How often do you wash your duvets?

[unlucky83]

Not the covers but the actual quilts?
Mind wandering whilst doing household drudgery ...
Changing DDs sheets and thinking to myself I will never buy cheap duvets again - DD2's is 4 years old -wasn't a 'value' but wasn't expensive and it is gone all lumpy...bit annoying really ...
Then looking at DD1s - its getting a bit thin now but not too bad - and when I bought that it would have been as cheap as I could get at the time (short of cash then) - bit blue stained from a duvet cover she once had but other wise... and gosh it must be ten years old ...
Then it dawned on me - although I get mine and DPs pillows and kingsize duvets (we have two - DP makes a nest in bed this stops arguments about duvet hogging) washed about every year -18 months - IIRC I have never ever washed DDs - so for DD1 that's never in 10 years! ...
(Pillows have protectors on that get washed - and they had new pillows a year or so ago - bought 4 cheapish ones for them & DP & I and they went flat within a month or so - now DDs have two of the flat ones in one pillow case!)
(before anyone says anything - they do both need new duvets - but I have inherited (good condition slumberdown) ones with a house I bought, left them there for workmen staying over and they got dusty and when I get round to it I get them washed and they can have those...)

Um. never? The DCs both had new ones within the last year though.We did have our king size duvet washed at the dry cleaners once but it cost £13 and they ruined it anyway.

However I did learn to never ever wash feather pillows in the washing machine. they do not dry properly and they end up smelling like a damp chicken coop.

Usually once a year towards the end of summer, to get rid of all the sweat and accumulated dirt, skin flakes etc. Or vastly more often if the kids have had d&v... Single duvets up to about 12tog will go in my home machine, as will our kingsize 4.5 tog, but the king 9 tog has to go to the laundrette, and does do about every 2-3 years. Should be more often but it's a bind sorting it out.

With you with the feather pillows (that's why I don't use them anymore) ...I tried that after a fire in my flat years ago ...everything that survived had to be washed in water several times to get rid of the smell of smoke...tumbled dried the feather pillows in the laundrette for hours and hours and hours - even undid them and tried to dry the loose feathers - a complete disaster ...
I could fit the single duvets in my washing machine ...just never have - the kingsize go to the laundrette - a complete pain ...
(guess could do it now but have a mountain of laundry! - won't be ready for them tonight...)

I take kids and my duvet to the dry cleaners every year.

Also manage to wash and dry my feather pillows at home - which is good because they get kinda smelly ... and new kids cheap pillows every year. (perhaps this is one area I'm excelling at, as I'm woefully inadaquate on all the other housekeeping threads).

People wash duvets? Unless they've been weed on, don't the covers keep them clean? Sure some of ours are 20 years old and never been washed.

Do people wash their sofa cushions too?

once after hayfever season is over. (mid june usually)
I take them all to the laundrette and tumble dry them there as well.

Yes to sofa cushions - once a year, but with pets, kids and illnesses could prob do with it more regularly. Was also thinking steam mop may clean the arms and back which arent removeable?

Glad you said that notcitrus - makes me feel slightly less bad...I think it might be cos small children's bedding (unless ill/accidents) don't seem to need washing as often as adults IYKWIM...
Think I should the good ones cleaned ASAP (if it every stops raining long enough!) and give their old ones to RSPCA/other pet rehoming centre...
(Then add it to my things to do but never got round to list so I can feel even more guilty...!)

Just came on to ask a similar thing!

DS is on residential trip so I'm doing a thorough wash of all his bedding - pillow protector, mattress cover etc. But the duvet doesn't seem to have a care label at all so I don't know if I can wash it ( no tumble dryer at home) or take to be dry cleaned (don't like the idea of dry cleaning chemicals near a child's bedding though).

It's synthetic one, not feather - if I wash on a gentle wash at home will it go lumpy?

I don't wash adult ones. Kids mini ones are easy to wash but I only do that if they have d&v.

dd's double I take it to the launderette every 2 years. Single ones in my machine in the summer so it drys quickly over an airer- to heavy for the washing line.

I buy a new duvet every year for our king size bed. (end of summer)

The DC beds, I wash every 3 months (due to them having asthma). Also, replace yearly.

The guest ones I have just replaced after using for 2 years (used for around 60 nights).

I always buy good quality wool ones, for us/DC. Only because I like to be warm and snug.

the dc's duvets get washed often (spills, nosebleeds, wee...)
they have ikea hollow fibre ones.
I can wash them in the morning and they are dry by bedtime. and are very comfy as well.

better should be fine but not in the tumble dryer, if it is a paper like not fabric cover.

All duvets and pillows and cushions go to the launderette once a year. They are all feather and I pay a little extra for a double drying. The pillows have pillow protectors and pillow cases, and the duvets all have duvet covers. So once a year is fine :)

What's the problem?

Never.

Once a year when I put them away.

I replace them every 18 months or so.

I think the service wash cost was £40 for four duvets (two doubles, two singles) 12 pillows and 8 large cushions. Far cheaper than replacing every year.

You can buy washable duvets that fit in home machine:
www.finebedding.co.uk/product/spundown-tog-duvet/
I think synthetic duvets go a bit yuk if not washed year upon year even though covers get washed obviously.

I'm the only duvet user in my household. I have a summer duvet (light tog) and a winter duvet (slightly heavier tog), both single. When I switch from one to another as the weather changes, I put the used duvet in a bag for a few months and then take it to the launderette to wash and dry and then put it away. So I suppose they each get used for 6 months then washed and unused for 6 months. The lighter one could probably be washed in a home washing machine.

Same as Jan-49. Heavy one used for six months - goes to laundry. Light one for six months - goes to laundry.

errrrrrrrrr ... never . Did take my duvet to the cleaners a couple of years ago and it was so expensive that I will just buy a new one. Ditto kids' duvets - I will just replace every few year. .

I would like to wash out duvets every year but it doesn't happen that often with the adult ones. The kids ones get washed at least twice a year if they wet from wee, water etc. I don't have a dryer so I first wash them at home and then I take them to the dry cleaners for a dry or if I have time to the launderette. It's because of the expense and the hassle that the adult ones don't get washed as often. But I MUST wash adult ones this summer!

I only buy feather, I can't stand synthetic. My duvets wash fine and dry fine.

I don't think my mum ever washed duvets, it wasn't the done thing. I had a lovely wool one for years that seemed self cleaning ;)

I think unless you have allergies/asthma the need for washing is not so high. I do believe that hanging the duvets out (without covers) on a sunny day will get rid of a fair bit of dust and moisture, so I do this once or twice in the summer. In the old days hospitals would take out mattresses on a sunny day.