How often should you wash your duvet, blankets and pillows?
A simple washing calendar for bedding, why the big items need a proper machine, and what each one costs to have done for you.
Sheets get washed every week or two. The big things underneath them tend to get forgotten until they smell of something. Here is a realistic calendar for bedding in a South African home, and a note on why the heavy items are better done in a commercial machine.
A bedding calendar that actually works
| Item | How often | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sheets and pillowcases | Every 1 to 2 weeks | Sweat, skin cells and dust mites build up fast |
| Duvet cover | Every 2 weeks | It is the layer you touch every night |
| Duvet inner | Every 2 to 3 months | Holds moisture and allergens even under a cover |
| Pillows | Every 3 to 4 months | Absorb oils from hair and skin |
| Blankets and throws | Monthly in winter | Pets, snacks, sofa evenings |
| Mattress protector | Every 1 to 2 months | Its whole job is to catch what the sheets miss |
Why the big items fight your home machine
A king size duvet needs room to move through the water. Squeezed into a 7 kg domestic drum it stays soapy in the middle, dries unevenly and can clump. Commercial machines are larger and dry at controlled temperatures, which is why a professionally washed duvet comes back fluffy instead of lumpy.
Allergies and asthma
Dust mites are the most common bedroom allergen in South Africa. They live in duvets and pillows and are killed by a hot wash at 60 degrees. If anyone in the house wakes up blocked, moving duvets and pillows to a three month cycle is one of the cheapest improvements you can make.
What it costs to have it done
Duvets and comforters are priced per item: single R228.00, double R268.00, queen R293.00 and king R308.00. Fleece blankets are R98.00 and lightweight blankets R138.00. Pillows are R68.00 for standard and R88.00 for continental. They all fit in a normal collection, and because they are fixed-price items you pay for them when you book, with nothing to weigh afterwards. On the Monthly Saver plan the collection is R60.00 whatever you send.
Set a reminder for the first weekend of the month, put the bedding by the door and book the collection. Clean bed, no wrestling with the drum.
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