How to Wash Comforters and Bulky Bedding

Comforters, duvets, quilts and heavy blankets are some of the hardest things to wash at home. They barely fit in a household machine, they take forever to dry, and they often come out lumpy. As the nights get cooler in Parsippany and the thicker bedding comes out, here is how to wash it properly, and why a laundromat makes the job much easier.

Start with the care label

Before anything goes in a machine, check the label. Most comforters and blankets are machine washable, but some down, wool and specialty pieces need a gentler approach or professional cleaning. The label will tell you the safest water temperature and whether the item can go in a dryer.

Give it room to move

The most common mistake is squeezing a big comforter into a machine that is too small. When bedding is packed in tight, water and soap cannot move through it, so it does not rinse properly and can come out stiff or still dirty in the middle. It can also strain the machine.

At Express Wash, our washers come in multiple sizes, and our large-capacity machines handle comforters, bedding and oversized loads with ease. As a rule of thumb, pick a machine where the item fills it loosely, not one where you have to push it in.

Choose the right settings

• Use a gentle or bulky cycle to protect stitching and filling.

• Cold water cleans most loads well and helps colors last longer. Use warmer water only if the label calls for it.

• If your machine offers an extra rinse, it helps clear soap out of thick fillings.

Go easy on the soap

Too much detergent is a common problem with bedding. It gets trapped inside the filling and leaves the fabric feeling stiff or dull. Our Soap Bar has our own portion-controlled soap, the same gentle, high-performing soap we use for wash & fold, plus fabric softener, so you get the right amount without guessing.

Dry it all the way through

Drying is where bulky bedding most often goes wrong. A comforter can feel dry on the outside while the middle is still damp, and that is how musty smells start. A few tips:

• Use the heat setting on the care label. Low heat takes longer but is kinder to fillings.

• Use a large dryer, so the comforter can tumble freely.

• Partway through, take it out, shake it and redistribute the filling, then put it back in.

• Before you fold it, feel the thickest parts and the corners to check they are fully dry.

Our Huebsch dryers reverse-spin to help prevent clumping, and finish with an anti-wrinkle cycle, which helps bedding dry more evenly.

Wash several pieces at once

With 40 machines (20 washers and 20 dryers), you can run the comforter, the sheets and the pillowcases side by side instead of spending a whole day on back-to-back loads at home. When everything is done, our quartz folding tables give you plenty of room to fold large pieces neatly.

Or let us handle it

If you would rather not deal with it yourself, drop your bedding off for our wash & fold service. No appointment is needed, and we will text you when it is ready for pickup.

Visit us

Express Wash is at 105 US Highway 46 East in Parsippany, next to Cycle Craft, with free parking right outside the door. We are open every day from 6am to 11pm (last wash 9:30pm). Questions? Call us at (973) 287-7977. Hablamos español.