Cleaning Instructions for Down Comforters
Down comforters are made of goose or duck feathers, which provide both comfort and warmth. Down comforters are often more expensive than regular comforters. Care must be taken when cleaning down comforters so that the feathers are not damaged. According to popular down comforter manufacturer Plumeria Bay, it is only necessary to wash down comforters every three to five years. Excessively cleaning a down comforter can cause damage to the feathers and may even shrink the comforter by three to five percent. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Laundry pretreatment spray
- Mild laundry detergent
- Washing machine
- Clean, white canvas tennis shoes (optional)
- Dryer
- 2 tennis balls
- 2 clean, white socks
Instructions
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1
Inspect the down comforter for rips or tears. These areas need to be sewn and repaired prior to cleaning. Failure to do so may cause the rip or tear to become worse and the down filling may fall out.
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2
Apply a laundry pretreatment spray to any stains on the down comforter. Allow the spray to sit on the comforter for at least ten minutes before washing.
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3
Make sure your washing machine is large enough to hold the down comforter. If the comforter is large, it may be necessary to take it to a laundromat to wash in an industrial-sized washing machine.
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4
Set the washer on the delicate cycle. Set the water temperature to warm.
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5
Place a small amount of mild laundry detergent (about half of the amount recommended by the detergent manufacturer) into the washing machine. Using too much soap in the washer may strip the down.
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Fill the washer with warm water. Put the comforter loosely into the washing machine. Put a pair of clean, white canvas tennis shoes (with laces removed) into the washer, if you have them. The shoes will help to ensure the down stays evenly distributed.
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Run the comforter through a complete wash cycle. Run the rinse cycle twice in a row to ensure that all of the soap is rinsed from the comforter.
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8
Remove the comforter from the washer slowly, wring out the excess water as you are removing it. Place the comforter into the dryer.
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Set the dryer on the lowest heat setting. Place the canvas tennis shoes, if you used them in the washer, into the dryer as well. If you did not use canvas tennis shoes, place two tennis balls situated into a pair of white socks into the dryer with the comforter.
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10
Take the comforter out of the dryer every hour and fluff it up. Place it back in the dryer to continue the drying process. It may take three hours or more for the comforter to dry completely.
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