of the option I use. I think SilverCare is great for scrubs that would be ruined if they were bleached but yet they need sanitized. I just forget to use that option :) Overall - thrilled with my purchase. We were replacing Maytag Neptunes purchased on '01, which are still fine (gave them to son and DIL) Never had a mold issue with them, so don't intend to have one with my new ones. I do leave the door open on my new Samsung washer so it can dry out. I didn't do that with my Neptunes because it had an interior light. Hope this helps in your decision making. I don't think you can go wrong with the Samsungs.

We do have a dog, but I close the door on the dryer as soon as I take out a load. Hubby did find one this morning, caught in the sleeve of his sweatshirt. I really don't know how I missed it, I always hang our shirts on hangers and usually make sure the sleeves are hanging straight. But I missed that one! Now to find the other 2! Yes, they can be noisy, but they do work. I won't go back to dryer sheets. :o)