Spring is almost here and it’s time to start planning your spring cleaning. Your feather bedding may not spring to mind, but proper care is very important if you want it to stay beautiful and, more importantly, function efficiently.
You may have wondered if your favorite down comforter, pillow, feather mattress or topper is really worth upgrading. There are a few things to consider, the most important being what your initial investment is and whether there is any sentimental value attached to it (inherited from your grandmother).
The upgrade is definitely worth it if you have a high-quality down product, which means high ticking-proof thread count and high bulk down. With proper care they will stay beautiful and keep you warm in winter. That means cleaning the duvets every 5 years and renewing them after 10 years. For down pillows renew every 3 or 4 years (even with natural oil protectors for hair down stains are tick-tock). Feather mattresses and toppers need to be renewed every 7 to 10 years. Refurbishing is also an opportunity to upgrade to a larger size (or even downsize), get a more drop-proof (leak-proof) case, or add new padding to improve on the old padding and give back the deck to its former splendor. .
Keep in mind that if your downs are from Europe, they are definitely very high quality in both ticking and filling. Even if you bought in the US 20 years or more ago, they are likely to be of much higher quality than much of what is on the market today.
If you have bought a down product at a very low price, for example, the same price in all sizes, it is not worth renewing. It’s better to buy a new one and this time upgrade it so you don’t have to keep replacing it. It feels good to recycle.
Using the right protectors goes a long way in eliminating unnecessary cleaning and refinishing. Always choose a professional for cleaning and renovation to protect your precious down.
In between professional care, you can air out your duvets on a clothesline on a hot, dry day or put them in a tumble dryer on low heat for 20 minutes. For pillows, tumble dry on low from time to time to re-fluff them. Down mattresses and down mats can be hung over a chair near an open window, unless you can pull them out onto a table. It just freshens them up and re-fluffs them beautifully.
