How to Wash Down Comforters (Duvets) | St.Genève

Do you need to know how to wash your down comforter (aka duvet) safely? You're in the right place: St.Genève's Creative Director, Nikki Renshaw, interviews Down Product Expert, Jo-Anne Christmas. Jo-Anne has over 20 years creating the finest down products in the world, and shares her knowledge with us.
Head to our website for more information on caring for your bedding and down products: www.StGeneve.com/Care

[@Steve-hb4my]

I must say, you really know your down products. I’m thoroughly impressed.

[@alisthomelife]

The interviewer asked some vital questions 👏🏽 Very great information

[@fudgedogbannana]

I found a nice thick new looking Q size Down Duvet at a thrift store for $16. I took it up to pay the cashier said that it would be $8. because is was half off day. Last week I ask asked a professional cleaners how much to have it cleaned, they said $80. I'll be cleaning it myself.

[@pennyrobinson4266]

I found a pristine Queen down comforter inside a duvet cover at a thrift shop. The cover was priced 10.00 but it was 1/2 off day!

[@nikkilovetheyardsale-again2608]

The title pf the video caught my attention. Then when the woman spoke Damn that accent 😂 seems they know their white feather down duvet inserts. I have a super expensive one that i use year round i just purchase another of a different company/maker. Also have a fewther bed made my martha Stewart. Sounds so ordinary right? You have a martha Stewart white feather down feather bed? Im telling you THIS is THE ONE! Its heavy as hell and fluffs up at least 6 inches and thats an understatement. Best feather bed ive EVER SEEN!! ive returned litterally over 80 feather beds and maybe onto the 40s of duvet inserts untill i found the serta all natural white feather & down comforter. Has tie tabs. Perrct weiggt for year round. Judt hugs me so perfectly. I have the cats and my son in my bed ALL THE TIME!! so i got my son one too 😊 with a brushed microfiber duvet cover. He loves it. I also put 2 claratin brand mattress toppers on his bed. 😂 it might be more comfortable then mine now. Yes Claritin makes fricken bed toppers and there seriously better then the pictures all the other companies claim their are like 🙄 hope you sruck around and read this all and seriosuly check out the products i mentioned to get your bed to that NEXT CLOUD LIKE LEVEL!!!

[@thomasb.1825]

Thank you so much for your clear explanations and helpful advices!! ❤

[@polymathecian]

This is impressive! So detailed!

[@janieolson9197]

Thank you for all the great instructions, I’m on my way to laundromat.🤗

[@kolankprof]

This was Excellent! Great Q & A format! Thank You, Ladies.

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Glad it was helpful for you, Thomas!

[@canyonhaverfield2201]

Excellent you just saved me Laundromat grief🎈

[@abeerohome]

This was Excellent!

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Glad you enjoyed it! Happy laundering!

[@JWapologist]

Thank you for this video, very informative.

[@stgenevefinelinens]

So happy that you enjoyed our content!

[@atomicdmt8763]

solid info! thanks

[@cottagekeeper1044]

Thank you so much ☺️

[@rocai7294]

great info! now i know!

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Glad it was helpful, Ro! :)

[@Jeff-fc7nf]

excellent video.

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Glad you liked it!

[@itsnesee]

So much work! Next time I’ll be buying synthetic.

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Hi Wallace! We know it can seem daunting - and we try to answer a lot of FAQs we get with this video - but it's actually pretty simple! Here are our basic tips: Wash in a top-loader on a delicate cycle with warm or hot water. Run an extra spin cycle; this will help to make sure that any residues from your detergent are rinsed out and to expel any excess water. Residues from detergents can cause deterioration to the fabric and can ‘gunk up’ the fibers in your down. Make sure that your dryer can accommodate the dry size of your duvet. Dry them on the delicate cycle, low or medium heat. Because of how large comforters are, this may take several hours. Be sure to dry completely before use. If you feel any damp spots (they may register as cool spots in the filling), your duvet is not dry. Using a damp duvet could lead to mildew and shorten the life of your duvet.

