With Spring Coming, How Do I Store My Down Comforter?

Down bedding is nature’s best insulator and in the winter the cloud like feeling of a down comforter keeping you warm is dreamy. As winter ends and spring starts you should consider storing your heavyweight down comforter until the fall approaches. Storing your down comforter is not hard and will help keep your investment pristine and in heirloom condition for many more winters to come.

The first thing you will want to do is make sure your down comforter is clean. Generally machine washing is the best way to care for your down bedding unless the fabric contains silk or rayon. Usually a twin size or full/double size comforter can be washed in a home washing machine. Queen, king or cal king sizes are probably too big for your washing machine and drying machine so you should take them to a laundry mat with several dollars in quarters. Dry cleaning is an option but it is expensive and some dry cleaners use a chemical which care harm the down in your bedding. Generally a down comforter can be dry cleaned for between $20 and $60 depending on what part of the country you’re in and the availability of quality cleaners. So if you opt for the at home or laundry mat – please make sure to watch the videos on BeddingCare.com for the ‘how to’ part of comforter washing.

Once cleaned – you should fold your comforter usually at the width of two rows of boxes (whether sewn thru or baffle box). Then you can store the comforter in a special storage bag made for comforters (usually a fabric material with a drawstring – much like a sleeping bag holder). You can also take an old flat sheet and wrap the comforter and do a twist tie on the end to keep it secure. You will want to make sure your comforter stays dust free but can also breathe. Do not store the down comforter in an airtight plastic bag. Place the secure comforter in a cool dark environment as heat and light can discolor the fabric at the fold marks. Do not place dryer sheets, mothballs or other like items in the bag with the comforter.

When it gets cold again you can take out the comforter – toss it in the dryer for ½ hour and that should give it a good fluffing and eliminate any trapped moisture from inside the comforter. You can also give the comforter a good sunny airing – just make sure the clothesline or rail the comforter leans on is clean – the sun will help bleach the fabric and make it look brighter (this applies only to white comforters).

When in doubt you can always give your comforter a toss in the dryer to remove moisture and fluff the down. You never want to wash a comforter and not dry it properly – two cycles in the dryer is generally recommended. Airing a down comforter out in the sunlight is a good idea between washings to remove odor and give it a fresh update.

To learn more about storing your down comforter you can visit BeddingCare.com which is a site sponsored by DOWNLITE the country’s largest down bedding manufacturer.

Buying Filling For Down Pillows

Being the countries largest down processor we get this question frequently from folks who have found us on google or who read one of our microsites such as WhyBuyDown.com or DownBuyingGuide.com.

Many times someone has an heirloom down pillow they want to preserve and restuff. For the average stay at home consumer the answer is no due to the cost of servicing the order. However, a simple trick is to buy another down pillow and use the stuffing out of it. Any modern pillow made since the 70’s will have a law label with the fill contents spelled out – such as ‘75% down’ or it might say ‘white goose down’. Most consumers can probably get away with a your basic down pillow sold on sale – sometimes around $30 to $35.

If you have a pillow fabric that is leaking it is probably better to just replace the whole pillow – or a stop gap method is to buy a zippered pillow protector to keep the filling somewhat in place.

Now if you are a business seeking bulk fills then yes we sell them in lots of 20 pounds or more. You can visit BulkDown.com and get the contact info of our sales team for those needs

How Often To Wash Pillowcases?

A story in the 2008 November issue of Cosmopolitan called out a study that said it is recommended to launder your pillowcases weekly to avoid skin irritations and Acne. We could not agree more and in addition to helpful skin care – it also reduces the number of household allergens including dust mites, dander and other respiratory inflammatory substances. At DOWNLITE we are fans of Tencel Lyocell pillow cases because in addition to feeling great they allow the pillow cases to be laundered really fast due to the moisture performance benefits found in Tencel Lyocell. Our own little trick is to machine wash them but air dry them for the ultimate in fabric care and softness. Because the material is so microscopically smooth you should also see an improvement in eczema and psoriasis inflammations.

When To Replace Your Down Pillow?

When should you replace a pillow- that is a hot topic once a year as news outlets cover this story with regularity.  Many like to show the folding trick where they take a pillow and fold it over and if it does not fold back – thy say it’s time to replace your down pillow.  I personally don’t like this method as pillows have different densities and if you have a soft rated down pillow – it won’t fold back quickly. The size of the pillow being folded makes a difference in the bounce back rate.

So what I recommend is to replace your down pillows every few years. High end heirloom down pillows are meant to last dozens of years – but typical ‘pound of down pillows‘ have a relatively lower lifespan due to the size of the down clusters. They will stay last 4-5 years – just not a lifetime of use because the down clusters break down at the lower fill power ratings.

We always recommend using a pillow protector to keep your investment in good order and then you just have to wash the cover and not the pillow.  If you do wash your down pillows and you can with all of the DOWNLITE pillows then we recommend visiting BeddingCare.com to see video’s on how to wash down pillows.

If you have allergen concerns or questions about dust mites we also recommend you visit DustMiteFacts.org to learn more. But what they discuss is that most down pillows use a special type of fabric which limits the amount of allergens that can cause issues inside the pillows.

We love our new 700 fill power down pillows which are available for a limited time and are rated a medium density – great for side sleepers.  The high fill power means the down clusters are larger and thus more durable.  We also like the 650 fill power down pillow under the Jessica McClintock brand on our site as well.

If you have any questions get in touch with the folks @ ShopDownLite.com and they can gladly help you out. Many consumers cling to their ‘favorite pillow‘ probably longer then we’d recommend.  Buying a new down pillow can be a process with many questions but we can help ‘fit you for a pillow‘.

Which Is Firmer? 50/50 Pillow Or Down?

This is a common question we get all the time about which style pillow is firmer. There a number of options for buying firmer pillows and we will discuss some of the common ones.  First lets define each pillow style:

50/50 Pillow – This style pillow contains 50% down and 50% feathers. This type pillow usually has a firmer feeling to it. We would call it ‘Medium’ usually and some styles are firmer than others – but most are ‘Medium’.

Down Pillow – A down pillow has to legally have 75% or more in its weight in down clusters.  The other 25% can be more down, small feathers and or fibers [pieces of down clusters]. Down pillows can come in soft, medium or firm densities.

Chamber Pillow – Kind of like a pillow in a pillow. This style pillow has a feather core and down on the outside (top and bottom to be specific). This pillow usually has the ‘firmness’ of a 50/50 pillow or a firmer down pillow.

So wrapping up – if you enjoyed a 50/50 pillow at a luxury hotel – then by all means by a 50/50 pillow. If you used to use a 50/50 pillow and want a replacement recommendation – I’d feel comfortable suggesting a chamber pillow. I probably would not recommend a firm down pillow as a replacement for a 50/50 pillow.