Help with bedding

[Country Girl]

Hi everyone. It has been a while since I've posted. We've been closed since last March but will reopen this summer. I have always had beautiful quilts and goose-down comforters on my beds, but that will now be changing. Can anyone please recommend very nice down-alternative comforters that are machine washable, and duvet covers that are a nice quality too. Also, any recommendations for machine washable pillows? Thank you.

 

[Morticia]

I wash my down duvets and run them thru the dryer. Duvet covers I get at bb&b. They are cotton and wash well. Get ones with zippers, the button kind will drive you nuts!
If you are planning all of this because of ‘germs’ I’d go with washing the duvet covers and pillow covers only. If you get the pillow covers that block dust mites and bed bugs you should be fine.
Last year we replaced all the pretty bedding with plain white coverlets. It’s not my favorite look, but they are polyester and dry in ten minutes. I use the duvet underneath the coverlet, so it’s easier to strip the beds and get everything washed quickly.

 

[Arks]

I've never understood why they don't make duvet covers that open on 3 sides so you could just open it up like a book, lay the duvet on it, and close it back up, with zippers or Velcro or even snaps.

I actually bought a roll of Velcro a few months ago with the intention of cutting a duvet cover up the 2 sides (it's already open on the bottom) and see if it wouldn't be a LOT easier for the housekeepers to deal with, vs. stuffing the duvet into the cover from just the bottom.

 

[gillumhouse]

IF you turn the duvet inside out, lay it on top of the comforter, then roll from the top down to the "open end", stuff ends into the duvet and unroll. It really is not difficult. You all know how into easy I am. Since I learned this method, it is a snap.

 

[Lee2014]

At my new place of employment the duvet covers have two slits about 12 inches from the top seam on both sides so you can reach in and grab the duvet. I put the duvet in with the top first. Then I tuck the bottom corners in. Then just grab the top corners through the slits and the duvet straighten out inside. Then I smooth out the top of the duvet cover.

 

[Country Girl]

I wash my down duvets and run them thru the dryer. Duvet covers I get at bb&b. They are cotton and wash well. Get ones with zippers, the button kind will drive you nuts!
If you are planning all of this because of ‘germs’ I’d go with washing the duvet covers and pillow covers only. If you get the pillow covers that block dust mites and bed bugs you should be fine.
Last year we replaced all the pretty bedding with plain white coverlets. It’s not my favorite look, but they are polyester and dry in ten minutes. I use the duvet underneath the coverlet, so it’s easier to strip the beds and get everything washed quickly.

Thank you. You don't find your down duvets clump in the washing machine?

 

[Morticia]

Thank you. You don't find your down duvets clump in the washing machine?

They are all ‘box quilted’ so the down stays put in its own section. The drier fluffs them up again. Do one to test it. Most of mine are from Cuddledown and have survived nicely. (But, I’m not washing them after every check out.)

 

[Country Girl]

They are all ‘box quilted’ so the down stays put in its own section. The drier fluffs them up again. Do one to test it. Most of mine are from Cuddledown and have survived nicely. (But, I’m not washing them after every check out.)

Great! Thanks again.

 

[M At QI]

3 tennis balls in the dryer will fluff down in the non-box quilted duvets.

 

[Roxanne Trees]

While we are on "bedding", I have a question... I am in the process of adding a second washing machine and replacing the existing dryer (going with a full size front loading stackable set with the existing washer on the side and a large cabinet above the old washer.) I am losing some storage space in my teensy guest laundry room and need to cut down on the number of pillows in there. (I think they have been breeding! ) Any rule of thumb on how many to keep in addition to what is already on the three beds? (2 kings and 1 queen) I use space bags but I don't think I need to keep quite so many pillows. I also have one rollaway bed, and a private queen guest room downstairs.

 

[Generic]

Any rule of thumb on how many to keep in addition to what is already on the three beds? (2 kings and 1 queen) I use space bags but I don't think I need to keep quite so many pillows. I also have one rollaway bed, and a private queen guest room downstairs.

We keep 2 extra in the room, in pillowcases, in bags, so that the guests can use them if they need to. The plastic bag is so that we know that they used them. We keep a few extra around, but not much more. I can always order and have them delivered in a day or two.

I only buy washable pillows. With the large front loader, I can easily wash them and dry them. I have wool balls to fluff them in the dryer.

 

[Morticia]

We have nine beds sized from twin to king. I think I have a couple of queen and king backup pillows in the attic. We haven’t had a lot of requests for more pillows and the ones we have are washable, if need be. There are generally four pillows on each queen bed (not including the ones in the shams) and five on each king bed.
Depending on how you install the stackable you might be able to stuff the extra pillows between the dryer and the wall. That’s how I used to store the extra pillows.

 

[JimBoone]

We have 14 queen beds and 2 twin beds, 4 pillows on each queen and 2 on each twin. I have a few loose spares and a case of 12 in reserve at this time. Old pillows get tossed as necessary, I may order another case each year for replacements.

 

[gaelstorm]

I avoid both down comforters and duvets. Instead, I use a fleece blanket sandwiched between two sheets. Top sheet is solid and colored. I use a microfiber sheet in white underneath the blanket. It is the easiest yet. Any blanket would work, even synthetic or down comforters. I even cheap out by buying sheet sets from thrift stores. (Don't tell anyone) They are of better quality than motel ones and come in many colors. In this tourist area with lots of family vacation homes and retirees (who die here) there are great garage sales by families emptying homes. Grandmas buy the best quality and who would bother to inherit sheets.

I am using the colored bottom sheets and colored towels collected this way for my "eviction moratorium" refugees. I wish I didn't have them. Entitled and almost impossible to evict even for bad behavior. I would wish for tourists if I had good housekeeping help.

On the other hand, due to CARES funding, I am getting 80% of their rent. Luckily, I was able to get 80% of the above-market rent to accommodate including all utilities, including cable tv and wifi. I even include linen laundry and garbage bags in self-defense.

 

[Tamelon]

I loathe both down and stuffing a duvet cover, so we use duvet covers or a beautiful white sheet simply laid on top of a synthetic down comforter. We also use non-down pillows inside of covers. We use all cotton sheets in white only.