How to care for your 2-in-1 duvet

The whole thing goes in the wash, and that's the point. Here's how to wash, dry and store it so it stays soft and full of loft for years.

5 min read

How often should you wash it?

A traditional duvet rarely gets washed, because first you have to take the cover off, then find the courage to put it back on. The 2-in-1 duvet is both the duvet and the cover, so it can go in the wash as often as your sheets.

Washing, step by step

1. Check your machine's capacity. You'll need 7 kg for the 135 × 200 size, 8 kg for the 200 × 200 and 10 kg for the 220 × 240. The duvet needs room to move in the drum: if it's packed in tight, it won't rinse properly.
2. Wash it on its own, or with a few light items. No jeans or heavy towels, which unbalance the drum.
3. Choose the delicate cycle at 40 °C, with a spin of 800 rpm at most. A faster spin flattens the filling.
4. Go easy on the detergent: half your usual dose is plenty. Too much detergent doesn't rinse out and leaves the fibres clumped together.
5. No fabric conditioner. It coats the hollow fibres and makes them lose their loft wash after wash.
6. Add an extra rinse if your machine has one, for a fresher finish.

Machine too small? A launderette does the job perfectly well: use one of their large-capacity machines (10 to 18 kg), and the duvet will have all the room it needs.

Drying: the most important step

A duvet that goes back on the bed, or into the cupboard, while it's still damp inside can start to smell musty, or even develop mould. The filling must be completely dry, not just the surface.

In the tumble dryer (1 to 2 hours)

• Use a low heat setting. Too much heat can damage the fibres.
• Add 2 or 3 dryer balls (or clean tennis balls): they bat the duvet around during the cycle, separate the fibres and bring back its loft.
• Halfway through, take it out, give it a good shake and put it back in.

On the line (4 to 6 hours in summer, 8 to 10 hours in winter)

• Lay it flat or hang it over two lines, so the air can reach both sides.
• Avoid hours of strong direct sun on the darker colour.
• Turn it over and shake it once or twice while it dries.

Keeping it plump day to day

• Shake it every morning, holding it by two corners: 10 seconds is enough to spread the filling back out.
• Leave the bed open for 20 minutes after you get up: the night's moisture evaporates before you make the bed.
• The quilted stitching keeps the filling in place: if one area looks flatter, pat it with the flat of your hand.

Storing it out of season

1. Wash it and let it dry all the way through before storing it, never dirty or damp.
2. Fold it without squashing it. Avoid vacuum bags for long periods: fibres compressed for months don't recover their volume as well.
3. Keep it in a cotton storage bag or a breathable box, rather than a sealed plastic bag.
4. Choose a dry, airy spot: a bedroom wardrobe rather than a loft, cellar or garage.

When you bring it back out, 20 minutes in the tumble dryer with dryer balls, or a morning on the line, will bring back its volume.

The mistakes that wear it out fastest