To desperately ask…Do you wash….

[hejsl]

Duvet cover and bottom sheet together or separately?!

People can be idiots @hejsl…always assuming that their life experiences are the same as everyone else’s and not considering perspectives behind their own.

You won’t break the machine washing them together. Just don’t overload it as that is more likely to cause damage and won’t wash properly. So if it feels ‘stuffed’ in there, take something out.

Overloading can potentially cause problems, that's true.

Our machine is 10kg capacity and we have bog standard double size bedding, so it's not an issue. But as @andthat says above, if it's too full just take something out.

Do the buttons up on the duvet cover so stuff doesn't get swallowed by it and make the wash inefficient and hard to sort out.

Set the spin to 900 rather than 1200 - I was told to do this to prolong the life of the machine and ours (god, don't jinx it!) is now getting on for 18 years old.

Unless you have a really gigantic king-size ++ duvet cover, I would have thought a standard 8kg drum would manage a duvet cover plus bottom sheet, plus pillow cases, plus top sheet if you use one. My machine does fine with this sort of load - but can't you tell if the drum is overloaded or not?

If it puts your mind at rest OP, just this morning I've wash a king size duvet, sheet, pillow cases and some trousers and hoodies all in the same 9 kg machine, that wasn't even full.

This is typical of how I've done washing for nearly 30 years and in that time our first washing machine still worked when we left it at our old house as it was 11 years old and as it was probably on it's way out we didn't want to move it only to have to get a new one shortly after.

The second one lasted about 16 years and the third one, only being around 2-3 years old is obviously just about new so I've no concerns about it needing replacing any time soon.

I don't as the sheet always ends up inside the duvet case and doesn't rinse the soap out properly but I think it's because my machine is tiny. My mothers is twice the size and the few times I've done them together in her machine there was no issue.

If you are doing them together and they are not coming out covered in soap keep doing it, otherwise maybe split them.

Also, with our first machine, I actually weighed the volume of washing that appeared to fill the machine and found that the weight was less than the full capacity, ie we think they're full when they're not so not in danger of overloading.

I've read that as long as you can get your fist in the machine above the washing, it's not overloaded.

Together....unless you have white sheets and a dark coloured duvet cover

Duvets, sheets and pillow covers from our bed and ds bed all together on a 60 degree wash.

I was speaking to someone from Aus and they said that they always use a top sheet under the duvet cover so that they only have to wash the top sheet and bottom sheet and not the duvet cover

See, I want to know when this changed in the U.K. I’ve always used a fitted bottom sheet and a flat top sheet plus duvet and duvet cover, but over the last years there seemed to be less and less choice of flat (top) sheets and now they’re hard to get at all. But I much, much prefer them. It makes laundry easier, protects the duvet cover and duvet, and just feels nicer.

To answer your question, OP, I find my duvet covers are usually darker than my sheets so I tend to wash the cover and matching pillowcases together, and the sheets separately, but it’s not a hard or fast rule.

The best way to look after your washing machine is not overload it; use powder not liquid and not too much; give it an occasional cleaning wash (ie empty); and remove tissues, etc and keep the filter clean.

I grew up in a Guest House and I am nearly 40 and I've lived away from home since I was 17.5.... quite honestly load the machine up... Sometimes if I am tumble drying my huge king cover it gets tangled a bit which makes it dry less effectively.

I wash mine separately depending on the colours, but when I have washed them together, I have never worried about them getting caught up and causing damage to the machine.

My duvet cover is very thick and tangles itself easily. I have no choice but to chuck that in the washer and it’s fine. I wouldn’t worry op.

Separately but only because the washing machine isn't big enough (and doesn't spin properly if we try).

The "man of the house" tried it as he didn't believe me....

Sounds like the crazy advice my mum used to share. 😂

Probably because it might have been an issue with blankets in an old twin tub!

Sheet, duvet cover and pillow cases all go into a hot wash when I change the bed. I am flummoxed as to why you are even asking this question. Then when they are all day I store the cover, the sheet and one of the pillow cases inside the other pillow case so i have everything to hand when I change the bed again.

I wash it all together usually, unless vastly different colours. Ours is super king but we have a massive washing machine and it all fits.

Fuck me some people get stressed about the weirdest things...

I've been washing duvet covers and sheets together for as long as I've been doing my own washing (over 20 years). No machine has ever been damaged, don't stress.

All in together
I have a double size duvet cover, fitted sheet and 4 pillowcases in an 8kg machine
Surely that's the usual way?

I understand you might be anxious about your machine but it's what they're designed for.
If it helps look up what constitutes a load for the capacity of your machine
You won't damage your machine
I've been doing the same for over 40 years!

Washing sheets is a boring enough chore without adding separately washed duvet covers into the mix!

The only one I washed separately is the Christmas bedding set. The fitted brushed cotton sheet is a virulent red and bleeds colour like a mofo. The alpine village scene duvet cover looks like it went through a massacre after I washed them together.

I wash top and bottom sheets together with the pillowcases. Doona covers separately but only because they don’t fit in the machine with the sheets.

That won't happen if you button up the duvet cover.

I wash duvet cover on its own. Sheet and pillow cases in a separate wash. I just feel they get a better wash like that.

Cat chewed off the buttons, he's a lil git and has a button fetish. I don't buy any clothes with buttons anymore.

That's adorable