

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Washing a Comforter at Home

PSA: “Dry-clean only” is pretty much a lie.

a white sheet hovering over a white bed, surrounded by bubbles
Khadija Horton

These days, it’s likely you’re doing more Netflixing, chilling, wining, and dining in bed than usual, so it’s high time to wash your comforter.

And no shade, but you probably can’t remember the last time you did (was it…the beginning of this month? That seems like six years ago). And if you’ve been putting it off because the label says “dry-clean only,” welp, that’s ~kind of~ false, according to Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Boyd, cofounders of The Laundress. “You can wash mostly all comforter fabrics at home—even if they’re considered dry-clean only.” In many cases, you can wash and dry it by machine. Or you can wash by hand in your bathroom (if you don’t have access to a washing machine or don’t feel like braving a laundromat right now) and then hang it up to dry. Let the experts guide you through the simple steps of how to clean your comforter, from pretreating stains to maximizing the freshness between washes, and it’ll be back on your bed and snuggle-ready before you know it.

Back up: So you’re saying comforters are safe to machine-wash and dry?

For the most part, yes. “Just about any type of comforter can be machine-washed with the fabric-specific detergent and water temperature,” Boyd and Whiting say. As for the dryer, not so much—before you throw anything in the laundry, double-check the label for the fabric composition. Silk, wool, cashmere, and velvet comforters should not go in the dryer and need to be air-dried instead. If it’s down, linen, cotton, polyester, or pretty much anything else, the comforter is good to go in the dryer after washing by hand or machine-washing.

Get going on the stains first.

If there’s visible evidence from the wining (or coffee drinking while WFH) you’ve been doing, don’t panic. Just be sure to pretreat the stain before throwing it in the washer or hand-washing—the spot has a better chance of getting clean that way. Whiting and Boyd recommend their Stain Solution for anything from yellowing to coffee and red wine. Make sure the stain solution gets right on the spot, and use a stain brush to scrub the stain a bit before washing. You may not have a stain brush casually lying around the house, so if that’s the case, use your finger to work it into the fabric (without rubbing the stain into the fabric too much), they suggest.

Consider the classic washer and dryer method.

The easiest way to wash a duvet insert or comforter is to throw it in the washing machine, if you have one.

First, choose your cycle: It should be set to woolens or delicate. Wash with cold water and set the spin to medium or low.

Make sure the detergent you’re using is specific to the fabric of the comforter and that you have the appropriate amount of detergent for the load size and machine type. Whiting and Boyd advise using their Wool & Cashmere Shampoo for down comforters and their Delicate Wash for silk duvet covers.

Reusable Dryer Balls (Pack of 6)
Honey-Can-Do homedepot.com

To dry (as long as the comforter isn’t wool, cashmere, velvet, or silk—if it is, check out the air-drying instructions below), your dryer should be set on the low heat or low tumble cycle. For duvets and down comforters, it’s a good idea to add wool dryer balls or clean tennis balls to the dryer to fluff up the feathers and filling, the founders advise.

When the cycle is halfway done, take the duvet or down comforter out of the dryer and shake it out to redistribute the feathers or filling. Flatten out any clumps by hand before you put it back in the dryer. It’s important for the comforter to dry fully to prevent mildew.

Pro tip: If the filling is still clumping, that’s a sign that the comforter still has wet spots inside. You may need to repeat the drying cycle until all the moisture is out of the comforter.

Try the hand-washing strategy.

Comforters are a little bit trickier to hand-wash, but if you have no access to a washing machine right now or have a broken one, you can make it work with a bathtub, Whiting says.

96.5 inch Retractable Clothesline
Rebrilliant wayfair.com

First, make sure your tub doesn’t have any grime hanging around. Scrub it down with an all-purpose cleaner or a bleach alternative.

Then, fill up the tub with cold water and add the appropriate detergent (Wool & Cashmere Shampoo for down comforters or Delicate Wash for silk). Hand-mix the water to create a soapy solution.

Leave the comforter in the soapy mixture for about 30 minutes before removing it and draining the sudsy water.

Refill the tub with clean, cold water and then place the comforter back in the water to remove any other soap suds hanging around. Then drain the tub again and roll the comforter up a couple of times to wring out as much water as possible.

To dry your comforter without a dryer (especially if it’s a delicate fabric such as velvet, silk, or cashmere), you’ll need to shake it out a bit to make sure the feathers or filling aren’t clumping up before you hang it. Whiting suggests draping it over a tub or a drying rack—anywhere it is suspended and can dry as quickly as possible to keep mold and mildew from growing.

If you have a balcony, drying the comforter out in the sun is the best-case scenario. Or place it near a window or fan to speed along the drying process.

Keep it fresh between washes.

Portable Fabric Wrinkle Remover
Storagemaid wayfair.com

It’s just as important to keep your comforter clean between laundry loads, especially if you’re napping like it’s an Olympic sport right now. One expert trick from Whiting and Boyd is using a steamer to cut back on odor, wrinkles, and bacteria between washes. Pro tip though: Never iron or starch a down comforter—that can actually melt or damage the feathers and filling. If the comforter needs a bit of a scent boost, no matter what the fabric is, use any other fabric spray you have on hand to keep things smelling fresh.

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