Duvet users - how often do you wash yours?

BitterAndTwisted

For winter I use a duck-down duvet and I think I've only ever washed it once in X number of years. I have a couple of white 100% cotton "duvet protectors" bought at John Lewis which go under the duvet cover and that gets laundered when I change covers. I look at it like this: how many times back in the Olden Days did wool blankets get washed? Probably rarely, if ever. I know when my sister and I were at boarding school we took the blankets out into the garden at the end of each term and gave them a good thrashing with a carpet-beater. To my knowledge those blankets were never washed in all the time we attended.

My synthetic summer-weight duvet gets laundered when the winter one goes on as it's much less bulky and will fit into the washing-machine, which the duck-down one will not. That just gets a shake and a good airing before it goes into summer-storage.

Cazza

On reading this thread I realised I'm not sure when my Summer duvet last was cleaned, so it's just gone in so I can make the most of the warm weather to get it dry. Please tell me I'm not the only person to have been prompted by this thread?!?!

For anyone wondering, it's a 4.5 tog, standard double duvet and my WM has a 7kg drum, it fits in nicely. There's no way the Winter duvet will fit, it's 12 tog, but it does go in the laundrette machines without any problems.

System

Mines a 4.5 tog too and it fits in my washer quite easily. I wash mine 3 or 4 times a year.

sparrer

My king sized 13.5 tog duck & goose down duvet is damp washed during the bedroom's Spring clean, using a clean tea towel wrung out in washing powder dissolved in warm water and wiped over, then rinsed the same way. I go over both sides (strip the bed first but leave the plasticised mattress protector on) then it hang on the line to dry and air. I turn it round and over every time I change the cover, ie 8 turns in total, so if it's going to get grubby it does so evenly. The old synthetic one I use as a mattress topper goes into the machine at the same time. Answer, in short, it gets washed once a year

building_with_lego

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

Ugh, pillowcases. Or to be more accurate, other peoples' pillowcases. My hubby's always develops a big dark greasy looking mark in the centre which I'm sure is just hair wax but I keep thinking is dirty hair residue

_pale_ same here, it's revolting! You can tell which are 'his' pillowcases as they're much more faded due to being washed twice as often as mine.

building_with_lego

All you throwers-away of duvets, do you really throw them away as in into the bin?

Our local pet shelter is always after donations of old blankets and pillows for their whelping b itches and their elderly animals. I'm sure they'd be glad of duvets too.

anotheruser

I have washed the duvets twice in about 5 years.
I've got one of those that has a thin part, a thick part and can be doubled up for extra warmth in winter.

They don't really need a wash as there is always a cover on them. I never see any dirt on them anyway.

When I did wash them, it was in the bath using a few kettles of hot water and about double the amount of washing powder (although I use gel now).
Distress it a bit, then leave it for a soak. Come back, do a bit more turning and distressing then hang it on the line on a warm day. Very heavy yes, but better than spending money on a new one every year.

marmiterulesok

building_with_lego wrote: »

All you throwers-away of duvets, do you really throw them away as in into the bin?

Our local pet shelter is always after donations of old blankets and pillows for their whelping b itches and their elderly animals. I'm sure they'd be glad of duvets too.

That's a great idea,thanks for suggesting it.