Please help me make peace with my high efficiency washer.

June 11, 2014 6:27 PM

I recently moved into an eco-friendly apartment building, and my unit has this high-efficiency Whirlpool washer. I foolishly did not consider how having this type of washer would impact my lifestyle- namely, that there is no way it can accommodate my full-size comforter. I really do not want to drive down to the laundromat every time I have to wash my comforter. If you have a HE washer, how to do work around this issue? Are there thinner, more heat-insulating comforters out there?

I should note that I take my showers at night, and set my thermostat to 73°F to help disperse the shower steam, and provide a comfortable environment for sleeping.

I also fall asleep faster when I feel protected and wrapped in a snuggly blanket (i.e., not a thin flat sheet-type of blanket).

Thanks to everyone in advance.

posted by invisible ink to Shopping (13 answers total)

Best answer: Could you use a duvet cover, and just wash that instead?
posted by three_red_balloons at 6:31 PM on June 11, 2014 [31 favorites]

Well, I have a very tiny washer/dryer and a very large and lofty comforter, and I combat the issue by putting a duvet cover over my comforter. Then, I can just wash the duvet cover when it's not-so-fresh, which takes up hardly any room at all in my washer/dryer.
posted by joan_holloway at 6:32 PM on June 11, 2014 [2 favorites]

Switch to a duvet with a duvet cover? We sleep with a down duvet and maybe wash the snuggly down part once a year; the cover is like a sheet and goes in a HE washer fine.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 6:32 PM on June 11, 2014

Buy a duvet cover for the comforter and wash that regularly.

On preview: heh.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:33 PM on June 11, 2014

I use two thin down comforters each in their own duvet. The covers get washed 2x a month and the comforters themselves get washed seasonally. They are thin enough to fit into a small HE frontloader similar to yours. I also have a third regular cotton/poly duvet that I use as an extra in the winter, in between the other two. It gets grimy rare enough to drop it off at the large capacity cleaners once or twice a year.

Also, and I s2g I am not a corporate shill for Big Mattress Pad, a heated mattress pad is glorious year round.
posted by elizardbits at 6:42 PM on June 11, 2014

Duvet covers! Bonus: you can get cool crisp cotton ones for summertime and thick flannel snuggly ones for wintertime.
posted by jessamyn at 6:43 PM on June 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I have actually never used a duvet cover, but am certainly going to now! Thanks everyone:)
posted by invisible ink at 6:44 PM on June 11, 2014 [2 favorites]

Ikea has some nice inexpensive duvet/comforter covers. I have several in different colors and patterns so I can vary the bedroom decor just by changing comforter covers.
posted by needled at 6:55 PM on June 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

Garnet Hill has some nice cotton jersey (i.e. t-shirt material) duvet covers, which I can personally recommend. Their flannel ones are also really nice. Also nice: the feeling of clean sheets without having to wash your duvet more than once a year! Yay, duvet covers! Plus, to me, a really nice duvet cover gives even a good duvet a much more luxurious feel and heft. The Europeans really do this one right.
posted by ClaireBear at 7:50 PM on June 11, 2014

I think Ikea's duvet covers are a slightly nonstandard size - their full/double size ones, at least, are a perfect square, as are their comforters for full/double beds. I believe standard full/double-size comforters are slightly rectangular. Just something to be aware of if you go the route of buying a cover but not the actual comforter from them - take measurements!
posted by needs more cowbell at 8:47 PM on June 11, 2014

Surprised that nobody's suggested duvet covers yet.

But yeah: less hassle with washing, more versatility with the look and feel of the material. Ikea's sizes are definitely non-standard; The Company Store's range seems to fit better with American sizes.
posted by holgate at 9:06 PM on June 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

Try layers. If you need some weight on you to sleep comfortably a pile of thin cotton blankets adds up to a decent amount of weight. You can wash each layer one a time on a daily basis either washing the inside one if you sweat while you sleep, or the outside one if you are controlling cat fuzzies that appear on the surface.
posted by Jane the Brown at 3:14 AM on June 12, 2014

Best answer: One nice thing about front loaders is that you can cram a much bigger load in. I have a smallish front loader and manage to wash an oversize kingsize quilt in it. Just set for heavy and extra spin. It does take a long time to dry but 2-3 cycles gets it done. But yes, duvet cover will mean only having to wash the comforter very infrequently.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 3:26 PM on June 12, 2014