How to Wash a Comforter or Duvet

According to the American Cleaning Institute, you should wash your comforter every month. Why? Aside from inevitable stains and spills, you dream away body oils, bacteria, and dead skin cells on your pillows, bedding, and mattress while sleeping.

Dust mites feed on those dead skin cells, which can trigger allergies and asthma. You can’t see the little critters, but they’re sharing your bed, potentially making you stuffy, sneezy, or wheezy instead of sleepy. Almost every home has them (4 of every 5 homes, the American Lung Association says). Washing your bedding can control this nuisance.

Your comforter isn’t likely to be as soiled as your sheets, but it can still harbor bacteria that can disrupt your health and dreams. So it’s a good practice to toss that comforter into a washing machine pretty regularly. How often depends on a few variables. Is the bed used daily? Do you invite your pet to snuggle on it? Does the comforter come into direct contact with your skin?

“Some people don’t have a sheet between the comforter and themselves,” says Rich Handel, CR’s laundry expert. “Others allow pets to jump on the bed. Who knows where Whiskers and Duke have been? Washing it once a month may work, but if you’re using the comforter as your top sheet or have pets on it, washing more often may be necessary.”

In most other situations, Handel recommends washing your comforter every one to three months for a bed that’s used daily. If the bed is unused (in a guest room, for instance), he recommends washing the comforter every six months to remove the dust that settles on it. It’s also worth taking into account what type of fill your comforter has. Down alternative comforters can generally stand up to more frequent washings, whereas natural down comforters should be washed more sparingly. Check the care tag on your comforter to be sure.

A duvet is a thick bed covering typically consisting of a plain white shell stuffed with a natural or synthetic fill such as down feathers, wool, polyester or other down alternative. The terms “comforter” and “duvet” are often used interchangeably, but comforters are generally one-piece coverings with a decorative shell, whereas a duvet has a cover that can be removed and washed separately. Coverless duvets have a somewhat more durable outer shell so that they can be used with or without a cover.

Most duvet covers and duvet inserts can be washed. But read your duvet’s care instructions to be sure. Like comforters, duvet covers should be washed monthly—more often if pets lie on them. The insert can be washed every three to six months, since it doesn’t generally come into direct contact with human skin or pets.

“The insert is similar to a comforter,” Handel says. “Some natural fillers will have special instructions, so read the care label before throwing it in the washer.”

You can wash a comforter or duvet at home if you have a large-capacity washer. That, along with mild detergent and some optional drying tricks, will do the job just fine. To effectively wash either type of bed covering at home, follow these steps.

Make sure your machine can handle it. Cleaning a comforter requires a large-capacity machine. How big depends on the size, thickness, and type of fill. Handel recommends a washer with a capacity of at least 4.5 cubic feet, although that might not be large enough for a thick, overfilled comforter. That’s why some manufacturers recommend a minimum of 5 cubic feet, which can tackle most king-size coverings. Front-load washers are ideal. High efficiency (HE) top-loaders can also get the job done, but they can be rougher on fabrics. Check your washer manual for guidance.

Can you safely wash a comforter in a machine with an agitator? Handel says yes, with some caveats. “Most machines can be used if they are big enough and your comforter is not delicate,” he says. “But you wouldn’t want to put a family heirloom comforter in an agitator machine for fear that it may be too aggressive.”

If you’re rocking a small compact washer and a larger comforter, grab a good book and take a 2-hour time-out to go to your local laundromat, where commercial-sized washing machines can easily wash and dry comforters of any size.

To allow airflow, a dryer’s drum runs much bigger than a washer’s, so there’s usually room to tumble a comforter, especially if you dry it by itself. Maytag suggests using a dryer with a capacity of at least 7 cubic feet. Again, read the care label before drying, but in general, it’s best to dry comforters and duvets with low heat. High heat may damage the fabric or filling.

Be patient with drying; it can take a while for a comforter to dry completely. If your dryer has a bulky or bedding cycle, use it. Here are a few dryer tricks that may be helpful:

• To assist drying speed, reduce clumping, and circulate air more efficiently, toss two or three wool dryer balls in with your damp comforter (clean tennis balls work for fluffing, too). Adding a dry towel to the load can help the comforter dry more evenly.
• Pause the cycle every 30 minutes to fluff the comforter for even drying. Your dryer’s moisture sensor (if it has one) can also promote even drying.
• After removing your comforter from the dryer, it’s a good idea to air-dry it for an hour or two.
• If you skip the dryer altogether and choose to air-dry, you’ll save energy, but it may leave the comforter’s fill unevenly distributed.