How often do you wash your comforter?

nancy324

nancy324

Cathlete
Perhaps I shouldn't admit this, but ever since I bought a goose down comforter and started using a duvet cover, I haven't washed my comforter once. Then I made the mistake of watching the Oprah Winfrey Show on Labor Day. Did anyone see that? Film of millions of dust mites moving around. x( They live in fabric and feed on bits of your dead skin and hair. x( I told my DH that this weekend we're going to take down the curtains in the bedroom and throw them away. Then I'm going to wash the comforter and the pillows in very hot water.

My DH says I'm overreacting. Dust mites can't actually harm you unless you're allergic to them, which I don't think we are. But I can't deal with the idea of sharing my bed with millions of nasty little critters. x( x( x(

They said you need to wash your comforter and pillow every 2 weeks (NOT just the sheets and pillow cases)!!! :eek: :eek: Does anyone here wash their comforter and pillows?
 
I wash my pillow a lot. It just makes me feel better.

I just washed my bedspread last weekend and have to do it again because my water filter was screwed up and now I have orange iron stains on my spread. Sigh. But ordinarily no, I don't wash the bedspread very often.
 
>They said you need to wash your comforter and pillow every 2
>weeks (NOT just the sheets and pillow cases)!!! :eek: :eek: Does
>anyone here wash their comforter and pillows?

Ummmm.... *hiding under a chair* I didn't realize you could even wash your pillows. Doesn't that make them lose their shape? What if you have one of those memory foam contoured pillows? Looks like I may be doing some laundry this weekend...

We don't have a comforter on our bed, but we do have a quilt that I wash... ohhhhh... every 2 months. I know, I suck. Definitely doing some laundry this weekend....
 
Em, actually I suck for bringing up the topic. I'm obsessed and misery loves company. I was going along blissfully thinking it was fine to just change my duvet cover every 2 weeks.

I also didn't realize pillows could be washed. :(
 
I have washed my pillows before and they never felt the same after. Kind of lumpy feeling. I bet Oprah buys new pillows everytime she needs to wash them!;) I wash my duvet about every 2 weeks. Ummm I haven't washed the comforter in a long time. It takes so long for the stupid thing to dry.
LD
 
I did see that show and it really freaked me out but I didn't change what I normally do. I have washed my pillows before (but it's such a pain to do) and I just washed my comforter Wednesday. I think I wash it monthly.

It's been a long time since I washed my pillows. May need to do that again soon.
 
Nance, I think throwing away your curtains is definitely overreacting:7

I agree with another poster who said that their pillows were never the same after washing them. I tried washing my pillows 2 or 3 times and ended up having to throw them away and buy new ones each time. I now have a pillow I love and there's no way I'm going to ruin it by washing it. I do wash the pillow protector often, though.

I don't wash my comforter near as often as I should because it's a king size and doesn't fit in my washer and dryer. I need to take it to the laundromat and I guess I'd rather contend with dust mites:p . The last time I went to a laundromat my DH came with me and nearly drove me insane -- lol!

ETA That's what you get for watching Oprah -- :7
 
I always just put the pillows in the dryer for a few minutes every week. My son is very asthmatic with an allergy to dust mites and that's what his allergy/asthma specialist said to do.
 
Great idea, Cab. The high temperature alone kills the dust mites, so you don't even need to wash the pillows.
 
Thanks for being honest with me, Michele. I need a reality check. But I'm still inclined to throw away the curtains. I can't imagine asking the housekeeper to wash them (so big and heavy). There are blinds on the windows, so that should suffice.
 
Im a little crazy...I wash my comforter every ten days or so. I also put my pillows in the dryer once a week and even vaccum my mattress when I change the sheets!! Hey I said I was crazy!
 
Oh wow, thanks for the info on throwing pillows in the dryer. I had no idea that using the dryer alone would work for dustmites, but I guess it does make sense now that I think about it.

Nance, I never, ever wash my window treatments -- mine aren't even washable! I just use the dusting attachment on my vacuum cleaner and that works very well (this is what was recommended by the seamstress). I wouldn't dream of throwing them away as they were custom made and very expensive. Even if there are dust mites on your curtains, I don't think they pose much of a personal hazard.

ETA - I don't know so I'm asking - can dust mites live on blinds, too?
 
>ETA - I don't know so I'm asking - can dust mites live on
>blinds, too?

Yes, Michele, but the high populations are in fabrics like carpets, upholestery, and mattresses. It also helps to keep the AC on in the summer, because they can't live in humidity below 50-60%, and temperatures below 70 degrees.

ETA: Hey, maybe I'm okay? I keep the bedroom very cold during the summer.
 
DS has seasonal allergies, and all the stuff I have read on dust mites is so gross that I wash my comforter every couple of weeks. When I replace it, I just make sure that the new one isn't too fluffy or it won't fit in my washer.
For the pillows, I get the dust mite proof pillow cases from WalMart. They have some that are soft (not the plastic feeling covers) and are reasonably priced - maybe $5.00 for a standard size pillowcase and they have lasted a couple of years and still look new. I hardly ever wash them since the regular pillow case covers them.
We tried to cut down on the dust as much as possible to help with DS's allergies and got rid of the curtains a few years ago. We had carpet in the house back then, but we started regularly having it steam cleaned professionally. All of this made a really big difference. It was like the allergens he was exposed to were reduced to the point that what was left during the day didn't bother him much.
Melissa
 
Interesting, Melissa. I want to take down my curtains, but I'm afraid to touch them. I don't know if the housekeeper vacuums them or not. She is pretty thorough, but if she doesn't, that means they have at least 7 years of dust on them, and if I move them, all that dust is going to hit the air. :eek:
 
When it can stand up on its own!:7 Just kidding.;)

Every few months, we do not use it at night really, it just covers our bed after the bed is made, so the creepy kritters are probably there, but not crawling on us all night long... or at least I hope they aren't. What a gross topic for Oprah to feature, sorry I missed it!:p
 
"What a gross topic for Oprah to feature, sorry I missed it!:p"

I wish I had missed it, tneah. The last thing I needed was something new to worry about. :(
 
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