Maybe you’ve just invested in a new duvet or perhaps you’re looking to refresh an older duvet. As part of the Leaf Score Guide to Non-Toxic Bedding, here’s the 101 on duvet care and maintenance to help you get the most out of your bedding for longer.
Table of Contents
Before we dig into duvet care and maintenance, a piece of advice based on personal experience:
The easiest duvets to look after are those made by expert craftspeople using good quality materials.
If your duvet has smart stitching, well distributed and good quality natural fill, and well-sewn seams, it should stand up to many years, if not decades, of use. If it’s poor quality from the start, chances are it will quickly fall apart or otherwise become uncomfortable and unusable.
Having gone through a few budget duvets in my younger years, I’m here to tell you that when you get a new duvet insert, check it immediately for:
- Loose threads
- Poorly stitched hems and tags
- Other manufacturing issues
- Certification labels (these should be on the product, not just the packaging).
If the quality is poor, send it back. Sleep is too precious to waste under an inferior duvet. And in the long run, paying slightly more for a duvet that will last you at least twice as long is much better for your bank balance and the planet.
Caring for a new duvet (or one that’s been in storage)
A new duvet will typically arrive slightly compressed, regardless of its fill material. Some duvets can take up to three days (72 hours) to fully regain their loft.
You can help things along or restore the fluffiness of an older duvet that’s been in storage, by shaking out the duvet for a few minutes. Alternatively, if you have a dryer large enough, put the duvet in on the lowest heat setting (or, ideally, no heat) for five minutes with two or three wool dryer balls.
If you don’t have wool dryer balls but do have tennis balls, here’s a workaround.
Tie two tennis balls each inside a wool sock, or other natural fiber sock, and put these in your dryer.
The balls will help break up any clumps of fill and can also help to gently abrade any stains, sweat, or oils from your duvet.
Basic duvet cleaning
To clean your duvet, follow the duvet care instructions provided with the product. These are not designed to infuriate you. I promise. Most of the time, the manufacturers provide these instructions to help you get the best use out of your duvet.
Typical duvet care requires washing the duvet twice a year, with spot cleaning in between. If the care label says you can machine wash your duvet, great! Some duvets can only be dry-cleaned or spot-cleaned, however, so check the label first.
If you don’t have a machine big enough for your duvet, look for a coin laundry in your area or use a green dry-cleaning company.
The ideal machine to wash a duvet is a large front-loading washing machine. You can use a top-loader, but not if it has a built-in agitator. This machine design can cause your duvet (and other bedding) to tangle and rip or for fill to clump together.
Assuming it’s machine-friendly and you have a machine large enough for your duvet, use the delicate cycle and select cold or warm water only.
Notes on detergent and softener
Use eco-friendly, fragrance-free mild detergent only. You do not want your duvet to smell of chemicals for the next six months or more (or at all, frankly).
Also, use half the amount of detergent you would regularly use for a full load of laundry. Using too much detergent can make your duvet stiff, especially if it’s a down duvet. Check the duvet after the first cycle. You may need to rinse it again if there’s any soap residue.
I’ve had this happen with larger blankets and comforters, where I used too much detergent and had to do an extra rinse. Whether you’re on metered water or not, this is wasteful, so try to avoid needing the extra rinse if possible.
Don’t use liquid fabric softener when washing your duvet. With down and other natural fiber fills, softener can soak in and coat the fibers and reduce its ability to fluff up and insulate.
Drying a duvet
Once your duvet has gone through the washing machine, take extra care removing it from your washing machine. A wet duvet can be very heavy and awkward, and it’s all too easy to accidentally rip the cover when pulling the duvet out.
Note that down duvets have a particular odor when wet. This smell will disappear when the duvet is fully dry again.
To dry your duvet, use a low heat setting. Try to spread out the duvet when putting it in the dryer. Use wool dryer balls to reduce clumping and maximize dryness. Expect to dry a down duvet for at least a couple of hours, if not three. Cotton and synthetic duvets may need less time to dry.
Don’t just dry the duvet for three hours straight though! Stop the dryer every 30 minutes or so and fluff out the duvet as best you can.
For down duvets, check that the down isn’t too hot. Down can scorch, which can ruin the natural properties of the fill. If the duvet is too hot, give it a good shake and air it out for 15 minutes before putting it back in the dryer to continue drying on low.
It’s essential to make sure your duvet is fully dry before you put it in a cover and start using it again. Otherwise, a damp duvet can develop mold or mildew and start to smell terrible. A dry duvet will feel light and fluffy and the fill should be evenly distributed.
If you have the space, hang the duvet to air out and cool down after drying. This can be on a washing line or inside. Don’t let your duvet get rained on!
Can you iron a duvet?
Some duvet shells will look a bit wrinkly after washing and drying. Your duvet will be inside a cover, so this usually won’t matter. However, if it troubles you or the wrinkles are significant enough to cause lines through the duvet cover, consider steaming the fabric (but don’t iron it as you can damage the shell or the fill beneath).
How to clean duvet stains
Accidents happen (I know; I have an old dog and a toddler). Whether you’ve spilled a glass of wine or coffee in bed, or are dealing with less indulgent messes, it’s best to pretreat the area before machine washing your duvet.
