How To Wash Comforters

There can be no bigger delight than the pleasure of plunking yourself on a thick, comfy comforter at the end of a hectic day and then happily dozing off to oblivion. After all, very few things in life can match up to the sheer bliss of sneaking into the warm coziness of a comforter in cold wintertime to beat the overnight chills. Nevertheless, a dirty, soiled comforter can turn your good night sleep into a much-dreaded nightmare and get you running for a rough cotton blanket or a woolen quilt. Now, only if you thought that this expensive piece of linen needed no washing, well, think again! Remember, nothing comes free in life and even luxury has a price. If you wish to keep your comforter fresh, then indulging into basic care should be practiced to shield it from wear and tear. Comforters are easy to take care of, given you know how to pamper your bulky quilts in the right way. While most people would tell you that the best way to clean your comforters is to take them to a professional cleaner, know that you can wash your comforters right at home with this few basic tips. Read the below pointers to get a hang of how to clean your comforters and enjoy a great bedtime.

Cleaning Comforters

Your comforters are probably the largest piece of linen in your house that require rigorous cleanup and sadly, no washers come in with super-sized tubs to hold these over-sized loads comfortably. Nevertheless, it is important to clean your comforter occasionally to keep it fresh and shield it from dust. Even before you think of squeezing your comforter in your inadequately sized tub, just pause to consider its fabric once. Comforters come in a variety of sizes and textures that calls for specific wash requirements. So, determining the fabric, before plunging your bulky comforter in the tub, can save your winter must-haves from getting warped. Fabrics like goose down, silk and feather comforters are best suited for a dry wash, whereas micro-suede and cotton can be easily machine-washed.
Before you jump-start with your efforts to rinse your comforters, stop to check the tag for washing instructions. As said, different comforters have different washing requirements and reading the cleaning instructions in advance can leave you with a fair idea on how to go on with your endeavors. Some comforters are especially delicate and may call for dry wash. In that case, dumping them into your washer can rip them up for good.
When washing at home, always use a large-capacity washer to clean your comforters. Load the tub with enough water and plunk your bulky comforter inside it. Ensure that your washtub has enough room for both water and your comforter. Squeezing your super-sized comforter into a small washtub will only lead to too much friction and cause the fabric to wear off soon. Also, do not forget to use maximum load for your washing machine, as during the washing process, your comforter is likely to soak up more water and get heavier.
Once loaded, you can turn on the setting to cold, gentle wash. Using hot water for your comforter can cause the fabric to shrivel and damage the fluff as well. It is best to go with a cold wash to save your comforter from friction. Front-loading washers that comes without agitators are the best bet for cleaning your comforters.
Avoid using colored laundry soap or fabric softener. Instead, stick to mild non-chlorine detergent to clean your comforters. Using a gentle liquid laundry detergent would suffice. Do not go over generous with your detergent, as doing so will only cause the fluff and numerous layers of fabric to sop up all the extra soap. Run the rinse cycle twice to remove all traces of detergent from your quilt and check out for soapsuds, before taking out your comforter for drying.
If your comforter has stains, use bleach to get rid of the blotches. Just dab the taints with a little bleaching agent to clean the grime. You can also add a dash of bleach to your washtub to rinse the stain. However, be careful to use proper bleaching agents as using the wrong bleach type can damage the color and texture of your fabric.
Rinse the comforter until clean, then shift it to the dryer, and let it spin for 8-10 minutes until water is completely squeezed out. Take out the comforter from the dryer and give it a few jerks to relax the wrinkles. Hang the comforter on a clothesline under the shade for one whole day to air dry, before using it again.

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