Bedding question that frankly, I am ashamed to ask

[roaringwater]

I have had a home of my own for 22 years, been married for 20 of those and have quite old children.

However, I am embarrassingly clueless about some elements of housekeeping. While I do change the bedlinen (even I am not quite this filthy), I don't really know what you're supposed to do to keep the actual pillows and duvets clean. To be truthful, every now and again, I just crack and buy some new ones in IKEA. Surely there must be a better way?

Also, I have no idea why I don't know this stuff - my parents' home is immaculate. I was a very studious, bookish child: this was greatly lauded and encouraged and I wasn't ever shown how to do practical things (e.g. figured out for myself how to clean a bathroom when I bought a house.)

Advice from more capable people would be great.

I buy new pillows every couple of years or so, duvets get hung on the line to air in the summer.

I wash them all. I have a very big washing machine.

All our duvets fit in the machine so get washed every couple of months. Pillows too.

Duvet gets washed at seasonal change-over, pillows also get washed periodically but are never the same afterwards, so mostly just the protector gets washed until I feel the need/have the funds to risk it.

No idea what one is MEANT to do. But I do the following.
All pillows have pillow protectors on (we have cooling ones). Not talking about pillow slips, they go on over the protectors. About twice a year I wash these protectors. Once a month in summer I put pillows, with protectors out in blazing sun for the day, I reckon this will kill anything. In winter too bad, so sad.

Have mattress protector on bed and that gets washed/changed roughly every 3 months and mattress Aires that day, then rotated and turned.

Doona’s get put out in blazing sun once a month in summer, with the pillows. Don’t get done in winter.

No idea if any of this is necessary, we are all still alive though.

I don't wash them either. I washed the little cotbed duvets when the kids were little but now they're in full-size/full-tog duvets I don't. I do wonder about it sometimes though/ Especially when I see the yellow stains on the pillows.

I remember years ago when I was living in Italy a salesperson knocked at the door, extolling the virtues of this high-suction mini vacuum cleaner for cleaning mattresses. When I confessed I didn't really have use for such a thing, she asked if I just used the old-fashioned method of beating the mattress with a stick-like implement. She clearly couldn't countenance the fact that I maybe didn't do either ('filthy English woman' she probably thought). I've often wondered how often I should beat my mattresses.

Still, everyone in the household is still alive. And we don't seem to get sick any more than anyone else (probably less so in some cases).

I have pillow protectors on all the pillows.
Bedding is washed every week, pillow protectors & mattress protector are washed every month.
The day I change the bedding I strip the bed & hang the duvet out to air for the day then make the bed again in the evening.
It hangs outside on dry days, inside over the balustrade on wet days.
Pillows get pegged out on dry days too for the day.

I can wash quilts in my washing machine so probably do it every 6 months or so but can be more often if people are sick.
I replace them every few years when they need it.

I would replace them more often if I couldn't do them in the machine at home.
I don't buy expensive ones because of the cost of having them cleaned.

I just buy new when needed. I’ve changed all pillows except my own as I’ve never found a replacement that’s as good as the one I use.

We get ours service washed every so often at a local laundry. They would cost hundreds to replace so this is the better option!

I use www.mr-duvet.co.uk/ for duvets annually and wash all other bedding weekly at 60 degrees. There's no room for a king-sized duvet in my washing machine.

When I was using feather/down duvets I used to take to the laundrette once a year. We now have silk which I air on a sunny day.

I find even supposedly washable pillows get misshapen so use a protector. My lit seem quite slobbery

I just buy new ones every so often , pillows in particular are really cheap. I always have some spare new ones in back of cupboard

Ikora it's not too bad. I trample it in clean water after draining the soapy water then drain that & trample for a bit longer. Then transfer it to a large plastic washing basket & lug it downstairs. It either goes over the top of the wirlygig or I arrange airers & drap it over them to dry in the sun.

Also lots of people saying about pillows going lumpy, mine do but I just keep shaking them out until they feel nice again. I've honestly had the same pillows for years & they weren't expensive & are still lovely & comfortable.

HoppingPavlova I get very excited at some blazing sunshine! I wash my goosedown pillows and put them in the garden to dry, constantly turning them. They bleach in the sunshine and smell lovely when they are finally dry.

we just buy new when needed. I will never try washing a duvet again after i tried putting ours in the washing machine the whole kitchen was flooded it broke the machine lesson learned never put your duvet in your home machine. it was a bloody expensive lesson to learn lol

People who are sending their duvets to be machine v washed elsewhere, are they feather duvets?

I use pillow protectors under the pillow covers
And a mattress protector under the normal fitted bed sheet.

The machine wash routine goes:

Machine wash/ change bed linen every week

Machine wash mattress protector and pillow protector every 3 month

Machine wash dawn pillows every year

Machine wash dawn duvet every year (summer time for fast drying)

I put a new tennis ball in the machine with the dawn duvet and pillows as it helps to fluff up the dawn filling

All these pillows and duvets being sent to landfill!

Our duvets are down, or feather and down.
Ditto pillows.
They all wash perfectly.

But the same would go for all-feather, or synthetic.,
BTW you must never dry clean these things. Residual fumes are dangerous!

Daft to keep buying new, IMO, esp.if you have a tumble dryer for pillows (though I use my TD a lot less nowadays) but any laundry will wash a duvet for you. Unless you buy very cheap synthetic duvets it must be cheaper (and less wasteful) to get them laundered.

Having said that, animal shelters, dog and cat rescues will gladly take old duvets. We took some really old ones to the local Dogs’ Trust a few years ago - they were pleased to have them.

I don't own my own home, but if I ever do I'd use pillow protectors rather than wash the pillows themselves. I do wash pillows at work (domestic in a nursing home) but find it a complete waste of time/money because they always come out lumpy to some degree. As it is, I use my own pillows until they get uncomfortable to sleep on then buy new ones and donate the others to my dad/charity.
Never washed my duvet but it doesn't smell and I'm not dead yet lol.

People who are sending their duvets to be machine v washed elsewhere, are they feather duvets?

We don't have feather duvets, but when I take any of mine for a service wash every so often, they always ask me if it's synthetic or feather, as you have to pay more for a feather one to be dried.

i have washed both pillows and duvets with success. no softener and tumble drying is a must. all our stuff is good quality, no poly- fluff etc. not sure if that is good or not for washing. I'm sure i would have read the label before trying it though.

if you don't already i highly recommend hoovering your mattress. although be prepared to go straight out to buy yourself a new mattress shortly after.

You can wash the duvet in the bath if necessary. Need a free day and lots of energy. It involves lots of walking up and down on it. Need an airer in the bath. You can only lift a bit of the duvet at a time. Hang a foot of duvet over the lowest rail and keep moving up during the day as it drains.

Much easier to use the launderette though.

My duvet is wool so just gets aired
Pillows have pillow protectors on

I use my own pillows until they get uncomfortable to sleep on then buy new ones and donate the others to my dad/charity.

Am assuming your Dad uses them other than for sleeping on, otherwise that could sound a bit mean!