The key to having a good night’s sleep is keeping your bedding clean and fresh, including your comforter. Although you don’t have to wash comforters as often as other fabrics, you still have to clean them from time to time. But can you wash a queen-size comforter in your top or front-loading washing machine?
You can wash a queen-size comforter in a top or front-load washer, as long as you follow the proper steps. Confirm that the fabric can be machine-washed, gently place the comforter in the machine, add tennis balls and detergent, and use a delicate wash setting.
Washing a queen-size comforter in a washing machine should be relatively straightforward. However, in some cases, your comforter might be more significant than your machine — and you’ll have to wash it with your hands. Let’s take a look at both options so that you can enjoy a nice, clean comforter on your bed.
Can You Wash a Queen-Size Comforter in a Front- Or Top-Load Washing Machine?
Yes, you can wash a queen-size comforter in either washing machine. Although comforters don’t get as dirty as other kinds of bedding, they still require a good wash every now and then.
Thankfully, washing a comforter at home isn’t so different from dealing with your regular laundry, though there are a few peculiarities. If you adequately follow the rules, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t wash your queen-size comforter in a top loader.
How Do You Load a Comforter Into a Washing Machine?
Once you’ve decided to wash your queen-size comforter at home, the process is quite simple and easy to follow. Most comforters can be cleaned in a top or front-loader, except, of course, if they’re too big to fit or are made of delicate materials. In this case, you’d have to hand-wash the comforter.
So, how do you load a comforter into a washer? You can follow these steps:
- Read the instructions on the comforter: This step comes first because you don’t want to machine wash a comforter that should be hand washed. The label on the comforter will indicate if you can wash the material in your machine and at what temperature.
- Please pick up the comforter at the edges: To make the comforter easy to load into the machine, gather the four corners of the fabric and bundle it up together.
- Put tennis balls in the machine: After loading the comforter, add a few tennis balls (on Amazon). These balls will help keep the load balanced and also help to keep the comforter fluffy. Ensure the tennis balls are new and clean.
- Add detergent: You should add one cap full of a linen-safe detergent (on Amazon) into the detergent slot.
- Start washing: To wash the comforter, select the “delicate” wash setting on the machine and start washing. Choosing “delicate” will prevent the material from being damaged.
- Dry the comforter: After washing, remove the comforter from the washer and place it in the dryer. If that’s the only thing you’re placing in the dryer, then a queen-size comforter should fit just fine.
- Include the tennis balls: As you did with the washer, place the tennis balls in the dryer alongside the comforter. You can use the same tennis balls you used to wash the fabric. The balls will help reduce drying time and maintain the shape of the blanket.
- Use low heat: Set the heat setting option of the dryer to the lowest. Using high heat can damage the comforter or ruin its shape.
What Size Washer Do You Need to Wash a Queen-Size Comforter?
There are different types of top- and front-load washers, and each of them serves its purposes. There are many things to consider in choosing which washer is best for you, such as space, capacity, budget, clothes to wash, etc.
Capacity is an important factor to consider when getting a washer. In this case, you have to measure your laundry in pounds. A regular-capacity washing machine ranging between 3.1-4.0 cubic feet will accommodate between 12 and 16 pounds of laundry. A much larger-capacity washer will hold about 20 pounds of laundry.
When it comes to bulky items like the queen-size comforter, you’ll need to purchase a high-efficiency washer of 3.5 cubic feet. If you want to be able to wash a king-size comforter, you should look for a washer of 5.2 cubic feet.
Finally, it would help if you decided between top- and front-loading. This choice will depend largely on your home (and what works best in the space) and your preferred style. However, front-loaders are generally more energy-efficient and better at removing tough stains. They also create less stress on the items being washed, leading to more minor wear and tear.
How Do You Wash a Comforter That’s Too Big for the Washing Machine?
Some comforters are too big to fit into your machine or too delicate to handle by the washer’s rough movements. You’ll need to hand-wash such comforters, and to do that; you’ll need a bathtub.
Fill the bathtub with water and add detergent (mild). Mix the detergent and water with a swirl of your hand and dip the comforter into the mixture. Don’t wring the fabric because that can ruin its shape and damage the filling.
You should gently press down the material and move it through the water in a swirling motion. Soak the comforter for 10 minutes, press the comforter and drain the water.
While you’re still pressing down on the blanket, fill the tub with water again until you don’t see any suds. Drain the bathtub and remove excess water from the comforter by gently pressing it down.
Afterward, you can spread the comforter outside to dry or place the blanket in the dryer and dry on the delicate or air-dry setting.
How Often Should You Wash a Comforter?
How often you should wash bedding depends on how often you use it and the closeness of the materials to your body when you sleep. For instance, since you place your face on your pillow every night, you should wash it more frequently than a comforter that may have minimal contact with your skin.
Usually, most comforters have covers that protect the fabric itself from soiling. Unless something unusual happens, you don’t have to clean the comforter more than once or twice per year. On the other hand, you should wash the cover weekly.
If there’s no separate cover for your comforter, you’ll have to wash the fabric every week or whenever it gets stained.