Unless the label specifically instructs otherwise—you can wash and dry your comforter at home using a large capacity washer and dryer with a mild laundry detergent. Simply spot clean stains and repair holes or tears, then wash using a bulky cycle with cool or warm water.
If you do decide to wash this kind of bedding at home, use a front or top-load washer (without a center agitator) to accommodate the bulk of the fabric. Wash items in any temperature but on a delicate or gentle cycle; it's a misconception that bulky items can take a beating in the washer and dryer.
Most king-size comforters can be washed using your washing machine and dried in a clothes dryer. If your comforter is too large for your machine or if it is made out of delicate materials, hand-wash it and let it air dry instead. Either way, your comforter will be fresh and clean in no time.
Load into a large capacity washer
Your comforter needs room to agitate and tumble – it can't get clean otherwise. A large capacity washer is typically one with at least 5.0 cu. ft. capacity and a large capacity dryer features at least 7.0 cu.
More specifically to successfully wash a king-sized comforter, you need a washer that has a drum capacity of 5.0 cubic feet or larger. The washer should be a front-loading washer or a top-loading washer without or with a removable center agitator.
Comforters: Instead of lugging your king-size comforter to a laundromat, you can wash it in any washer with a claimed capacity of at least 4.5 cubic feet, according to our tests. It's best washed by itself, for better agitation and rinsing.
To properly wash a queen-size comforter, you'll need a high-efficiency washing machine (no agitator) with 3.5 cubic feet or more, depending on its fluffy factor (it should fit snugly but without cramming). Jumping up to 5.2 cubic feet will let you wash a king-size comforter and the sheet set all in one load.
Bulky. The bulky cycle is usually the cycle with the heaviest level of dirt removal. It is ideal for heavily soiled items, such as grass-stained or muddy kids' pants. A bulky cycle can also work well for large items like blankets, comforters, or sleeping bags.
How often should you wash your comforter? Assuming no spills or excess dirt sully your comforter, and the comforter does not have a protective duvet, try to wash it every one to two months. If the comforter does have a duvet, you'll be okay to clean it a few times a year.
Choose the right detergent.
Gentle detergents designed for delicate fabrics may make your new bedding feel softer with just a few washes. It's best to avoid bleach or harsh detergents because they can damage the fibers and make the fabric feel stiff.
The good news is that your local commercial laundromat has extra-large, heavy-duty washers and dryers that are fully capable of handling large items such as your comforter.
Drying a Comforter in a Dryer
You can evenly dry your comforter by carefully loading it into the dryer, selecting a bulky cycle setting and customizing the cycle temperature—if possible—to a low or no-heat setting. Rebalance and fluff your comforter and reload it into the dryer periodically to promote even drying.
It is air drying. This way doesn't beat up certain fabrics and does not make your bedding fade like the dryer. It will be great if the area you use to dry your duvet is bright, warm sunshine. Just a slight wind can help your comforter dry faster.
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.
The normal drying unit with 3.5 cubic feet can fit the queen model. With a big 8.5 cubic feet machine, you can mop up two bedspreads at a time. Regarding the types of appliances, you can either choose electric dryers or gas dryers.
Dry cleaning a comforter costs $20 to $50. Price is dependent upon where you live as well as the material and size of your comforter. If you choose to repair any small holes, rips, loose seams, or stains it may cost more.
Generally if your machine is half full, you have a medium load. A large load fills it up until three-quarters full, and anything above that is considered extra large.
Every washer comes with a laundry load size chart for recommendations. As a rule of thumb, 12 pounds of laundry is appropriate for a standard top-load machine. A front-load washer can accommodate as much as 15 to 18 pounds of clothing. An extra-large front load machine can wash 20 to 22 pounds of laundry in one cycle.
Load your comforter into the washing machine, along with soap or detergent, and run it through a delicate cycle with cold or warm water. Sukalac said you should wash it a second time on a quick cycle, with no soap, to rinse any detergent residue from the down inside.
Place the comforter in the dryer with the two tennis balls or dryer balls. Reviewed's lab staff found no conclusive evidence that dryer balls make much of a difference, but some people swear by them to keep the fill evenly distributed, so you don't end up with a lumpy comforter.
King-size comforters typically measure 86 to 88 inches in length and 102 inches in width, making them too bulky to fit in many standard washers. Though, your washing machine should be large enough to properly clean a king-size comforter if its inner tub has a volume of at least 4.5 cubic feet.