Now I Have to Wash a Down Comforter.
nerdyshopper
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (32)
mamapinky0
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Have you ever washed a down comforter?
Comments (22)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....See MoreNow Where Do I Wash the Dog?
Comments (13)Thanks, everyone, for the great feed-back. We are checking into the possible code issue, dekeoboe. Thanks for the heads up. Because the bathroom used to be much bigger, it houses a large built-in vanity which makes positioning utilities less than efficient. That's why the small shower. I'll see if I can figure out graphics to post a layout for more help. Bill, I love your picture. Well, your dog's picture. I was raised by a rough collie and have always loved them. And I have clipped many of your posts to get pointers for when we try our hand at tiling the bathroom -- porcelain ceramic tile, right? (Wood floor now; what a disaster!) In fact, I was going to ask you if you recommend one of those kits for building the shower: Schluter or Kerdi? We have been struggling to figure out if a free-standing stool is best or built in. Sounds like several of you are recommending stools. I love THS. We are in our 60's with a limited budget, getting our tiny cottage as low maintenance as possible as the arthritis advances and the hairline recedes. You people have been invaluable. Thanks, all. Deb...See MoreDown comforter - washing tips?
Comments (10)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....See Morecan I wash down coats in a FL?
Comments (9)I've been washing down items for more than three decades. Do use special down soap, not the products made for de-scenting hunting gear (even if the label says to do so). Don't use woolite or lingerie soaps, they can gum up down, destroying the natural loft. You can buy down soaps from camping stores and by mail order from Cuddledown. Use only small quantities of the soap (less than a tablespoon, probably more like a teaspoon or two, max.) Here's the drill: Inspect the item very carefully for tiny rips and tears that can leak down. Make repairs as necessary; if you're resewing or patching use tiny stitches, and use oodles of them. Pre-spot any really stained areas with a small amount of the down soap. Rub it in, let it set, then rinse and repeat. In the worst cases, you may be able to push the down aside enough to use stronger pre-treaters, but must work to keep them away from the down and rinse well before going on. I usually err on the conservative side since additional dirt will be washed away, but weakened fabric or too-harsh treatment of the down can do more damage than a small stain. Remove any detachable hoods. Childrens clothes probably dont have draw strings, but on adult items secure the draw strings in way that doesn't draw in the item. Assemble a mixed lot of down things of about the total bulk of an adult's jacket. (Except of course for comforters and sleeping bags, which are larger. These can be done singley, even in the smaller European 5K machines, but present other challenges.) Put the items in the machine and run a cold, or barely warm fill, short or no agitation, rinse and spin cycle, with no detergent. The purpose of this cycle is to force the air out of the down item using the machine's power. If the items look squashed,"drowned rat" is my usual description, you have suceeded. Now, begin another cycle with warm water and a small amount of the down detergent. Do NOT use regular detergent and do NOT use any fabric softener. This is the actual washing cycle. This should should be a gentle action, relatively short wash, high water level cycle. It's perfectly OK to have a normal spin, in fact it will make getting the tiems dry easier. Move the stuff to the dryer and dry on low for about 45 min to an hour. I use plastic rings made of nylon (like Nylabone dog toys) to help get the down broken up but I don't use them for the first half hour or so to limit wear on the fabric. I prefer to remove the items from the dryer at this point and give them a couple of hours outdoors on a sunny breezy day, followed by a final period of drying in the dryer with the Nylabone rings. It can take several hours of dryer time, so don;t be surprised. At each change over I feel the item carefully to locate any hidden pockets of wet down and nudge them apart. The items are dry when they feel and look dry, puffy and lightweight. But if you are going to store them for the season I would hang them in an airy place for an additional couple of days just to make sure all the moisture is out. Down stuff stored with even a trace of moisture will be ghastly when you get it out again. Better safe than sorry on that. If you have a "down emergency" in either the washer or dryer, stop the machine and collect all the loose down and sew it and the leaking item into an amply-sized cloth packet and continue on with the process. For a child's jacket you would need a pillowcase, larger items need larger encasements. Afterwards you can find the hole(s), restuff the down and close things up tidily. Unless forced by an unexpected event, don't start a down cleaning project unless you will have time to carry it through with no delays. Wet down items (or worse yet, wet feather items like pillows)can get irremediably vile in less than a day if the drying process is not substantially completed. Molly~...See Morenerdyshopper
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoAnglophilia
7 years agonerdyshopper
7 years agoenduring
7 years agoUser
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agomamapinky0
7 years agowekick
7 years agonerdyshopper
7 years agowekick
7 years agonerdyshopper
7 years agomamapinky0
7 years agowekick
7 years agorococogurl
7 years agomamapinky0
7 years agoUser
7 years agomamapinky0
7 years agohisown
7 years agonerdyshopper
7 years agoenduring
7 years agokimdee24
7 years agomamapinky0
7 years agowekick
7 years ago
Related Stories
BEDROOMSTrending Now: 25 Bedrooms We’d Love to Fall Asleep In
Looking for a comfortable and calm space? Consider some of the most popular new bedroom photos on Houzz
Full StoryPAINTINGHelp! I Spilled Paint on My Clothes — Now What?
If you’ve spattered paint on your favorite jeans, here’s what to do next
Full StoryECLECTIC STYLEHouzz Tour: Eclectic Down-Home Style in Texas
A Texas family goes for comfortable, colorful furnishings and crisp white walls for a look they call ‘Southern Americana’
Full StorySMALL SPACESCottages: The Comfort Food of Architecture
Soul satisfying and as snug as a favorite sweater, a cottage knows how to roll out the welcome mat
Full StoryROOM OF THE DAYRoom of the Day: Comfort and Sophistication
San Franciscans take their living room from cold and uninviting to warm and welcoming
Full StoryLIFEThe Polite House: How Can I Tell a Construction Crew to Pipe Down?
If workers around your home are doing things that bother you, there’s a diplomatic way to approach them
Full StoryFEEL-GOOD HOME10 Friendly Furniture Pieces for a Comforting Home
Comfortable? Check. Sociable? Check. These enduring favorites never go out of style
Full StoryMOST POPULAR6 Kitchen Flooring Materials to Boost Your Cooking Comfort
Give your joints a break while you're standing at the stove, with these resilient and beautiful materials for kitchen floors
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Casual Comfort in a London Victorian
Unfussy furniture and a simple palette give a renovated home for 6 an air of ease
Full Story
rococogurl