How to Care for Your Bed Sheets and Comforters

If you average 8 hours of sleep each night, that means you spend roughly a third of your life in bed. With that much time spent there, it’s worth making your bed a comfortable and inviting space. Bedding, like clothing, offers a wide variety of materials. From affordable, basic 300-thread count sheets to luxurious 1,200-thread count Egyptian cotton, there's something for everyone. A higher thread count generally indicates softer, smoother sheets, but even sheets with a lower count can feel pleasant. Whatever you choose, it’s important to follow the correct care instructions to ensure your bedding lasts as long as possible.

Beyond the aesthetic reasons for washing your bedding, there are also health concerns to consider. While you sleep, your body sheds thousands of dead skin cells, which become a perfect meal for dust mites. Dust mites are a common cause of allergies and are generally unpleasant. If you enjoy eating in bed, you’re likely to find food crumbs, which can attract pests. Additionally, natural body oils, sweat, and other bodily fluids like saliva or blood find their way onto your sheets. Although it’s not a pleasant thought, regular washing helps manage these issues. Keep reading for tips on how to clean your bed sheets and comforters.

Guidelines for Cleaning Your Bed Sheets

For health reasons, it's recommended to change your bed sheets and pillowcases every week. While frequent washing and drying can lead to wear and tear, it’s best to have at least two sets to alternate each week. For standard 300-500 thread count sheets, wash them in hot water with regular detergent and dry on a hot setting. This is particularly important for allergy sufferers since the heat eliminates dust mites. However, for luxury 1,000-thread count sheets, the care instructions are a bit different. These sheets use finer cotton threads, which can break when exposed to high temperatures. Wash them in warm water and dry them on a cool setting. If you prefer wrinkle-free sheets, you might need to do some ironing.

When washing your sheets, avoid overloading the machine as this prevents the rinse cycle from removing all the soap. Leftover detergent can make your sheets feel less soft. If you’re washing a full load, consider adding an extra rinse cycle. Avoid using chlorine bleach or detergents with brighteners, as these can weaken the fabric. For naturally brightening white sheets, add a quarter cup of lemon juice to the wash. If using powder detergent, make sure to dissolve it in water before adding the sheets. Also, try not to wash your sheets with towels.

Guidelines for Cleaning Comforters

If your comforter is made of cotton or a cotton-polyester blend that fits in your washing machine, you can usually clean it at home. However, always check the care instructions on the label before proceeding. Before washing, test for colorfastness by dampening a small inconspicuous area to ensure the colors won’t bleed. If the comforter doesn't have specific washing instructions, wash it in warm to hot water and dry it on a low heat setting to prevent shrinking or burning. Adding a clean tennis ball to the dryer can help prevent the filling from clumping. To save on electricity, you can hang it outside to dry. Be cautious, as a wet comforter can be quite heavy, so check if your washer can handle it. If you’re unsure, consider using a laundromat with larger commercial machines.

Not every comforter is suitable for machine washing. King-sized comforters may be too large for your machine, and delicate fabrics like silk or velvet should not be washed at all. Heirloom quilts, especially old or fragile ones, should never be machine-washed. In these cases, you have the option of hand washing or dry cleaning.

For hand washing, start by laying out your comforter and vacuuming off any dust or dirt using a brush attachment. Next, fill a large utility sink or bathtub with warm, soapy water and fully submerge your comforter. Agitate it in the water to ensure it’s entirely wet. You may need to scrub any stains or spots with a sponge. Once the soapy water is drained, refill the sink with clean water to rinse off the soap. You may need to repeat this rinse process one or two times to ensure all soap is gone. Finally, hang your comforter on a clothing line to dry. For materials that can’t be submerged, spot clean the washable areas instead.

If you’re unsure about the fabric or know that it’s too delicate for a regular wash, it’s best to take your comforter to a dry cleaner where professionals can handle the cleaning for you.

How to Care for a Down Comforter

Although you might think that down comforters should only be professionally cleaned, you might be surprised to learn that you can actually wash them at home with a bit of extra care. A typical down comforter is filled with small down feathers that are secured in place by stitching. Many modern down comforters are durable enough to be machine washed like a regular cotton comforter, but they do require some special attention. You'll need a large capacity, front-loading washing machine, so if you don't have one, consider taking your comforter to a laundromat.

When washing a down comforter, use a gentle cycle and a small amount of mild detergent to avoid damaging the feathers. Using too much soap can strip the down of its natural oils. After the washing cycle, run two additional rinse cycles to ensure all detergent is washed out. To dry your comforter, set your dryer to low heat in a machine with an extra-large capacity. It may take a while to dry, but make sure it's completely dry to prevent mold from forming in the feathers. Toss in a couple of tennis balls or clean sneakers to help break up clumps of down, and take the comforter out periodically to fluff it by hand. If you’d prefer not to wait for your comforter to dry at the laundromat, you can hang it outside to air dry, but be sure to finish drying it in the dryer to fluff up the feathers. Down comforters shouldn’t be washed more than once a year, so use a removable duvet cover to keep your comforter cleaner for longer.