How often do you wash your comforter?

And here I was just wondering how everyone cared for their king size comforters only for the sake of cleanliness, not even thinking of them being infested by critters! Yikes!:eek:

All our comforters have not held up to washing in my machine. They break down quickly or plain get a tear, because they are so big. I don't like the idea of the landrymat enough to go that route either.

After the bug chatter, I am thinking of not using the comforter at night and using something less bulky like a blanket. And just throwing the comforter in the drier each week. Whatcha think?

Or I could get a duvet and wash that, and dry the comforter????? I am still confused.

Sandra
 
Hi,

I didn't know that you can wash your bed pillows either. i thought they'd fall apart if you did that, but then just last week, my DH put some "older" pillows in the washer and then even dried them and they were sooo much better afterwards. As for comforters, I wash them pretty frequently because I have several cats and the fur accumulates if I don't wash them. I have about 3-4 comforters for my room though, so I can swap one out and take it to the laundromat and still have a clean one. I always change my sheets once a week though because I personally sleep better with fresh sheets on the bed. I try to wash my mattress covers once a month, but then again, I have one of those foamy pads on my bed too, and you CAN'T wash those I don't think...they're way too delicate. Creepy to think of what I'm actually laying on at night...(shudder).

:p
 
I just read that steam also kills dust mites. (of course the 2 articles were published by companies selling hand held steam irons). But if its true, running one of those hand held steam irons across curtains, mattresses, pillows, foam and comforters would probably do the trick without having to throw the items in the wash. Of course you would want to make sure the items dry from the steam before putting clean sheet back on them otherwise mildew could grow and cause more allergy problems.

I wonder if sunning items on a clothes line would work. Years ago, people would "air" their items on clothes lines.

Jean
 
I wash my regular comforters in my washing machine about once every 2 months. I also have a down goose comforter with a duvet, and i never wahed that!:eek: just the duvet. How are you supposed to wash the down comforter?

Pillows, I have washed once in a while, but like someone else said, they never feel the same. Just drying them sounds like a great idea.

Ann Marie
 
2 of my comforters faded badly when I washed them (and one was darn expensive x( ) - and I had washed them cold - which would do nothing for dust mites. But I would still wash them , cause the other option is a little gross...

I was under the impression that washing alone would not kill dust mites? I thought you had to use the dryer on high....


How about your sofa? I never thought much about it until about a year or so ago. We got new living room furniture and six months later a puppy. That darn pup lifted his leg all over my new sofa x(
Took him to the vet to be neutered and while he was there I steam cleaned the sofa. I couldn't believe how much dirt came out! Then I thought- well, how long was the thing sitting in the store with all sorts of people sitting on it, testing it out. And before that probably sitting in some dusty warehouse.

Really creeped me out. No one in my house "sits" on the sofas. We lie all over them :) And I always wonder how many critters are in that deep foam....
 
>I just read that steam also kills dust mites. (of course the
>2 articles were published by companies selling hand held steam
>irons).

That's what I was thinking. There are a variety of home steam-cleaning appliances available, from small hand-helds to larger floor models, similar to ones used in Europe for cleaning. I think it's a better way of cleaning and disinfecting than using chemicals, and it works on fabric as well. www.hsn.com has some models available, so you can see what I mean.
 
I hate those shows that talk about what germs are invading your home. They always recommend such extremes to get rid of the bugs that I don't know how normal people can have the time to keep their house that clean. My house is fairly clean, but I just can't keep up with that level of cleanliness that is recommended. I am allergic to dust mites, so I've tried (esp. after seeing a show like that Oprah one--didn't see it but saw one similar a year ago. I bought washable pillows, but they are terribly lumpy after being washed. I do wash my sheets in hot water and occasionally wash the lumpy pillows, but I won't go overboard with it anymore. I would rather spend the time doing a Cathe workout or playing with my kids. A stuffy nose from dust mites is not going to kill me.

OK, not sure what my post has added to the conversation! Just wanted to complain that I'll never be clean enough, I guess.

[font face="palatino linotype" font color=purple font size=+1]***Lainie***

http://web.mac.com/lainiefig/iWeb/Site/Exercise/Exercise.html

"The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself." -- Mark Twain[/font]
 
dreamyjeanie and kathryn, of course you are right. Steam is VERY hot, and that's a great solution.

Lainie, you definitely helped. My apartment is also pretty clean, and I need to calm down about this. We have a wonderful housekeeper, and I tested the curtains today and didn't find any dust on them, so I guess she's vacuuming the curtains!! (BIG sigh of relief). And right now my bedroom is about 62 degrees, so, if I understand the dust mite thing correctly, there are none in my bedroom at the moment! :D

I will never make the mistake of watching the Oprah Winfrey Show again. I watch it once every 10 years and always wind up getting upset.
 
I just want to post again to add that I have learned a few things in the last few days.

First of all, dummy me realized that my pillow is in a zipper case which I have never washed. Obviously, it's meant to be removed and washed, so I will throw it in the laundry next time.

Also, my secretary says she also has goose down pillows and they come out beautifully in the wash if you know how to plump them afterwards. I read my pillow instructions and they recommend machine washing!

For all of those who are in the market for a new mattress: look for a mattress made of 100% man-made materials. They don't collect moisture as easily and dust mites can't live without moisture. I got a Kingsdown mattress which is 100% synthetic, and I'm very glad I did.

I'm not throwing away my curtains. I've learned that there are many ways to clean your curtains without taking them down and washing them. Thanks guys!
 
If you get freaked out by 'germ' shows, don't pick up any of those books that show black light (or some special light) photos in slow motion of toilets flushing (and the spray that comes out of them reaching 10 feet into the air---another good reason, besides aesthetics, to keep the toilet seat completely closed, except when in use), people sneezing (and the spray from that reaching about the same distance.

And definitely no shows or books that show extremely magnified images of our skin, scalp, etc. We are covered in 'bugs' all the time (and many of them are actually beneficial, but seeing them is very creepy!)
 
For this reason alone I buy "cheaper" comforters so I can wash them often and then just toss it when it has been washed too much. I have a king size bed & I made sure my washer is large enough to toss it in there as I refuse to pay to have it dry cleaned that often.

My two cats sleep on the bed but on top of the comforter, so I sweep it daily and then wash it every other weekend, sometimes more if needed but if the cats didn't sleep on it, I'd probably do once a month. I also only wash the matress cover every other week-rotate it and the comforter. I don't wash my pillows but keep a case for the pillow then the pillow case on it and wash that with the sheets every Saturday. I try to replace my pillow every year-I have to use one of those tempurpedic ones so it's expensive to replace.

I am a freak about certain things but anymore I swear it's like every day they say something "new" is horrible for you and going to cause you to be sick or die or something! Have to pick & choose what to worry about!
 
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