[@larshamilton40]

all the down feathers have retreated to the far corners of my duvet,,,help

[@sreemon4]

❤️❤️❤️

[@adamhuntniles1987]

How do you dry memory foam pillows

[@togi64739]

Cant I just get written instructions .....

[@jackiichavez2468]

Im so scared to wash my king sized comforter, my daughter spilled juice on it and it immediately spelled bad. Mine says Dry clean only... but id rather wash it myself !

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Hi Jacki - I hear you! It can be expensive to dry clean - you can try spot-washing at home. Fill your tub or utility sink with warm soapy water and wash the juice spot. Be sure to give it several extra rinses to make sure you get all the detergent out. You can hang dry or even use a blow dryer if it is a small enough spot! Without knowing much about your duvet, I'd be nervous to recommend washing in your home machine. The manufacturer could have put 'dry clean only' to cover their own warrantee, or because the fabric is specially treated to keep it down proof. Best of luck!

[@SamytheGreek]

Would it help to throw a couple of tennis balls in the dryer with the duvet.

[@stgenevefinelinens]

We always recommend dryer balls over tennis balls, now that dedicated dyer balls are so common. However, mostly for the first two cycles. We have found that after the first or second cycle, the duvet is so puffy that they don't have much of an effect.

[@SamytheGreek]

Thanks@@stgenevefinelinens

[@cristyroiz2594]

HELP!! My puppy peed on my California king size down comforter. How should I clean this?

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Hi Cristy, Is hard to give advice on particular cases, given we do not know the size of your washing machine. Here are other resources that can help you make a decision www.stgeneve.com/down-duvet-care

[@daysjours]

Question re the time in a dryer. At commercial laundromat there are no ¨cycles"for the dryer. Can you tell me how many MINUTES it takes to dry down? I thought hi-heat was bad for down, too...? So would I do for a pillow, say, 10 minutes low heat then an hour of no-heat drying? Can you break this down for me? it seems the most difficult and time consuming part of washing down pillow or comforter is drying properly. I really appreciate your expertise and willingness to share it with us! Thanks again!

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Hi! This is such a great question. The heat is actually harder on the ticking (fabric covering) than it is the down. In fact, the down we use is processed at very high heat to clean it and render it hypoallergenic. As for the timing of drying, there are so many variables (the fabric the duvet covering is made from, the composition of your down fill, the amount of fill, the temperatures your individual machine reaches, etc.), so it's something you really have to 'feel out'. We often do the first cycle - say 30 minutes or so - when the item is really wet on high heat. After that, you can finish it on low heat. Check it often and shake it out so that you don't get any wet spots. The pillow is where it gets trickier - because it is so densely packed with down or feathers, it takes a long time to dry. You're going to want to pull it out regularly and break up any damp clusters. A pillow that's not dried properly can become mildewy, so you really want to be thorough here. Maybe pack a good book for the laundry mat! ;) For this reason, we highly recommend using a pillow protector AND a pillow case so you can avoid having to wash your pillow very often!

[@daysjours]

@@stgenevefinelinens You are the best! Thanks so much for your answer. For a medium density down pillow do you think it would be like 2-3 hours of drying -- a whole paperback :-)) And if one uses a pillow protector with pillow case is once a year washing fine? Ugh, it really does seem like quite a hassle! Again, I so appreciate your sharing your expertise!

[@stgenevefinelinens]

@@daysjours Yes, it will probably be enough time. But you're just going to have to check between cycles and be diligent about breaking up any clusters. And yes, once a year is totally fine. Just keep your pillow case and protectors clean and launder those often (it's awesome to have a second set to rotate). Your pillow will tell you when it's ready to be laundered - it will start to feel flat and lifeless and when you fold it in half it won't pop open as it once did. A trip to the spa (aka laundromat) should perk it right back up!

[@daysjours]

@@stgenevefinelinens Many thanks! Stay safe, healthy and in good holiday spirit!

