How to wash a duvet: washing and drying down and synthetic duvets properly

New Year's Day: the guests have gone, the beds are being made up fresh – and your eye falls on the duvet itself. Slightly yellowed, a bit flat, perhaps with a faintly stale smell. The cover goes in the machine regularly, the duvet underneath often not for years. Yet knowing how to wash a duvet properly makes it a job many people can do themselves, provided the care label, drum size and drying are right.

These five steps show how to get down and synthetic duvets clean, when a laundrette is the better choice and how to dry the filling without clumps. Pillows work in a similar way – see how to wash pillows and duvets.

Why your duvet needs washing too

Every night we give off warmth and moisture, and some of it passes through the cover into the filling, along with skin flakes and natural oils. Over time the duvet turns yellowish, feels flatter and no longer smells fresh. Dirty, matted down also loses its loft and keeps you warm less evenly.

For people with a house dust mite allergy, caring for the bed matters even more. aha! Swiss Allergy Centre recommends, among other things, mite-proof encasings and washing duvet covers at 60 °C, plus a bedroom at 18–20 °C with a maximum of 50 % relative humidity. Whether the duvet itself can take 60 °C is stated on the label. For health questions, please ask your doctor; more measures are in our guide on how to reduce dust mites at home.

1. Read the label: down, synthetic or natural fibres?

The sewn-in label names the filling and the maximum temperature, and shows whether spinning and tumble drying are allowed. A crossed-out washtub means: no machine washing.

Check the seams too: if filling is escaping anywhere, mend it before washing. Four-season duvets consist of two duvets joined with press studs – separate them and wash each one on its own.

2. Find the right drum – at home or at a laundrette

Water and detergent need to soak right through the filling and then be rinsed out again. Rule of thumb: the duvet should fit loosely into the drum. If you have to stuff it in, the machine is too small.

The standard Swiss size of 160 × 210 cm fits into some larger domestic machines; double duvets of 200 × 210 or 240 × 240 cm rarely do.

• Your own machine: fine if the drum is big enough; many models have a duvet or down programme.
• Shared laundry room: the communal machines in apartment buildings are often larger. Plan the drying time into your laundry slot and stick to the house rules.
• Laundrette: large washing machines and tumble dryers are made for bedding; bring your own down detergent.
• Specialist shop: for old or valuable down duvets, many bedding shops offer a cleaning service, sometimes including topping up the filling.

3. How to wash a duvet: programme, detergent and temperature

Down and feathers:

1. Use a special down wash or a mild detergent for delicates, and dose it sparingly.
2. No fabric softener – it makes the down stick together.
3. Choose a delicates, wool or down programme at the temperature on the label.
4. Add an extra rinse so that no residue is left in the thick filling.
5. Spin as fast as the label allows – the less water left in, the shorter the drying time.

Synthetic fibre:

1. Mild or universal detergent as stated on the label, again without fabric softener.
2. If you have a dust mite allergy, choose the highest temperature the label permits.
3. Here too, rinse and spin well.

For everyday laundry, SwissEnergy (EnergieSchweiz) recommends low temperatures and eco programmes, and advises not increasing the detergent dose at low temperatures. For bedding, the care label comes first – and a little too little detergent is better than too much, because residue is hard to rinse out of a thick filling.

4. Tumble dry with tennis balls

Most clumps don't form in the washing machine but because the filling never dried completely. If the label allows tumble drying, it is the safest method:

1. Lift the wet, heavy duvet out with both arms rather than pulling it by one corner.
2. Add two or three clean tennis balls or dryer balls – they loosen the filling. Coloured balls can rub off on light fabric, so if in doubt put them in a white sock.
3. Choose a low to medium heat and a gentle programme.
4. Take the duvet out now and then, shake it and break up clumps by hand.
5. Allow several cycles until it feels light and airy all over.

5. Air-dry without a tumble dryer – with patience

A duvet regains its loft in the open air too; it just takes longer:

• Don't wring it out; spread it flat over two clothes airers so the filling doesn't slide to the bottom.
• Dry it in a warm, well-ventilated room, but not directly on the radiator.
• Turn it, shake it and loosen clumps several times a day.
• Allow several days for down and, in winter, air the flat briefly with windows wide open several times a day.

How often should you wash your duvet?

Change the cover every one to two weeks; our guide on how often to wash bed sheets has the details. The duvet itself usually only needs washing once or twice a year, for example in spring and autumn. A down duvet that still smells fresh can wait longer; with stains, odours or allergies, wash it more often if the label allows.

In between, simple care is enough: fold the duvet back in the morning, air the bedroom and use a washable protector.

Common mistakes

• Drum too small: the filling doesn't get clean and detergent residue stays behind.
• Fabric softener or too much detergent: down sticks together and loses its loft.
• Drying too briefly: leftover moisture causes clumps, a musty smell and mildew spots.
• Machine-washing fillings that aren't washable: wool or camel hair can felt – follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Priority Clean editorial teamOur cleaning team from Alberswil, Canton of Lucerne, shares hands-on experience from move-out, house, office and window cleaning across Central and Northwestern Switzerland.