How Often Should You Clean Your Comforter?
First, you need to think about how often you should clean your comforter. Everyone sleeps differently, so here are a couple of guidelines:
- If you use a duvet cover, your comforter only needs to be washed several times per year regularly.
- If you don’t use a duvet cover, but you use a top sheet, your comforter should be washed every two to four weeks.
- If you don’t use a duvet cover or a top sheet, your comforter needs to be washed weekly.
Now, these guidelines all vary per person. Some people sweat more in their sleep, your comforter may get a stain or be spilled on, or you may sleep with pets. Different factors like these, need to be considered, to best determine how often you should clean your comforter.
Should You Dry Clean Your Comforter?
So now that we’ve decided how often to clean our comforter, let’s talk about how to decide if it should be machine washed at home or dry cleaned.
Check The Label
The first step in determining if your comforter should be dry cleaned is checking the label. The label should have symbols on it, that can help you determine the best method for washing. The label you will want to look for is a circle. A circle indicates the item should be dry cleaned. A circle with a line through it indicates the comforter should not be dry cleaned.
What Is The Material?
If there is no label, or you can’t find any symbols on the label, the next best way to determine if your comforter should be dry cleaned is by considering the type of fabric it is. Each fabric has different needs, here is a guide to some of the most common types of comforter fabrics.
- Down: Down comforters are generally light and fluffy. You may occasionally see feathers come out of the comforter. These types of comforters should not be dry cleaned. There are down alternative comforters that are made of a wide variety of materials, these may or may not need to be dry cleaned.
- Synthetic: Synthetic materials consist of nylon, polyester, rayon, spandex, and more. A synthetic comforter sometimes needs to be dry cleaned, but generally, it doesn’t need dry cleaning. For example, a polyester comforter will not need to be dry cleaned, but a rayon one will. For the most part, these fabrics are still safe to dry clean, so you won’t do any harm if you bring them into the dry cleaners.
- Wool: Wool always needs to be dry cleaned. Wool is a soft but thick and strong fabric. If you wash it in a machine washer, you risk shrinking the comforter. It is always best to bring wool products in to be dry cleaned.
- Silk: A silk fabric will feel soft and cool to the touch. It is a delicate fabric. Machine washing can damage silk and often produces wrinkles. It is best to have this type of fabric dry cleaned.
If you wash a dry clean only comforter it may get lumpy or destroyed. Always check the label, and do your research, so you don’t ruin your comforter!
Benefits Of Dry Cleaning Bedding
Not only does your comforter need to be cleaned, but it’s important to stay on top of washing the rest of your bedding, including sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases. Now that we’ve determined what materials should be dry cleaned, let’s talk about the benefits of dry cleaning.
- The fabric won’t shrink: Many fabrics will shrink in high heat and in machine washers. By utilizing a dry cleaning service, you will avoid this and your bedding will always fit.
- Better for your home appliances: Large bulky items can be damaging to a home washer and dryer. By utilizing a dry cleaning service, you will spare your home appliances the bulk of the work.
- Guaranteed clean: Because bedding is so bulky, it often folds and twists in home washer and dryers. This often means not every area of the bedding is properly cleaned. By utilizing a dry cleaning service, all the bedding is guaranteed to be cleaned.
So there you have it! Follow these steps to determine if your comforter should be dry cleaned, and always take the necessary precautions when cleaning your bedding. Here at Gristy’s Cleaners, we are always happy to help and answer questions so feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you have. To learn more about dry cleaning, read our other blogs, and visit our services page. Gristy’s Cleaners is committed to providing you with ready to use, clean bedding in a timely manner. We are dedicated to helping you feel your best!