How to Wash a Comforter: 5 Tips to Keep Your Duvet Clean and Fluffy

Tripboba.com - When we’re talking about a comforter, we’ll immediately imagine the soft, fluffy covers keeping us warm and cozy. But did you know that they are perfect hosts for dust mites and debris that collect over time, increasing your chances of an allergic reaction?

This is perhaps where you start to get in an urge to wash it. Taking it to the dry cleaner may be the easiest solution ever, but learning how to wash a comforter at home is also important. Keeping your comforter clean is vital to your health, and, what's more, the lifespan of the comforter itself.

In this article, you’re going to learn how to wash a comforter on your own in proper ways.

How to wash a comforter in a washing machine

Flickr - Photo by Wendy Tyrrell

You can count on your washing machine at home to wash your comforter. Wash the comforter with the machine set on the gentle or delicate cycle, using cool or warm water. Since every comforter is a bit different, check the care tag or contact the manufacturer for detergent suggestions. 

The trick to drying the comforter is by doing on low heat with a few tennis balls to plump it up. You can put the tennis balls in clean white socks to avoid potentially leaving marks on your clean comforter.

How to wash a comforter without it getting lumpy

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We don’t want to damage our fluffy comforter. So if you’re wondering how to wash a comforter without making it lumpy, here are some tips you can try:

1. Use a large capacity washer and dryer. Your comforter needs room to agitate and tumble.

2. Remove the duvet cover, if applicable. Duvets should be removed and washed separately, so don’t be lazy.

3. Check your comforter for holes, tears, or loose threads before washing. Make sure all of the stitching is secure before you place your comforter in the washing machine.

4. Place the comforter into your washer carefully. If your top load washer has an agitator, place it loosely around the washtub and try to keep the load balanced.

5. Using a delicate cycle is sufficient to wash your comforter.

6. Use an extra rinse option. An extra rinse helps wash away additional dirt, pollen, detergent, or dust mites.

7. Dry on low heat or no heat setting, then finish it on a comforter rack for 1-2 days to finish drying.

8. Pay attention to the signal given by your machine which reminds you to reposition bulky loads midway through the cycle to help combat balling and tangling.

How to wash a comforter in a top load washer

Flickr - Photo by Michelle Reitman

Can you wash a king size comforter in a top loader? The general rule of thumb on how to wash a comforter is that a front-loading washer with a tub that holds at least 3.7 cubic feet or greater can safely handle washing a king-size comforter. 

Do not put anything else in the washer when you wash the comforter, or it stands a chance of not coming clean. Mixing other clothes during the cleaning can also potentially damage your comforter.

How to wash a king size comforter

Flickr - Photo by Stephan Caspar

In the previous explanation, you’ve come to an understanding that you’re advised not to wash your comforter in your machine if it’s too small for it won’t be able to accommodate the size of your comforter and may potentially damage it. 

So if by chance your home's washing machine is too small to fit a king comforter, you can take the comforter to your bathtub instead. Fill the bathtub halfway with warm water and a capful of mild laundry detergent. Immerse the comforter in the water and wash it gently for a few minutes by hand.

How to wash a white comforter

Flickr - Photo by Stephen Mackenzie

What else that we want other than having a well-kept, clean white comforter? White color often times makes us anxious, we just don’t want our white comforter to get dirty easily.

If you want to get your comforter white again, one thing you should bear in mind is to step away from bleach. Bleach can actually cause fabrics to yellow over time instead of whitening them. 

Instead of bleach, you can opt for either lemon juice or baking soda and vinegar. To use lemon juice, simply add ¼ cup of lemon juice to your load of whites right along with your detergent. The powerful citric acid will work on those tough stains during the wash cycle.

If you want to use baking soda and vinegar, add half a cup of baking soda to your load along with your regular detergent. Then just before the rinse cycle, add half a cup of white vinegar to the load. Don't worry, the vinegar smell will rinse away.