Washing Bulky, Heavy Items

Written by Charlotte Wood (last updated November 9, 2020)

I love my down comforter however cleaning it is a little daunting because of its bulk and content. Are there special ways to wash your bulky and down feather items? Luckily there are a few tips you can follow to make these items clean and fresh without going to too great of lengths. If followed, these guidelines will greatly simplify the bulk washing process and leave you with clean possessions that are still in great shape.

If the label says it's safe to machine wash your pillows or stuffed toys, go ahead. Remember though to not wash too many at a time (no more than two or three) and if the stuffed animal is well-loved (meaning it has more bald patches than fur and several holes) you might want to put it in a net laundry bag to prevent any stuffed animal disintegration—thus avoiding a sad display from a devoted five-year-old.

With big and bulky items like stuffed animals or comforters you shouldn't put anything else in the wash with them. You don't wash these items too often and so it shouldn't be an inconvenience to devote an entire load to one or two items.

Before washing a down-filled garment, check to be sure the outer material is washable. Then make a bag twice as big as the garment from tightly woven, white fabric and put the item securely inside. Close the bag using strong thread and stitches small enough to assure no feathers will escape if there is a loose seam in the garment. Always machine dry down-filled pieces. Use a low-temperature setting, and toss in a few clean tennis balls to fluff the garment and make sure it dries evenly.

Remember with down filled items to put everything on a delicate setting; you don't want a hardcore wash cycle to rip apart your down pillows or comforters. Be patient with the washing and drying of these items as well—it's better to take your time and make sure everything is going the way it's supposed to than rush the process and end up with damaged pillows and comforters.

Bulky and down items need not be an obstacle in your laundry day. It's not hard to wash these items if you follow these simple tips and you don't even have to wash these kinds of things very often anyway. You probably use these items all the time and so you want to keep them looking as nice as possible; a laundry load is often the way to do it and once you do you'll definitely be glad!

Author Bio

Charlotte Wood

MORE FROM CHARLOTTE

Remove Food Stains and Old Stains

Food stains happen and sometimes those food stains are difficult to remove from your clothes and that's even harder when ...

Discover More

Styles that Make You Look Slimmer

Optical illusions are not just in those books you checked out from the library in elementary school, but you can also ...

Discover More

Strengthening Fingernails

Fingernails are one of those things that are easy to take care of, so you should take advantage of that. No one wants ...

Discover More

Remove Stubborn Stains Quickly Get everything looking clean again: Walls, floors, baseboards, counters, blinds, appliances, and more. Micro-scrubbers easily reach into surface grooves, lifting dirt away. This low-cost 8-pack is great for stubborn stains and touble areas. Check out Mr. Clean Magic Eraser 8-Pack today!

More Cleaning Tips

Cleaning Lace and Delicates

Washing lace and other delicate items can be an extremely tricky matter. That is, it can be tricky if you don't know how ...

Discover More

Washing Lace and Other Delicates

You want to take good care of your lacy and delicate items and you still want them to get clean. Washing these items ...

Discover More

Reduce the Amount of Lint in Your Laundry

Lint just happens when you do laundry. While you can't prevent lint from happening, at least you can better control it. ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 + 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.