Dry clean only comforter?

Question

I don't know what its made from, the top is shiny, but not silky and the underside looks like just plain old cotton. It says dry clean only, but can I throw it in the washer? And then I heard that in the dryer you should throw tennis balls in with it to beat it up all fluffy like. Should I go out and buy tennis balls or is this a BAD IDEA? Lol thanks in advance

Answer 1

A comforter in a top loading home washer may stress the washer and it is difficult to pull UP and also may unbalance the machine. Go to a public laundry and use a large front loader. Set on cold with very little mild detergent- less than 1/4 cup.- No fabric softener- it may streak.
In the dryer the commercial ones may be too hot- nothing you can control unless you check it every 5 minutes.
At home you can use tennis balls or sneaks but it isn't necessary- just pull comforter out of the dryer every 20 minutes and shake it and return to dryer- they tend to dry in twists or "balls" of wet spots. I Never dry clean anything.
p.s. the tennis balls and sneaks are NOISY!

Answer 2

You can use a pair of clean sneakers instead of tennis balls. Dry cleaning will be very expensive ($35-$50). You might want to take a chance and wash it on gentle cycle and dry cool.

Answer 3

It has been my experience that anything dry-clean only CAN be washed. As long as you DON'T use bleach and DO use the gentle cycle, it'll be fine. The drying is where it gets tricky. I would try to hang it dry over a balcony or even your shower curtain, then when dry, put in dryer with a dryer sheet on no heat/fluff. :) Good luck!

Answer 4

some manufactuers put dry cleaning labels in ther for "just in case" so you can't return it and say "why is this ruined, i followed the care instructions" kind of thing. it really depends what the thing is made of, and if you don't know i would rather take it to the cleaners and have it cleaned there than ruin it washing it myself.