The Correct Way to Wash a Feather Down Mattress Topper

A down mattress topper can be an excellent choice for people who want to make their bed more comfortable without paying the steep price of a new mattress. As down mattress toppers are also quite pricey, you should learn how to take proper care of your topper to help extend its useful life.

Down mattress toppers require less frequent cleaning than other types of such items. Improper cleaning methods could damage the gentle feathers, cause mildew growth, and shorten the useful life span of the topper.

How To Clean a Down Mattress Topper

Down and feathers require proper cleaning methods and special detergents to preserve their integrity and their ability to keep you warm.

One of the best things you can do to ensure your feather-down mattress topper maintains its quality is to hang it out in bright sunlight at least twice a year. This helps remove unpleasant odors and keeps the topper smelling fresh. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean you don’t need to wash your mattress topper deep at least once a year.

How to Wash Your Down Mattress Topper Without Ruining It

The first and foremost thing you should do is check the label’s care instructions. You’ll find this label attached to one of the mattress edges. You can trust the manufacturer to know what’s best for their product regarding proper care and maintenance.

Once you know how to care for your topper, you should inspect it. Look for signs of wear and tear, cuts, holes, or any other type of fabric damage. If you wash a damaged down topper, feathers might escape through these holes, thus ruining your mattress topper and rendering it useless. Always treat or mend all cuts and holes before washing your feather-down mattress topper.

Step 1

Place the mattress topper in the washing machine. Ensure that your washing machine is large enough to accommodate the mattress topper. If your washing machine is too small, consider taking your mattress topper to a professional cleaning service.

Step 2

Pour the detergent into the special compartment of your washing machine. Use only a small amount of a mild, unique laundry detergent formula. Liquid detergent works best, as it doesn’t strip the natural oil film on the feathers. 

Step 3

Choose cold water gentle washing cycle to preserve the topper’s shape. After the process completes, give it an extra rinse. The main point is to remove as much of the laundry detergent as possible without setting a too high washing temperature or an irregular spinning cycle.

Step 4

Remove the mattress topper from your machine and place it in the dryer together with a couple of tennis balls. Set the dryer on low or medium heat. Repeat the drying cycle as necessary until the mattress topper is completely dry. The role of the tennis balls is to fluff them down during the drying process. This helps prevent mildew growths in the feathers.

Step 5

Hang your mattress topper out in the sunlight for a couple of hours. The down will dry completely even on a cloudy day, and your mattress topper will have a pleasant, fresh scent to it. Just ensure you don’t leave your mattress topper handing out in the rain, as that would ruin all of your efforts.

By following the above steps, you’ll enjoy your down mattress topper for a very long time.