Taking care of your duvets helps to keep them looking good for a very long time. You don't need to wash your duvet every time because the duvet cover will protect it from dust and dirt. If something stains your duvet, you should wash that area with warm soapy water. However, there are times when you will have to wash it completely. Duvets and pillows are often forgotten during laundry. People do wash bed sheets quite often but tend to abandon the duvet or leave it for a very long time. You should actually wash the duvet cover at least once per week. You also need to wash pillowcases every other day to keep your skin looking fresh. But you should endeavour to wash duvets and pillows at least every one or two months. A fresh and sweet-smelling pillow might be the difference between sleeping well and not enjoying the night. Although people wash pillowcases, they simply do not wash the pillow itself.
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If you don't wash pillows for a very long time, dust mites can begin to breed. These mites feed on the dead skin cells that everybody sheds while sleeping. People also tend to sweat a lot more in bed and lose about 200ml of sweat every night. Because of this, you have to ensure that your duvets and pillows do not go unwashed for a long time. When you wash your bedding, you get rid of any accumulated dirt. When you wash duvets and pillows at 60°C, you tend to eliminate dust mites. However, you need to check the care label from the manufacturer to ascertain whether your pillow or duvet can be washed using a machine. While washing, use a gentle setting with mild laundry detergent. You should also run an extra rinse cycle in order to prevent your duvet or pillow from having leftover detergent. Then, you tumble dry your bedding on low heat for about 45 minutes or even put out in the sun to dry. Now that's the general way of washing duvets and pillows but there are more specific procedures of washing various types of duvets and pillows. Beddings are made from different materials and that impacts how they are to be washed. Let's check them out below.
The simple rules for washing your duvets and pillows are:
- Wash with cool water
- Machine wash at 40°C ( for cotton, feather and feather down), 60°C for synthetic and tumble dry
- Do not iron or bleach. Before sending your bedding to be duvets and pillows to be dry-cleaned, ensure that the care instructions says that it can be drycleaned.
- Feather or down fills
There are simple rules concerning machine wash for beddings. You should wash at 40°C and tumble dry. You are not to iron, bleach, or dry clean duvets or pillows. You need to be sure whether they are to be hand, machine, or dry clean washed. If you are using a machine, you should be sure that your duvet can fit. Check your duvet for any hole and fix it to make sure you don't lose any feathers in the washing machine. If your duvet is white but has some stains, you can use whitening washing powder. Always remember to use a mild liquid washing detergent on a gentle cycle in order to keep the seams intact.
Do not use any bleach or brightener because they make the fabric lose its protective down-proof layer. Fabric softener also tends to coat the down and cause a delay in drying. Fluffy pillows and duvets usually retain soapy water and detergent so you have to run some extra rinse cycles. Thorough cleansing for duvets requires about three rinses. Then, you tumble dry on low heat and shake during the cycle. When you take feather duvets out of the machine, they look darker in color but will return to their original color when dry. You can use the sunlight but it might take a while. Down tends to sweat when exposed to direct sunlight and might result in an unpleasant odor. It is also possible to use dryer balls or balls in a plastic bag to beat the duvet as it dries in order to prevent lumps from forming. Ensure that you do not spread a half-dry duvet on your bed. Allow drying completely to avoid mildew.
Cotton
You can wash a cotton duvet with either your hand or a machine. When using your hands, scrub as much as you can and change the water about three times while washing. You also need to rinse properly to avoid detergents from sticking to the duvet or pillow. If you're using a machine you should wash on a cool gentle cycle at 40°C. You should use the appropriate amount of liquid detergent. Cotton duvets don't go well with bleach or whitening agents. Make sure you tumble dry on a cool setting, take out of the dryer and hang outside so the air can complete the drying process. Do not forget to turn it over so both sides can dry well. Cotton pillows are easy to wash. It's better to wash pillows and duvets separate from other clothes. You don't want to mix pillows with other fabrics in the machine because their colors and materials may differ.
Synthetic or microfiber fill
Synthetic pillows and duvets can either be hand or machine washed. You might have to check the care label to know how best to wash synthetic beddings. If you are using a machine, wash with a warm, gentle setting at 60°C. Be sure that your duvets can fit into the machine and wash without stress. Super king size duvets have to be washed in a large capacity machine. A large machine will be able to handle all of the fabric. Make sure to wash using a mild liquid washing detergent and use a minimal quantity to ensure it's properly clean. Synthetic duvets and pillows should be tumble dried on low heat and shaken a few times during the process. If you have white synthetic duvets, don't use bleach. Whitening agents are the most recommended. It's also advised to use dryer balls to beat the duvet as it dries. This will help prevent lumps from forming. You can use tennis balls packed in a pillowcase if you don't have dryer balls. Synthetic beddings should be washed alone and refer to the care label for any special instructions.