[@stgenevefinelinens]

@@daysjours Same to you! Happy holidays!

[@LukeJosiah]

"That's crazy. But that makes sense." - every woman ever

[@niamtsevxeemhmoobyaj1745]

My teen daughter washed her down comforter in our home washer & dryer just like how she does her normal laundry. Is there a way to save it or is is it totally ruined?

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Hi! Were there any problems? It should probably be okay if it's only gone through one regular washing and dry cycle. Things to look for - if it seems flat, run it through again and rinse it extra to make sure all detergent/fabric softener is out. And make sure that it isn't smelly/mildewy. If she just did a quick dry there is a chance that it didn't dry properly. If it is a bit smelly, wash it again ASAP and make sure to dry it completely and break up any clumps as you go.

[@edenabraham235]

I don’t know if your still active on KZbin but I’m at boyfriends house, he has a down comforter and I spilled ecig juice on it. It’s like an oil. I dabbed a little laundry detergent on it, let it sit, then I scrubbed it and really massaged in the detergent. and rinsed with water but because the comforter is dark grey I can’t tell if I got the stain out. The water made it dark and the water spread so now the water spot is about a foot long. I’m hoping I got the stain out and I’m drying the comforter in a dryer on low heat. It’s a small dryer but since it’s only one spot I’m hoping that it’s okay. Please help me or reply!!! He just got it dry cleaned and spent all this money and I don’t want him to come home and see I left a giant stain. I just want to know if there’s anything else I should be doing!

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Oh no, Eden! Sorry we are just now seeing this! It sounds like you did everything correctly with spot-washing - I hope that your boyfriend didn't notice! (:

[@Myhandsandfeetarecold]

How often should I wash the duvet if I use a cover and wash the cover?

[@stgenevefinelinens]

For washing a duvet, it needs washing when it is looking yellow, the down isn't puffy anymore or if there is a major accident that can't be spot washed. If the cover is washed often enough it keeps the duvet clean and can avoid the need to wash for years.

[@nicolasgirard9515]

can we add bleach to the down comforter to kill dust mites?

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Hi Nicolas! We don't recommend using bleach because it is really hard on the fabric and the down clusters. For dust mites, washing and drying at high heat are effective for killing them. And though it seems old fashioned, hanging your duvet outside on a sunny day is actually a wonderfully natural and effective way of getting rid of those pesky critters. One cool thing: studies have shown that down products get up to 5x fewer dust mites than polyester-filled products!

[@BD-we1mo]

Can you vacuum pack them?

[@stgenevefinelinens]

We don't recommend it! It crushes the loft of the down and may affect the puffiness and longevity of your pillow or duvet.

[@Ivanalunamar]

Soooo. Is it cold or warm water?

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Either! We just try not to do really hot water often as it can cause shrinking.

[@candicegerman9793]

You keep saying Duvet - aren’t we talking about downs feather comforter?

[@laureneliefelix8620]

Precisely. I thought comforter not duvet. There's a difference.

[@stgenevefinelinens]

Hi Candice and Lauren! We find that 'comforter' and 'duvet' are regional terms. In Canada, where we are located, most people use 'duvet' to refer to the down or feather filled quilt that goes into a cover, and a comforter is usually the 'bed-in-a-bag' type thing! I know that for our clients and family in the US, it is the opposite, however. So interesting how words change in meaning! Thanks for inquiring!

[@SophiaPetrillo_]

No. It's the correct term. Google the difference between duvets and comforters, you'll realise they're talking about duvets.

[@Saritabanana]

Don’t lie on it? No suitcases? No sitting on it? No sleeping with my duvet without a cover on my bare a@@? I’ve apparently been abusing my down comforters.

[@o.h.w.6638]

The monotone voices, low energy and all those pillows and blankets in the background makes me so sleepy

[@Junaid-mw4hy]

Why are pointing your hand at Jo .😅

[@XxMalabooo]

How to waste my time - dont make a video ever again