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1st Class Laundry

Laundry guide

How Often Should You Wash a Comforter?

Comforters are easy to forget because they do not look dirty. But they collect sweat, skin cells, dust and pet hair night after night. There is no single rule, but there is common, sensible guidance, and it depends mostly on whether your comforter lives inside a cover.

Updated October 2, 2026

Common guidance

  • Sheets and pillowcases: about once a week.
  • Duvet cover: along with your sheets, or at least every couple of weeks.
  • Comforter or duvet insert used with a cover: a few times a year, for example at the change of seasons.
  • Comforter used without a cover: more often, roughly every month or so, because it touches you directly.
  • Pillows: every few months, if the care label allows washing.

What changes the answer

  • Pets on the bed: more frequent washing helps with hair, dander and odors.
  • Allergies: regular washing removes dust and allergens that build up in bedding.
  • Night sweats, illness or a hot summer: wash sooner.
  • Spills and accidents: wash right away rather than waiting for the schedule.

Signs it is time to wash

  • A musty or stale smell, even after airing it out.
  • Visible spots, yellowing or pet hair worked into the fabric.
  • Allergy symptoms that seem worse at night.
  • It has been a full season since the last wash.

Why a duvet cover helps

A cover is the easiest way to keep a comforter clean. The cover takes the daily contact and goes into an ordinary wash with your sheets, while the bulky insert needs washing only occasionally. Covers also protect the comforter from wear, which helps it last.

If you do not use a cover now, adding one is the single change that most reduces how often the comforter itself needs a full wash. Choose a cover that closes fully, with buttons, ties or a zipper, so the insert stays put.

Pillows too

Pillows absorb a surprising amount over time. Many polyester and down pillows are machine washable; foam pillows usually are not. Washing two pillows at a time keeps the washer balanced, and a thorough dry with dryer balls keeps the filling from clumping. A pillow protector, like a duvet cover, cuts down how often the pillow itself needs washing.

Before you store it

Wash a comforter before putting it away for the season, and make sure it is completely dry. Stored dirt and moisture are what lead to musty smells and stains. A breathable storage bag is better than sealed plastic for long storage.

Making the job easier

Part of the reason comforters go unwashed is that they barely fit in many home machines. A large-capacity laundromat washer handles a king comforter in one cycle, and a large dryer can dry it evenly. Washing two or three household comforters in one trip, in separate big washers or one very large one, turns a chore into a single afternoon.

At 1st Class Laundry, the biggest washers on record are 120 lb in Glassboro, 80 lb in Pine Hill, Berlin and Atco.

Or hand it off

Comforter and bedding drop-off at Pine Hill and Glassboro takes the whole job off your list: no appointment, and it comes back fully dry.

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