Double duvet- launderette

carolinosourus

Hi all,

I have a synthetic, 10-tog double duvet. It won't fit in our washing machine at home so I'm going to take it to a launderette. Never having used a launderette before I'm looking for some guidance! Can I fit the duvet and 4 pillows into one machine? How long does it usually take? How much does it cost? Anything I should know so I don't make any huge mistakes?

TIA,

Caroline

angeltreats

Funny you should ask this, I was wondering the same thing. Except ours is a king size.

There isn't a launderette in our village but there's one in town six miles away. But I've read conflicting things about how to launder a duvet - some people say that if it's a feather/down duvet (which ours is) it's best to dry clean it. Morrisons do it for £14 (or 2 for £20) which is nicer than sitting in a launderette for hours on end.

We used to occasionally use a launderette in London and I'm not sure you'd get the duvet and all the pillows in one machine at a time - perhaps the duvet and two of the pillows. But I suppose they vary. And you'd probably get them all into the dryers which are enormous.

pinkmami

Sometimes works out cheaper buying a new duvet!!!!

Caterina

First of all you need to check whether the duvets/pillows are machine washable, the label should tell.

The only problem with dry cleaning is that it leaves horrible fumes and chemical residues in the duvet and you got to breathe very close to it, and even more so in the pillows!

I have used launderettes for large duvets every year, in fact I am planning to do my annual wash soon, for all the family. It does not cost a lot to wash, probably between £5 and £7 each duvet (in a large machine you could manage to fit two normal size ones), but the cost is more on the drying, unless you only part-dry them and then hang them to dry in the sun (sad sardonic laugh...)! Or on the banister, more like, given the state of the weather!

You can wash your pillows in your own washing machine if they are machine washable, and dry them in your dryer if you have one, or hang them to dry for a fairly long time indoors (or not too long if a rare sunny day appears!).

HTH

carolinosourus

Both are machine-washable, they're all John Lewis! I've washed 2 of the pillows and dried them in our machine at home, just thought if I was doing the duvet anyway I might just do them all. No washing line or banisters to dry the duvet over so it'll have to be done in the dryer.

I'll let you know how I get on!

SpikyHedgehog

My launderette does my king size duvets at £12 for a service wash & dry. My sisters & I used to be packed off to put the duvets through a wash & dry in the summer holidays, but I've decided my time is worth more than the saving ;-). I actually only take my thick duvet & DS1's thick duvet up, as I can fit the thin ones & DS2'S single duvets in the washing machine. (When it's working...)

j.e.j.

I find that one large duvet (double or king size) will fit in the big machine at the launderette. I don't know if launderette washing machines vary in size from place to place but I don't think you'd fit 4 pillows in, too, or if you did they wouldn't have much room to agitate/wash properly.

If you bring your own washing powder when you go it'll save a bit of money.

A large machine costs about £6.40 where we are, and for tumble drying 20p gets you about 3 minutes or something crazy like that! I find it costs a couple of quid, maybe £2.50 to tumble dry a duvet there.

The launderette, if it's manned, might also do a service wash for you. I think this costs about £15, depending on the weight of the duvet.

(I know it's sometimes cheaper to actually buy another duvet, but you feel bad throwing out a perfectly good quilt, just because it needs a wash, don't you..)

anyway, hope this helps.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

You need:

Ikea bags. Best laundry bags around.

Large dose of soap powder in ziplock bag.

Magazine. Book. iPod.


Check with the lady working there what change you need for the biggest machine. Load machine as normal.

Put half your powder in first wash section, half in second. She will help you if you like. Turn to hot wash. Always hot, never warm. Place coins in slots, double check for a pillowcase. Then push slots in.


Machine starts. Sit back and enjoy enforced rest.

When finished, start emptying your twenty pences into the tumble drier. Open the door, fluff and check regularly. Put a fortune in the drier.


Remove huge, fluffy marshmallow like bedding at end, put what came in one Ikea bag into at least two ikea bags as they've puffed up so much.

Go home, considering whether you could justify putting your stuff in for a service wash and iron, as the woman you have just watched plough her way through a bag of ironing in about ten minutes and made everything look perfect, can't be earning much. And you do like the idea of ironed sheets and starched shirts........

hannahsmamma

I buy the cheapest duvets I can find and when they get dirty I throw them out! It costs a fortune to use the launderette and is only 15p cheaper to wash them rather than buy new ones.

carolinosourus

So, I was looking at the duvet thinking "it's not that big, surely", looked at the label and it says that the single and double size can be washed in a large capacity domestic washing machine. Ours isn't massive, 7kg weight capacity but I figure I'll give it a go, if it doesn't work then I'll take it to the laundrette or just replace it while the clearance sales are still on. Any excuse to go to John Lewis...

carolinosourus

j.e.j. wrote: »

(I know it's sometimes cheaper to actually buy another duvet, but you feel bad throwing out a perfectly good quilt, just because it needs a wash, don't you..)

Absolutely! It seems incredibly wasteful. If I do end up having to get a new one I'll see if any of the animal charities (Battersea is just up the road) or any of the hostels might want it. That would make me feel a little better about getting rid of it.