How often do you wash your duvet and how do you do it?

[lurcherlover]

I have a king size, 13.5 tog feather duvet. The label says it is dangerous to dry-clean it as the chemicals could get absorbed by the feathers and be poisonous, but it won't fit in my machine. So how do I wash it? And how often should I do it? Is it disgusting that I haven't washed it in two years?! I do change the bedding regularly....

Take it to laundromat, I do it once a year (I reckon I should go 2x/year). I'd wash at 60 or with Napisan at 30.

Take it to a launderette. Or get the drycleaners to wash it. Simples.

I have a cheap crappy kingsize duvet that is cheaper to replace than get cleaned. So when the children/dog/cat has pissed/vomited/poohed on it I get a new one

Am looking forward to a swishy feather one once the children are a bit older and less, erm, productive.

Never

Never [slattern emoticon]

I send them to the cleaners, who either wash or dry clean my duvets, depending on the instructions on the label.

Dry cleaners usually have a duvet laundering service, they send them off somewhere to be washed rather than dry cleaned.

About once a year is probably right, although I've been slack about this since discovering MNfor the last couple of years.

Glad I'm not the only duvet slattern! I didn't even realise dry cleaners could wash stuff, how thick is that? Thought they only dry cleaned...only thing is, what am I meant to do whilst it's there? I assume I'm not going to get it back, washed and dried, on the same day!

Shit - I am such a slut when it comes to good housekeeping.

On the up side I have used my Nectar points to get 6 months of Good Housekeeping magazine (I wants the christmas recipes).

On the downside - it has never occurred to me to wash my duvet.

Damn it. Let myself down again.

I send them to the laundrette where they wash them in giant machines. And then dry them in giant dryers. I send them 2-4 times a year.

Never.

I'm obviously obessive as I take our duvets to the dry cleaners to be washed and dried in their large load machines every 6 months. I time it so it goes in spring and autumn while it's still warm enough to sleep under a blanket while it's away as it takes a few days normally.

Cost me about £15 for our Kingsize and DS's single duvet last time. Well worth it for lovely, clean, fresh duvets IMO.

swap them over in winter and summer so they get washed and then put away, laundrette has a large washing machine that can do it. if it's a cheap duvet though, it might be worth just buying new every year. our guinea pig cage usually gets insulated with last years kids duvets

I bought an extra large drum washing machine so I can wash ours at home. We do all of ours every six months as well as pillows. I know how much my DH farts in his sleep and I could not stand the thought of his miasma gestating as long as a human baby in the duvet.

As a somewhat side issue, how often do people replace their duvets and pillows?

I know there's that test for pillows where if they droop they need replacing, but is there a similar one for a duvet?

(I have several droopy pillows but can't bring myself to shell out for a new set for everyone).

What's the droopy pillow test WhatsWrongWithYou? I've never heard of there being a test!!

We got our duvets with wedding vouchers so they must be 5 years old now. Not planning on replacing them soon as they still seem fine. I guess at some point they become more dead skin than filling though no matter how often you wash them. Yuk!

You balance the pillow on your arm and it should stay plump and level.
If it sags either side then it's become saturated with dead skin etc. and should be replaced.

Ew. Couldn't it just be because the feathers have got flattened?

20 minutes in the tumble dryer usually sorts flattened pillows out. Makes them lovely and fluffy again

DS is only 3 but wants a pillow. I agve him a flat one on prpose so he doesn't hurt his neck.

Ours get washed at change over time: Spring and Autumn. My P have a huge Dyson washing machine and i do them in that! :o

We've got a four season super-kingsize duvet.

The 10.5tog section goes to the cleaners in the summer when we move to the 4.5tog bit on it's own. Then the 4.5tog bit goes to the cleaners in the autumn when we go back to the 10.5tog bit.

So we are never without the right bit of duvet - finally I've found a system that works .

You can buy duvet hygiene covers (normally retailed as duvet allergy covers) which prevent the skin cells getting on them (you have to wash the covers). If you put them on a new duvet, technically, unless you wee on them, they should stay relatively clean and grot free.

Oh - and I'm gradually investing in SpunDown machine washable duvets (as and when ours need replacing) which I'll be able to wash at home.

We bought one of those four season duvets but in 5 years, it's never been cold enough to need more than the 4.5tog part. DH and I are obviously warm people!

I take mine to the laundrette. big drum mashine and drier afterwards. use non bio powder, only half of what I would normally use for a full load.
I do it once a year after hayfever season.
ds has a thin cotton and polyester duvet which fits our mashine and which I have to wash at least once a week (potty training).

I also take mine to the launderette to use the big machines, it's cheap and doesn't take long (and I can sit and read in the cafe next door while I'm waiting).

I probably wash them less often than really hygienic, but much more frequently since reading , which estimates the living biota of the average Dutch bed. (Warning, you might not want to know these details...).

One useful tip I have to offer is when drying your duvet, chuck in a couple of (clean) tennis balls. They bounce around in the drum and break up any clumps of feathers so you get nice even drying and a nice even feather distribution afterwards.

I also use the same trick on down sleeping bags and jackets.