I have full-size down comforter. The tag says to wash it in a front loading commercial washer. Could I get away with washing it in my normal washer at home?
Some information regarding caring for your down comforter can be found here Including:
Size does matter, never forget it!!
Further information on caring for and cleaning your down products can be found here
My down comforter was dry clean only ( just what I wanted, to sleep with all those nice smelling toxic chemicals) I had it done once but it came back not all that clean anyway.
The next time I just threw it into my top loader and came out just fine. But on the safe side be prepard to buy a new comforter or washer or both. You shouldn’t have any problems though. BTW it did take a couple of drying cycles to completely dry. Good Luck
We have a large capacity top loader washer, and I washed a king-sized down comforter many times. It always came out ok.
I always put it in the dryer with a clean tennis shoe, and this seemed to fluff it up and help separate the feathers.
The problem with washing it in a regular washing machine (the one you may wash your clothing in), is that it’s a very, very tight fit. Think “sausage”. Depending on how dirty your down comforter may be, it probably won’t get very clean if it’s stuffed into a washing machine with little or no room to agitate to get clean. Plus, you run the risk of snagging the fabric on something (like the edge of the agitater) and ripping it. The industrial washing machines at the laundry mat are larger and are better prepared for handling that size load. In addition, it can be tough on the transmission of your washing machine at home if you’ve stuffed it full and the clothing is packed in there. (I actually had a washing maching that burned out the transmission because of HallGirl 1 repeatedly stuffing it full when she did her laundry. She’s no longer allowed anywhere near the washing machine.)
Also, at the laundry mat, you have the option of putting it into the huge dryers, which you’ll need since drying it can take forever (at least three cycles, depending on the length of drying time you can buy). To plump up the comforter (and keep the feathers or down from clumping) and to dry faster, throw a pair of (clean) sneakers into the dryers. They’ll “knock” the clumps loose.
Make sure the comforter is dry though, before you put it on the bed, or into a cover. Nothing worse than laying under a damp comforter (and I speak from experience).
Am I the only one who read the OP as “Washing down a comforter”? What would you use for that? Beer? Fiber’s one thing, but geez.
Yes.
I ruined a very nice quilt-block throw pillow that my grandma had made by washing it in an agitator washing machine; ripped the quilt blocks completely to shreds. The commercial washers toss the fabric up and around, thus saving strain on the stitching.