or is DP regarding duvets?

[Notagainmun]

Twice a year I change duvets, 4.5 tog for Summer and 10.5 for Winter. We have one double and two king size beds in total. At this time of year I wash the lighter ones before storing but I buy inexpensive 10.5s and bin them rather than try to wash and dry them as I believe it would probably cost more.

DH doesn't think they need to be washed or binned for several years (MIL never did). I think that all the sweat, drool and other bodily fluids makes them rank. I also wash the feather pillows one a year (summer) and change mattress covers and pillow protectors four times a year and he doesn't see the need to wash the pillows - ever!

I donate anything I no longer have use for to charity, whether it's clothing, cosmetics or toiletries. I don't have "money to burn", but I don't think contributing to an increasingly disposable society is such a good thing, really - if there is use in a thing, give it to someone who can use it before you bin it.

So no, I don't think the OP is getting a hard time, tbh.

I was told by my dry cleaner that it's not worth cleaning polyester duvets, and to just buy a new one...I was a bit surprised.

I bought a feather/down one that I get cleaned.

I tried washing a king sized duvet once. It wouldn't fit in my washer so I used the bath. It nearly killed me. The bath was filled and sloshed everywhere, I couldn't get enough water out of the dratted duvet to lift it out of the bath and when I finally managed to drag it downstairs, soaking the carpet in the process, I wasn't strong enough to lift the dratted thing onto the line.

Now I keep the same duvet (in cover that is washed regularly!) all year, top up with blankets if it is cold and when the duvet looks a bit manky I pass it on to next door who repairs cars and uses them for mopping up oil spills etc.

I suppose I could try ds's single duvet in the machine but it only cost £4. If he spills something gross on it I suppose I could give it a go, but until then I'll rely on the Tardis duvet cover.

Down is cruel. I buy wool ones.

Charities don't take bedding like duvets. People don't wash them and they don't want stinky duvets teeming with housemites!

Charities aren't obliged to take your dirty crap just to make you feel better about your, er, worthy lifestyle.

Fwiw, having pillows that are more than 6 months old is disgusting. The asthma society recommends washing all bedding including duvets and pillows at 60degrees every week.

High temp washing kills the dust mites, but wrecks thepillows. Getting new ones is better for everyone.

Bleurg at not washing the duvets or pillows. Double bleurg at thinking charities want your manky stuff!

I can fit a king size 10.5 tog duvet in my washing machine. Granted, you do have to really stuff it in but it comes out fine.

I can only imagine what my leccy bill would like washing 5 duvets, 6 pillows every week on top of our sheets and mattress and pillow covers. Thankfully, none of us has asthma or allergies, so I wash all pillows and duvets once a quarter and use pillow protectors.

Certainly don't throw them out unless they are knackered. Even cheap, it's wasteful and a lot of people don't have that kind of money to burn.

I have a king-sized, down duvet that's 20 years old. I have it service washed for about £12 and use two duvet covers on it. How wasteful to throw it out!

The asthma society and come and do my housework for me then because that's not happening.

I work for a charity and have worked for many. Some will take bedding, depends where. We had several, massive washing machines at the shelter I worked in and we used to wash all the bedding we were given.

Fwiw, having pillows that are more than 6 months old is disgusting.

Do you honestly think that people wash or change their pillows every 6 months?
I assume that you never sleep in hotels or at friends houses.

The asthma society can suggest what they like.

I have only ever thrown away one duvet. That was when dh had peritonitis and his wound had been leaking to nearly saturate the duvet. I wore gloves, and protective clothing to stuff it into a bin liner. Maybe making a bonfire would have been more hygienic. Ho hum.

Plenty of charities take duvets and bedding - animal shelters in particular. And if they're too manky for the charity to sell to the public, they can sell them by weight to the rag trade.

The asthma society recommends washing all bedding including duvets and pillows at 60degrees every week

No they don't
I quote from their website:

A hot 60 degree wash of sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers once a week means there’s less chance of dust mites living in your bedding
www.asthma.org.uk/knowledge-bank-living-with-asthma-healthy-indoor-environments

Bit unfair on the OP here, we found the same - no car and no laundrette in this town (! but true) and the professional laundries charge 20-25 pounds per wash for duvets (plus the faff of carrying a massive duvet on the bus), so we've also been in the same situation where a high tog winter duvet is cheaper to chuck and replace than have washed. And it would still be the same price to have it washed if it was an expensive duvet!

I like the idea of the two 4.5tog ones press-studded together - think we may try that, as we can get a 4.5 tog one in our machine (just not a 10 tog one).

Also this website has suggestions.
As it says even though the charity shops might not want it for its original use they can sell it for its rag value.
www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk/where_can_I_recycle/duvet.php

Hilarious thread.

Very wasteful to chuck duvets away, animal charities at least would have them.

As for washing duvets and pillows every week, really?

I keep my duvet 2-3 years and don't wash them unless something's been spilt and gone through the cover. It doesn't seem to have caused me any problems.

What do people class as a decent duvet? Mine was about £40, how much would you spend?

I take my duvet to the dry cleaners every six months when I swap from summer to winter - they pack it up beautifully so it's easy to store. I am at the thought of chucking one every year! Add up how much you spend every year then buy a decent one that will last you for years and years with regular cleaning.

(I got a new duvet this year which was just under £300 - I expect that to last for years)

I admit I won't use a launderette for anything. The thought of putting my clothes in a machine which has had other people's clothes and bedding sloshing around in it makes me feel quite sick.
I throw duvets out when they get manky. Sorry everyone but I honestly couldn't sleep at night under a duvet that had been washed in a launderette.

How much does it cost to dry clean a duvet petitdonkey?

Blimey there is no way that most people I know could afford to spend that much on a duvet.

What does it do?

If you want to throw YOUR duvet away they you can do that. It's YOURS. MN is the only place I've seen people get so upperty over someone else's property going in the bin like the biscuit thread

There are billions of people in the world. If everyone did this, there would be 7 billion duvets per year chucked away. That sort of makes it everyone's business. If the OP has her own landfill, I suppose it's her business.

People wash quilts? I've never washed mine, though admit I'm a shit housekeeper. I can understand it for kids though if they still wet the bed.

My quilt doesn't fit in my washing machine and the local launderette ain't local (over 0.5 mile away and I don't drive....can't be arsed to bring it by foot.) I could take it to dry cleaners but what would I use in the meantime?

I use covers, they keep the quilt clean surely?

YABU to wash feather pillows OP!. I did that once and they didn't dry properly. The smell of damp chicken-y feathers is still with me to this day in a dark place of my memory.

Seriously though, I think we could learn a lot from the make do and mend generation. Yes it is your duvet to do as you wish with, but we are such a wasteful society and there are alternatives you could look at. The amount of landfill we have is shocking.

I was told by my dry cleaner that it's not worth cleaning polyester duvets, and to just buy a new one...I was a bit surprised.

I've read that before too - on MN.

If you don't have access to a laundrette and only have a small washing machine, the only option is dry cleaning, which is, sadly, more expensive than getting a cheapie from primark.