Stinky duvet

September 1, 2009 2:19 PM

Why does this just-drycleaned duvet smell like garbage?

Just picked up our duvet from the dry cleaner and it smells really off. Not dry-clean chemicals, but more like rotting garbage. I also just picked up a coat from the same dry cleaner and it smells neutral, so it's probably something to do with the duvet itself, which is feather-filled. It was my partner's originally and he can't remember if it was ever drycleaned before or what it would have smelled like then. (At any rate, it shouldn't smell like garbage now.) What could be the cause of this and how can it be avoided in the future?

We are going to take it back to the dry cleaner and see what they can do with it; we're just wondering what's going on right now.

posted by pised to home & garden (8 comments total)

Is it natural down?

After washing, natural down can smell fairly bad for a couple days.
posted by jkaczor at 2:33 PM on September 1

I thought feathers and/or down should be wet cleaned rather than dry cleaned - that's what the label on mine says anyway.

If it's duck feather, it will smell a bit gamey anyway, but that will go after a bit.
posted by stenoboy at 2:39 PM on September 1 [1 favorite]

Just chiming in to say that when I wash my goose-down duvet (I have never dry-cleaned it), it REEKS for about three or four days and then that sort of dissipates. I'm guessing it's because the feather clumps take a long time to dry.
posted by mdonley at 2:44 PM on September 1

It's grey duck down, according to the label, which also says to dry clean only. So should we just let it air out for a few days?
posted by pised at 2:56 PM on September 1

yep, let it air out for a few days... hang it up in an area that get good air circulation preferably in sunshine. Shake it occasionally and manually pull apart and fluff up the feathers through the duvet cover. It's filled with dead duck parts. Makes a fair case for synthetic down replacements.
posted by Muirwylde at 8:44 PM on September 1

Grey duck down btw is 'code' for secondary feathers (cheaper feathers) that lay over the more expensive 'eider' duck down...white duck down (the stuff the duck wears closest to it's skin...)
posted by Muirwylde at 8:47 PM on September 1

...and thirdly (sorry), down duvets are technically, if at all possible, NEVER supposed to be washed or drycleaned. This is what duvet covers are for. The feathers loose their ability to loft and fluff as a result though you can usually get away with one cleaning without too much damage. I actually believe the product was mis-labeled and should have said "hand wash gentle only. Air dry."
posted by Muirwylde at 8:53 PM on September 1

It's smelling much better after hanging out in a sunny place for a couple of days, so thanks everyone!

Muirwylde, thanks for all the info. Definitely getting an easier-to-care-for duvet the next time we're in the market for one.
posted by pised at 10:43 AM on September 3