Can you wash duvets in the washing machine

And who wants to lug a big duvet to the launderette or dry cleaners? We recommend a duvet and pillow wash every few months particularly for allergy sufferers — or at least twice a year. While our pyjamas and bed sheets are the first line of defence, stuff builds up in duvets over time. One of the biggest nasties are dust mites — microscopic mites that can be present in their thousands. They live on the dead skin cells everyone loses while in bed.

Washing helps cleanse the product of any accumulated dirt, moisture and dust; it keeps it hygienic and refreshes the filling. If people have allergies or asthma dust mites can make symptoms worse. Mop up any excess liquid as soon as possible. Try and move as much of the filling away from the area you need to clean and tie the area off with an elastic band.

What about other alternatives? Wondering how to wash a duvet in the bath? However, you should do it at least on an annual basis, and every six months is probably better especially for a duvet owner who has asthma or allergies. Martha Stewart suggests, 'Besides a cover, a duvet comes with the all-important insert, which can be filled with feathers, wool, fibers that are sustainably grown, or synthetic fibers.

Though some inserts can be machine-washed, it'll last longer if you get it professionally laundered once or twice a year. But you can definitely use a natural detergent to get your bedding hygienic. Natural laundry detergents include plant-based ingredients, but the best still deliver the cleaning results you expect. As well as being eco-friendly, you could find they avoid the skin irritation other products may cause.

Sarah is a freelance journalist and editor writing for websites, national newspapers, and magazines. She loves testing the latest home appliances, revealing the trends in furnishings and fittings for every room, and investigating the benefits, costs and practicalities of home improvement. It's no big surprise that she likes to put what she writes about into practice, and is a serial house revamper. For Realhomes.

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Fresh Home Blend. New Interactive Homekeeping Planner. New Guide to Going Paper-Less. The Complete Printable Kit. Are you ready for a new way of cleaning? Sick of coming home and feeling overwhelmed by all you need to accomplish? Let's change that! I love comforters and duvets. They are luxurious, help to make bed-making a breeze, and just give that extra level of comfort to sleeping. Not everyone loves them — maybe you prefer quilts or blankets, but if you do you have a duvet or a comforter or two in your home, you might want to know how to wash it at home.

The best part? Keep reading for the simple step-by-step directions. A comforter or duvet can be made from down or synthetic fibers.

Typically a comforter is sold with a solid color cover or a decorative print and not designed to be used with a cover. Whereas a duvet is an insert that is placed inside a duvet cover, much like a pillow with a pillow cover. My preference is a duvet with a duvet cover — I wash the duvet cover with sheets — either one is a great option for your bed.

There have been a couple situations where we definitely needed to launder our duvets but for the most part if you have a cover on it, you can easily freshen up your duvet before you need to all-out wash it. If you need to freshen up your duvet or comforter, simply put it in the dryer on low heat with three wool dryer balls or three clean tennis balls. I will stop it every 10 minutes or so to redistribute the duvet or comforter and then repeat for a total of minutes. This fluffs up the duvet or comforter and redistributes the filling for a freshened up bed.

If you are wanting to kill germs but not wash it, put the dryer on high heat and keep an eye on it, rotating every minutes and dry for 30 minutes. Most bedding has care direction labels on them — always check those labels before putting them in the washing machine or dryer.

There have been times when I have disregarded the directions because it was more expensive to have something professionally laundered then it was to replace it. Remove the duvet cover if you use one.