Can You Dye a Down Comforter?
Heavy down comforters are the favored blankets of people who live in cold climates. Lighter weight down comforters are great for milder climates. If you can't find a down comforter in a shade that you like, you might decide to dye one to match your decor. Before you do, carefully consider other options.
-
Can You Dye a Down Comforter?
-
The short answer is yes. If your comforter is made of an all-natural fabric such as cotton or silk, it will accept a fabric dye.
Should You Dye A Down Comforter?
-
No. Dyeing a down comforter should be an absolute last resort. Without access to professional dyeing facilities, the process of dyeing a down comforter is sure to be a messy, costly and possibly disastrous process.
-
The Problems with Dyeing A Down Comforter
-
When you wash a down comforter, you must have a larger washing machine to handle the bulky item. It takes a lot of water to penetrate all of the feathers. When the comforter has been washed, it must be machine dried. Down comforters take several drying cycles to completely dry. If the comforter is not completely dry, the feathers inside will smell like a wet duck and then begin to mildew.
If you attempt to dye your comforter, you will need to submerge it in an enormous vat of dye (a quality dye in this quantity would be very expensive), most of which would be wasted dyeing the feathers inside that no one would ever see. Next you would have to find a way to thoroughly rinse the comforter to remove all of the excess dye. You could conceivably attempt the entire process in your washing machine, but it could dye your washer, and the dye could also lurk to damage other clothes later. At the very least, you would have to run it through multiple rinse cycles. Every time you wash a comforter, you risk ripping it. Imagine the mess a dye-filled pile of feathers could make in your washing machine or home.
What if You Remove the Feathers Before Dyeing?
-
Most good down comforters are made with quilting or baffles. Quilting and baffling create separate pockets in your comforter to prevent all the feathers from lumping together. Quilting creates a barrier using thread, and baffling involves an actual fabric barrier. If your comforter is of good quality, you would have to destroy it by removing its quilting or baffles to extract its feathers.
Choose a Simpler Solution
-
If you do not like the color of your down comforter, simply purchase a comforter cover (also called a duvet cover). A comforter cover is a fabric envelope that encloses your comforter like a pillowcase covers a pillow. If you cannot find one in a color you like, it would be relatively easy to purchase a white one in a natural fabric and dye it a desired shade. Duvet covers can also be sewn from the fabric of your choice.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Feather - Photo from Morguefile
