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Advice please. How often do others wash their duvets and pillows?

(94 Posts)
Tinygranma Sat 13-Jan-24 11:17:57

Good morning to all you wise Gransnetters! I used to take my duvets and pillows to the launderette on a yearly basis. Covid
put a stop to that and as the cost has risen considerably I air them on the line in the garden as they are too big to fit in my washing machine. My family who stayed for three weeks over Christmas have now left so I have just hung the duvets out. I was wondering what other gransnetters do with their duvets and pillows? They have all had covers on them which I have already washed and dried. Hope you all have a good day!

sodapop Sat 13-Jan-24 14:29:16

I've never been successful at washing pillows so just replace them as necessary. I do use pillow protectors though which I wash fortnightly along with sheets and cases.
Duvet washed annually.

Norah Sat 13-Jan-24 14:30:02

Indeed.

And cooking, heat, anything really - to not be dusting. grin

Norah Sat 13-Jan-24 14:31:34

I meant to quote and answer JudgeJane.

OldFrill Sat 13-Jan-24 14:37:39

Urmstongran

Surely by our age we ought to have this sussed.

What age is that?

Ziplok Sat 13-Jan-24 14:52:20

Goodness me, there are some quite unpleasant comments in reply to the posters question. unnecessarily so in my opinion. It’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask, and it’s quite interesting to read the varied answers. No need to be sniffy about it.

Callistemon21 Sat 13-Jan-24 15:01:05

sodapop

I've never been successful at washing pillows so just replace them as necessary. I do use pillow protectors though which I wash fortnightly along with sheets and cases.
Duvet washed annually.

No, I find they go a but lumpy so they go off to the cats and dogs rescue place.

Joseann Sat 13-Jan-24 15:01:58

sniffy ha ha!
My duvet gets very sniffy with the visitors on my bed. 🐕 🐕 🐈 I wash it probably every few months, I have a large AEG 10 kg loader. The duvet dries in the tumble drier.
I used to run a 24 people property and found pillows far more grubby, greasy and discoloured than than duvets, so even with covers I would wash them more regularly.
At home I usually throw away pillows when they are getting on a bit. Too much washing causes them to go lumpy.

silverlining48 Sat 13-Jan-24 15:02:18

If something is not relevant or of interest just pass it by. No need to comment and perhaps upset someone who had posted.
We don’t know what is going on in people’s lives and it’s always nicer to be kind than snippy,

Callistemon21 Sat 13-Jan-24 15:02:55

Tinygranma

Thanks for your advice everyone. The coverless ones sound a brilliant idea Boz! Thank you for that advice. Urmstongram and RosiesMaw, I thought I had it sussed until the prices in the launderette went up. Thank you crazyH, that's exactly what I thought too!!

Well, with all the talk of bed bugs in the press and on another thread, I'm wondering if I should wash them on a hot wash!!

(Not seen a bed bug - as yet)

BlueBelle Sat 13-Jan-24 15:04:50

Only two Ziplock
I, much like everyone else wash the covers regularly but if the duvets have had enough then they go out
No need to leave tinygramma nothing wrong with your question and nothing wrong with most of the answers maybe the two chippy ones were having a bad day

Callistemon21 Sat 13-Jan-24 15:05:02

OldFrill

Urmstongran

Surely by our age we ought to have this sussed.

What age is that?

The age where we can remember blankets and duvets were a peculiar Continental idea?
Only heard about in books like Heidi.

Witzend Sat 13-Jan-24 15:14:03

Ours go to the cleaners once a year - to be laundered. They’re far too big for my washing machine. We have all-seasons duvets, a light and a medium buttoned together, so the heavier once will usually go to be washed in summer, the lighter one in autumn.

I wash pillows (all down or feather and down) myself, one at a time at 40 deg. Probably once a year. They do need to be tumble dried, but come up like new.

MayBee70 Sat 13-Jan-24 17:56:35

Dunelm used to sell zipped duvet covers but then stopped selling them. I thought it was a good idea to have the duvet in two covers si it was annoying to not be able to buy them any more. I did find some suitable for a single bed recently so I’m going to check if they now do larger sizes. They still sell mattress and pillow protectors so why not duvet ones?

Desdemona Sat 13-Jan-24 18:17:21

I wash bedding weekly in summer, in winter much less,

Duvets get washed annually, as do pillows. I also air them on the line regularly in warmer weather.

I replace pillows every other year, duvets less so....when they go a bit "thin" and tatty.

sharon103 Sat 13-Jan-24 18:32:05

Duvets and pillows get replaced here. I don't bother washing them.

Sorchame Sat 13-Jan-24 19:20:11

Tinygranma

I've decided to unsubscribe from Gransnet. I've been thinking about it for some time because there always seems to be some smart alec who's waiting to give a sarcastic answer. You know who you are. Why can't people just be nice? 👋

Honestly Tinygranma don't unsubscribe.
It's like water off a duck's back to the unkind posters.
It will change nothing.
Just ignore the put downs.
There are more than enough helpful posters.

Georgesgran Sat 13-Jan-24 19:53:39

Same as sharon103 now that pillows and duvets are far less expensive than they used to be.
I get a couple of new pillows every year in the sales and get rid of the two oldest ones.

HelterSkelter1 Sat 13-Jan-24 20:12:31

Before covid the 2 double winter duvets I would take to a serviced launderette. And will do this summer. The summer duvets get a regular airing on sunny dry breezy days.

I must re read Heidi Callistemon21. I loved that story.

Dont leave Tinygranma. There are some names on here I would avoid sitting next to at a coffee morning ... sit next to me and we can have a laundry chat!!!

Delila Sat 13-Jan-24 20:31:33

Even at “our” age many of us aren’t domestic goddesses and I’m always interested & often grateful for comments on topics like this.

I think hanging a duvet over the line in recent freezing temperatures will get rid of most nasties as efficiently as summer sun.

Callistemon21 Sat 13-Jan-24 20:42:09

Putting it in the freezer if there's room could also work!

AreWeThereYet Sat 13-Jan-24 20:57:30

Winter/Summer duvets get dry cleaned at the end of the season when they're changed. In Summer get an airing in the sunshine every now and again. Our neighbour hangs hers out of the window. Our washer has a steam clean so pillows get a clean now and again and hung on the line to dry off.

Overthemoongran Sat 13-Jan-24 21:11:50

All bedding gets changed weekly. Duvets are dry cleaned at the end of winter and spring - although it’s getting to be cheaper to buy new ones. I wash all the pillows in the summer on one of those VERY hot days we get these days. I use pillow protectors & wash those every couple of months.

SueDonim Sat 13-Jan-24 22:02:08

I took a duvet to be cleaned recently, at a place within a supermarket. I went to collect it several times but it got lost in the system - it had been given the wrong colour ticket and was last heard of in Dundee, of all places! 🤣 The upshot was, I was told to buy myself a replacement, the cost of which they refunded in full and I was given some free dry-cleaning as well. 👍

Usually, I’ll air a duvet outside but like an earlier poster, I’ve mostly moved over to washable, coverless duvets. It make bed-changing so much faster.

Joseann Sat 13-Jan-24 22:04:01

I have a query ..... is it OK to dry clean duvets? Does the process not use chemicals that can affect the filling materials and be detrimental to health?

Doodledog Sat 13-Jan-24 22:35:46

I’m another convert to coverless duvets, and agree that the Nightowl ones are lovely. They aren’t just duvets with no covers, incidentally - they come in different colours and look nice as well as being practical and easy to launder.