how to clean a down comforter?
September 23, 2015 6:16 AM Subscribe
I have a very nice silk down comforter, that finally needs cleaning. I have lost the cleaning directions. Anyone recommend a safe way to clean it?
Dry cleaning. It's best for silk.
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:33 AM on September 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:33 AM on September 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
I agree with blnkfrnk. Typically silk garments recommend that they only be dry-cleaned. Here are some links of middling quality that deal with how to clean them and they always say to both use a duvet cover and to dry clean them only:
http://silkcomforter.info/how_to_care_for_silk_comforters.html
http://www.bhomebedding.com/docs/comfortercare.htm
posted by rachelpapers at 6:49 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
http://silkcomforter.info/how_to_care_for_silk_comforters.html
http://www.bhomebedding.com/docs/comfortercare.htm
posted by rachelpapers at 6:49 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Dry cleaning all the way. Anything else is courting trouble. That's why you use duvet covers on that sort of thing, so they don't get dirty as quickly.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:01 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:01 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Is your comforter a silk bag filled with silk fibers or with goose down?
If it's filled with goose down, I think you might be able to wash it yourself very very gently. The links rachelpapers posted are for comforters filled with silk floss; if you washed those in a machine you would basically get a giant silky cotton ball. If you have one of these, definitely take it to the dry cleaners because good lord do not take the chance of screwing up something that amazing.
Silk fabric however, does not inherently need to be dry cleaned. The tags all recommend dry cleaning because dyes might run, different materials in the same garment might shrink at different rates, a normal wash cycle will eat up delicate stitching, etc etc so manufacturers want to CYA. You can test to see if your comforter will bleed though, and if you dry it very gently shrinking won't be a huge issue. Silk is actually pretty durable and I wash silk clothes all the time (cold/gentle in a delicates bag and hang dry, handwash if it's something I'm uncertain about.)
On the goose down side of things, when I wash my down jacket, I actually get the best results from letting it hang dry completely in a warm room and then manually teasing apart the lumps of down and tossing it around the dryer on cool to fluff it back up.
posted by yeahlikethat at 8:10 AM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
If it's filled with goose down, I think you might be able to wash it yourself very very gently. The links rachelpapers posted are for comforters filled with silk floss; if you washed those in a machine you would basically get a giant silky cotton ball. If you have one of these, definitely take it to the dry cleaners because good lord do not take the chance of screwing up something that amazing.
Silk fabric however, does not inherently need to be dry cleaned. The tags all recommend dry cleaning because dyes might run, different materials in the same garment might shrink at different rates, a normal wash cycle will eat up delicate stitching, etc etc so manufacturers want to CYA. You can test to see if your comforter will bleed though, and if you dry it very gently shrinking won't be a huge issue. Silk is actually pretty durable and I wash silk clothes all the time (cold/gentle in a delicates bag and hang dry, handwash if it's something I'm uncertain about.)
On the goose down side of things, when I wash my down jacket, I actually get the best results from letting it hang dry completely in a warm room and then manually teasing apart the lumps of down and tossing it around the dryer on cool to fluff it back up.
posted by yeahlikethat at 8:10 AM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
2nding yeahlikethat. I would not hesitate to do a gentle cycle cold water wash in a machine. There's nothing particularly dry-clean-only about silk and I machine-wash down comforters, jackets, and featherbeds regularly without issue.
posted by kmennie at 8:13 AM on September 23, 2015
posted by kmennie at 8:13 AM on September 23, 2015
Make sure that you throw in a couple of tennis balls (you can zip them up in pillow protectors if you're worried about damaging anything) in both the washer and the dryer, this will break up the down clumps that form during washing.
posted by poffin boffin at 8:55 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 8:55 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
We have a lovely down comforter with a silk cover. Unfortunately, we have cats that like to puke on it (right on through the duvet cover). It goes in our washer on the gentle cycle, in cold water with Charlie's soap. Dryer on low heat. I need to take it out of the dryer and move it around every 10-15 minutes otherwise the parts of the comforter that are squished a bit stay wet. When it's mostly dry I take it outside to finish drying in the sunshine. No problems in years of that treatment.
Ours has a pretty low amount of down so it's closer to a perfect weight and temp blanket than to a heavy weight comforter. If yours is heavier you probably need to take it to the laundromat to get a large enough machine.
posted by 26.2 at 9:12 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ours has a pretty low amount of down so it's closer to a perfect weight and temp blanket than to a heavy weight comforter. If yours is heavier you probably need to take it to the laundromat to get a large enough machine.
posted by 26.2 at 9:12 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
There's nothing particularly dry-clean-only about silk ...
In fact, people wore and cared for silk garments many, many years before dry cleaning was invented.
posted by Dolley at 9:18 AM on September 23, 2015
In fact, people wore and cared for silk garments many, many years before dry cleaning was invented.
posted by Dolley at 9:18 AM on September 23, 2015
There's nothing particularly dry-clean-only about silk, BUT some modern silk hasn't been preshrunk because the manufacturers are requiring you to dry clean it anyway, and that way they can save on fabric.
I'd say a silk comforter is probably high enough quality that it won't shrink in water. But you don't have any guarantees.
posted by serelliya at 9:21 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'd say a silk comforter is probably high enough quality that it won't shrink in water. But you don't have any guarantees.
posted by serelliya at 9:21 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Can you contact the manufacturer?
If you do wash, bring it to a laundromat where you can use the big washer and dryer. Throw in a couple tennis balls or dryer balls.
posted by radioamy at 3:23 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you do wash, bring it to a laundromat where you can use the big washer and dryer. Throw in a couple tennis balls or dryer balls.
posted by radioamy at 3:23 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have a Gingerlily silk fiber-filled comforter (this is similar to what you have?) I hang mine in the sun to air out once every couple years. I spot cleaned a couple stains, but I would hesitate to just throw it in the wash. Here are the instructions on the website.
posted by ananci at 10:42 PM on September 23, 2015
posted by ananci at 10:42 PM on September 23, 2015
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posted by xingcat at 6:22 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]