Can I clean a feather comforter at home w/out taking it to the cleaners?
Question:It's just every day wear & tear, dirt, dust, & smells I want to get rid of. I'd like that fresh smell back. Is there a way to clean it at home? It's white.
Answers:
Hi,
I used to own and operate a fine drycleaner. You have several priorities to arrange in making this decision, especially in the case of more expensive down comforters- Cost, Cleanliness, and Integrity.
1.Cost- Unless you have a high capacity front load washer, take it to your nearest laundromat and for a few bucks (wash and dry) you could have it done on the cheap. The drycleaners will charge you in the area of 20 dollars and up, depending on weight and size.
2.Without a doubt, washing in a front load washer will outperform drycleaning in cleanliness and give you a 'fresher smell' that you can control with your own detergent. Also, if your drycleaner is not thorough, there is a chance you may end up with a residual odor of perchloroethylene, the most common solvent used in drycleaning methods.
3.However, standard washing will strip the feathers of their natural oils, which is how oftentimes you end up with a 'crunchy' down comforter after a few times. The drycleaning method will definitely maximize the life of your down comforter thus maintaining its original feel or integrity.
If you do end up washing in a commercial front load washer, try to place dryer balls (tennis balls or even a clean pair of slip on shoes) in the drying process to distribute the feathers evenly. And if you have a back yard or somewhere outdoors, try not to dry it all the way(as the dryer promotes further breakdown of the feathers) and put it out IN THE SUN to dry.
And while I'm talking about putting things in the sun, if you ever had an old futon mattress that was all flattened over time, put it in the sun. The sunlight will heat up the fibers inside causing them to expand and regain some of its original cushion. And of course, this should be done regularly with futon mattresses- once a month would do wonders for it.
hope this helped
Well, depending on it's size, you could put it in the dryer on air and no heat for a while, you could hang it out on the clothesline for a while if you can. Some can be washed in a front loader/tumble washer, check the care label.
I have done this and as long as you can get it dry you should be OK. I had a feather bed that I washed and it really smelled bad and it ripped open and holy cow what a mess I ended up throwing the feather bed out. But the comforter if its not too big should be fine. Like I said drying will take some time.
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