To do this, try to shake out the fiber fill from the trouble spot. Then, apply a stain treatment or mild detergent directly to the stain. Depending on the stain treatment, you can either wait for 20 minutes and then load the duvet into the machine or wait and then rinse away the treatment (and then wash the duvet as normal if necessary).
For stubborn stains, try gently scrubbing with an old toothbrush. You can also rub the cover fabric together and then rinse.
For duvets that don’t fit in a machine or can’t be machine washed, use the same technique with the stain treatment and then use as little water as you can to rinse the area. A spray bottle can help to minimize water use.
Make sure to air out the duvet afterwards until it is fully dry. You might also use an iron to steam any areas where you’re concerned about bacteria.
I’ve found it helpful to use elastic hair ties, yarn, or even rubber bands to gather together and isolate duvet cover material that needs spot-treatment. You can also use this method to soak and rinse the duvet cover material without getting the fill or the rest of the cover (too) wet.
Duvets are always a bit unwieldy though, which is why I strongly suggest protecting them from spills and stains in the first place.
Get a duvet protector or liner
A duvet protector might seem like another unnecessary expense, but it will make life easier and likely save you money in the long-run.
A good duvet liner zips up around the duvet inner and has a very tight weave to help keep out bed bugs and dust mites. These liners also help to keep in down and feathers, which can reduce allergy potential and prevent uncomfortable poking from stray quills.
I’ve used duvet protectors for several years now and love having the extra line of defense. This includes an extra barrier for dog claws that can easily tear through a duvet cover and ruin a duvet on those especially awful fireworks nights.
Look for a duvet liner made with organic cotton and robust metal zips. The liner should also be machine washable, though you can get away with washing this less often than your duvet cover (but more often than your duvet). Avoid duvet liners that have chemical waterproofing (likely with forever chemicals or PFAS) or other chemical treatments such as antibacterial agents.
Waterproofing your duvet
Wrapping your duvet in a waterproof material can compromise its performance. Plastic duvet protectors reduce breathability and trap humidity and heat inside the duvet rather than letting it disperse heat and moisture naturally.
However, if you anticipate regular spills and accidents and really want to waterproof your duvet above and below, look for a waterproof duvet liner made with mostly organic and natural materials. Duvet protectors aren’t very common and most are made with polyurethane, which is a petroleum-based material. While a thin layer of PU isn’t likely to off-gas or be noisy, there are better ways to safeguard your duvet.
Better waterproof duvet protectors comprise a layer of biobased plastic between two layers of organic cotton. White Lotus Home makes a GOTS certified waterproof duvet protector like this (view on White Lotus Home).
For a more DIY approach, use a large wool puddle pad between your duvet and duvet liner or between the duvet liner and your duvet cover. The waterproofing will only be on one side of your duvet, of course, and the puddle pad may move around and bunch if the cover or liner isn’t close-fitting, but this approach is chemical-free. The wool puddle pad will also add some weight and warmth to your bedding, which can be welcome in winter.
If you’re mostly concerned with protecting your duvet from, say, a soggy dog, get a washable wool blanket that covers your bed. Speaking from experience as a dog-loving resident of the rainy Pacific Northwest, I’ve found this sufficient to prevent even the soggiest dog from soaking my duvet.
Washing synthetic duvets
If you have a duvet made with synthetic materials, such as recycled or virgin polyester, try to reduce how often you wash the duvet. Use a duvet protector or liner and consider only using a synthetic duvet on adult beds where accidents are less likely.
Synthetic duvets shed microfibers when washed and dried, and microplastic pollution is difficult, if not impossible, for most water treatment facilities to catch. These microplastics end up in waterways, where they can harm aquatic life and birds.
When washing a synthetic duvet, use a microplastic filter to catch the tiny fibers.
Reviving an old duvet
If your duvet has been in storage a while (a few months or more), check it over carefully. Make sure there are no:
- Areas of mold or mildew
- New stains or discoloration
- Rips, tears, or loose seams or stitching
- Signs of nibbling by moths, mice, or other critters.
If your duvet has minor damage, such as loose stitching or a small rip, consider mending it rather than buying a new one. This will save you a lot of money and save resources too.
Iron-on duvet patches exist, but these use synthetic adhesives and don’t last as long as a patch that’s properly sewn on. Save old white shirts or other bed linens to use for patching. For simple rips, you may just be able to stitch the two pieces of fabric back together without needing a patch.
If it smells a bit musty but is otherwise in good shape, consider washing it or hanging it out to air for a day. For larger issues that pose a health hazard, such as a family of mice nesting in your winter duvet, you’ll need a new duvet.
That said, avoid sending a duvet to landfill by reusing it in creative ways. If only one area is damaged, you could cut the duvet down and sew it back up to make a smaller duvet.
How to store a duvet
You may have a guest duvet, winter duvet, summer duvet, or just a spare duvet you need to store. Here’s how to store a duvet properly:
- Make sure the duvet is clean and fully dry before it goes into storage
- Mend any rips and treat any stains
- Wrap the duvet in a cotton bag, not plastic
- Store the duvet in a well-ventilated closet or storage box
- For wool and other natural fibers, consider storing these in a cedar box or with cedar balls to repel moths.
The best sustainable duvets often come with their own reusable organic cotton bag. Save this and use it for storage. Following these steps can help protect your duvet protected and in good shape for whenever you need it next.