Washing a down comforter

Um... how do you do it? I went to Chicago and came back and all of this red stuff was on my down comforter, and no one will explain how it got there.

There are no washing instructions on it for some reason, so now I'm even wondering if it's possible to wash one. Any suggestions?

Google?

Like pillows, I've washed them hot in detergent or even bleach. I can't see what yours is made of, so I don't know if that's ok for yours.

You sure it doesn't have tag with care instructions?

First thing I'd do is call around to local dry cleaners. They have stain removal stuff and can probably best clean the comforter with less chance of damage.

Down pillows and comforters can be washed, but they're a bit of a pain. If it's a Queen size or larger, you'll probably need to take it to a laundromat where they have the large capacity front loading washers (that's how we wash our comforters). A regular capacity home washer will not only fail to clean when overstuffed, but the weight of such a large item when soaked can damage the washer. Wash on the gentle cycle.

The trick with down is to dry it and redistribute the down evenly. It tends to clump in areas and thin out in others, so if you're not careful you wind up with a lumpy comforter. Some are stitched to contain the down in small sections so that it doesn't migrate all the way across to the opposite corner, which helps a lot.

If the red stain is wine or fruit punch... good luck, especially if it's had time to set in. You could try some Shout or other stain pre-treatment (my wife prefers Pine-Sol as a stain pre-treat, she swears it works better than detergents made for the purpose), and if the comforter is white you can try washing with some chlorine bleach -- no more than half a cup probably in a front-loader. Most red stains are very difficult to remove though. A dry-cleaner is probably better prepared to help.

I'm not sure how damaging it is to the fabric (maybe dmorris will know) but Didi Seven, and some other "industrial" stain removers are pretty good on hard stains.

About how much would it cost to get it cleaned at the cleaners?

It's a king size.

[quoteb51c266ee9="AMoore913"]About how much would it cost to get it cleaned at the cleaners?

It's a king size.[/quoteb51c266ee9]

How would we know what cleaners charge wherever you live?

You'll pay an arm an a leg for dry cleaning, and it will damage the down. I wash mine in a laundromat in the largest machine. Where I am, the largest machine costs $3.50. I also dry it there, but you'll need to put in some tennis balls to help it dry evenly.

[quote79d30c7642="tylerc"][quote79d30c7642="AMoore913"]About how much would it cost to get it cleaned at the cleaners?

It's a king size.[/quote79d30c7642]

How would we know what cleaners charge wherever you live?[/quote79d30c7642]

I guess I'm dumb for thinking you could be psychic about cleaner prices... roll
I just wanted an estimate. Jeez...

I think I read about the tennis ball thing.
What do you use in the machine when you wash? Also, I was thinking about using oxy clean to treat the stains... but I do have pinesol too.

Oxy clean is supposedly really good to add power to the wash. It's done wonders for the carpet.

I like Tide. Yes oxy clean does a good job.