Cleaning a White Goose down Comforter

I've had success with washing feather pillows in my top loading washer but here are a few problems I ran into with pillows. To balance the load wash 2 pillows at the same time as they get very heavy when wet. If the fabric is fairly old, the stress & weight of the wet feathers may cause a tear and you could end up with a machine full of loose feathers (this happened to me once). The feathers will be smelly until they are COMPLETELY dry which may take a LONG time in the dryer. As the feathers dry & get fluffy, the outer surface may feel dry but the inner feathers will still be wet. The dryer the feathers get the more the smell goes away. When the pillows are nearly dry I put them on the deck to dry in the sun. That seems to really freshen them up and eliminates the wet feather smell. I would think that some of these same principles would apply to a comforter.

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My advice is, take it to a laundromat and use one of their extra large frontloading machines. I have an extra-large king-size down comforter, and also a super-capacity toploading machine, and I know that even if the comforter would fit, it wouldn't have room to get clean in there.

Goose down should be professional cleaned. Home washing down feathers MAY cause damage to the feathers themselves and MAY cause mold and mildew to develope on the inside where you can't see it. In addition washing them in the machine will break the feathers themselves causing flatness in the comforter therefore you may have feathers poking out everywhere.

I've always washed my down at home with no problem in my front loader. I tend to use low heat when drying which does take a while. I concur with the tennis balls in the dryer :)

I do it all the time and my comforter is perfectly fine! my machine is fine as well, I never had any feathers anywhere or damaget to the comforter or the machine.

M., I have a top loader and have washed mine many times. I do have to stay nearby in case it gets unbalanced during the spin cycle, though. Then I just run down and redistribute it. I also throw it in the dryer for 15 minutes - just so it isn't soaked and can fluff a little, before I hang dry it the rest of the way. Works beautifully.

I used to work at Lands' End and have a couple of goose down comforters from them. From time to time I have had to wash them but I have a top loader not a front loader. In my laundry cabinet I keep 3 clean golf balls just used for this purpose - use them also when washing winter coats with down in them. I just place the golf balls in with the comforter and then in the dryer as well - the balls are very noisy but work well to prevent clumping. People use tennis balls and old clean gym shoes as well.

I washed one in my washer. The tag said dry clean only, but the last time I had it done the spots didn't come out. I fugured it was already ruined, so I put it in the washer with a little bit of bleach. It turned out fine. It was cleaner than when I had it dry cleaned, there wasn't a spot on it.

I have washed my king size goose down comfoter in my own washing machine. I also have the front load washer. I used just a little detergent, not too much. It worked fine. It got the comforter very clean. I also dryed it with three brand new tennis balls to separate the feathers. I used about 5 cycles in the dryer on low. I readjusted the comforter after every cycle on dry. It is really important to get it completely dry. The feathers will smell really gross if you don't get it completely dry.

I have washed all of my down items, I have 4 nice pillows and two down comforters and the only suggestion I have is that sometimes the feathers ball up and stay wet forever when you are drying them. I use two tennis balls in the dryer cycle to break up the wet feathers and it makes them dry faster and come out all fluffy.

I have a king sized down comforter and put it in our machines at home all the time, just don't use bleach and when you put it in the drier, use the delicate setting and lower heat, take the comforter out at mid point shake it out and return it to the drier. The middle sometimes doesn't dry unless you pull it out and fluff it a bit. Once the comforter is dry, to get it nice and puffy fluffy, run it through the fluff cycle a couple of times and it will be like new again.

I have had the same comforter for close to 10 years now and have always washed it in my machines. Never had any trouble.

I've tried washing my goose-down pillows in my washer to no avail. They always end up smelling moldy cause it holds the moisture, regardless of how long I dry them.

I have a king-sized goose-down matress and had to have it sent away. It only cost me $30 (which is a miracle, considering how huge it is) and they delivered it there (they had to take it to the Cities) and back.

If you're like me and leary of the chemicals they use to dry-clean garments, there is a place called Nature's Best Cleaners that uses "green" cleaners/technology. I've been going to them since I was in high school, and they've always been fantastic. I'm not sure what's in your area, but there's bound to be a dry-cleaners near you that can accommodate your comforter. :)

Hi M.,

I wash mine in the washer all the time. When you put it in the dryer, include 4-5 tennis balls. They will make quite a sound, but the bouncing of the balls inside the dryer will fluff your comforter right up as it is drying.

Good luck!

C.