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Can You Tumble Dry A Duvet?

Regardless of the type of filling, all duvets require special care when cleaning. Most care labels will recommend washing in warm water (30C or 40C) and using normal spin. Some duvets can only be dry-cleaned.

Can you tumble dry a duvet? You should be careful when drying a duvet in a tumble dryer. Drying it in too high a temperature, at too high a speed can permanently damage the cover and filling.

While most duvets can be dried safely in a tumble dryer, it’s important to use the right settings.

Check The Care Label

Check The Care Label

Your duvet likely has a care label attached to it. If it doesn’t, check the manual or instruction booklet it came with.

There you’ll find proper cleaning instructions, including how to dry the duvet. As we mentioned, most manufacturers are okay with tumble-drying. Even duvets with delicate down or feather filling can usually be tumble-dried.

The most important thing is to use the recommended settings.

If the care label says you cannot tumble dry the duvet, the best alternative is air-drying in a shaded area.

Low Heat

A low heat setting is extremely important when drying a duvet in a tumble dryer. Too much heat will cause permanent damage to the fabric and filling. This is especially the case for delicate materials like natural down, cotton and feather.

Synthetic fibrefill is more resilient but even it can shrink if the heat setting is too high. A low to medium heat setting will do.

The care label on some down and feather duvet prohibit against using any heat at all. They recommend setting the tumble dryer on the air setting.

How To Prevent Clumping

Even when you use the right temperature, your duvet may come out with clumps of unevenly distributed filling.

To prevent this, remove the duvet from the dryer every thirty minutes and fluff it. Repeat this until you are sure the duvet is completely dry.

Regularly fluffing the duvet during drying ensures the filling stays evenly distributed.

You can also use wool dryer balls to achieve the same fluffing effect, though you should check the care instructions. Some manufacturers warn against using dryer balls for specific types of duvets.

If you don’t have dryer balls, you can use clean tennis balls stuffed in a pillowcase.

Read also: How To Dry A Down Jacket Without A Dryer?

Air Drying

If you don’t want to risk leaving your duvet in the dryer for too long, you can dry it partially in the dryer and partially outside.

Remove most of the moisture in the tumble dryer such that the duvet is no longer dripping. Then lay it out under a shade to remove any remaining moisture.

Even if you completely dry the duvet in a dryer, it’s still a good idea to lay it outside (if possible) to let it air and cool down.

Never Iron

Regardless of the type of duvet you have, never try to iron it. The heat from the iron will damage the fabric and filling.

If your duvet is wrinkled, fluff it up or let it air outside for a couple hours. Also, never try to dry a duvet by ironing it. Not only is it going to be difficult to get all the moisture from the thick filling, you’ll also likely damage your precious duvet.

The only part of your duvet that you can iron is the duvet cover. And even then, check the care instructions to see if it’s okay.

Additional Tips

  • Tumble-drying a duvet too often will wear it out quicker. Use a duvet cover to keep the duvet clean such that you don’t need to clean and dry it often. If the duvet gets a stain, treat and clean that particular spot instead of washing the entire duvet.
  • Make sure your tumble dryer is big enough to fit the duvet. If you force the duvet to fit, it may not dry properly.
  • Sometimes, it can be hard to tell when a duvet is completely dry. One trick is to weigh it before and after drying. Weigh it on a hanging scale before you put it in the washer and weigh it again after you remove it from the dryer. If it weighs more than that the beginning, there’s still some water left inside.

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