How to Keep Your White Comforter Clean and Looking Its Best!

white sheets and bedding on bed

There's nothing more inviting than a clean, white comforter on a perfectly made bed, but keeping it sparkling white can be a tough challenge.

How Can You Keep Your White Comforter Looking Brand New?

Buying a white comforter can be intimidating because dirt and stains stick out like a sore thumb. The good news is that there are a few ways to keep your white comforter looking crisp and clean. Following these simple guidelines will leave you feeling confident in purchasing a beautiful white comforter without any regrets.

Buying a White Comforter

When you decide on a white comforter, it's important to remember that you can choose from several different types. If you're a hot sleeper, you'll want to select a lightweight comforter. If you get cold at night, you'll likely want to buy a thick comforter.

Down Comforter

Down white comforters are made with the underside of birds (called down), which gives the comforter a plush and lightweight feel. There are many different types of down comforters, depending on the kind of bird feathers used. These are typically a warmer option, so this would be a good buy if you find yourself constantly getting cold at night.

Quilted Comforter

Quilted white comforters are an excellent option for hot sleepers. They are lighter than regular white comforters, and they're typically not as big, making them a good choice if you get hot at night. Quilts are generally less expensive, making them suitable for staging or guest rooms.

Another great thing about quilts is they're easy to clean. We'll talk more about how to clean your quilted comforter later in the article.

Duvet Cover

Duvets are actually two separate pieces. There's the duvet which is a very thin down blanket, and there's the duvet cover. They are very versatile and come in various patterns, colors, and sizes. Many cold sleepers use duvets along with their regular comforter.

Alternative Comforter

This is what comes to mind most often when you hear the word comforter. These are made with synthetic material that acts like down, but it won't cause any allergies to flare up, and they're more affordable. If you get frustrated with down white comforters bunching up in clumps, this would be a good option for you because the synthetic material typically stays in place, leaving the insulation even throughout the comforter.

Choosing The Right Shade of White For Your Comforter

White comforters come in many shades, which might make purchasing the perfect one a bit more challenging. There are typically bright white options and creamy white options, which can get quite confusing. If you're looking for a show-stopping white comforter, try a bright white comforter. If you're looking for a shade of white that will look clean and sophisticated without looking too flashy, try a creamy white or an off-white.

Look at your existing furniture and the color of your sheets. If you have tones of dark colors and natural wood furniture, don't be afraid to use a bright white color on your comforter to brighten things up. If you have white furniture or walls and you're worried about your shades of white clashing, you can use a creamy white that will still give you a crisp look but allow your other whites to stand out.

Finding the perfect shade is typically one of the most complicated steps in buying a white comforter. It's always best to consider your furniture when purchasing a comforter because when done correctly, they should complement each other instead of fighting for your eye's attention.

Keeping Your White Comforter Clean

Now that you've picked out the perfect type of comforter and the shade of white that works with the rest of your room, your next task is to keep it clean.

This can be challenging, especially if you have kids and pets. We know that dirt and stains (even makeup) can be easily spotted on white comforters, which makes keeping them clean seem like a never-ending battle.

Luckily, there are a few tricks and guidelines that can help you keep your white comforter looking as new as the day you bought it. You can use the following sections as a guide on washing your specific bedding.

Laundry Detergents We Love

Liquid Laundry Detergent, Clean Burst
$54.99 ($0.16 / Load)

by Arm & Hammer 

Buy Now
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/06/2024 07:40 am GMT

What Bedding Can Go In The Washing Machine?

Different types of bedding should be washed according to what will be safe for the material it's made out of. This means that you may have to wash your bedding separately, and in some cases, professionally.

Before washing your bedding, the most important thing you can do is read the labels thoroughly. Manufacturers do a good job of including specific washing instructions on how your bedding should be washed. If the tag says dry clean only, you'll want to make sure you take it to the dry cleaners.

So, what can you machine wash? If you have a big enough washing machine, you can wash down comforters, quilted comforters, alternative comforters, and duvets. Specific comforters made with various materials may need to be dry cleaned, but you could potentially machine wash each type of comforter that we have discussed.

If you machine wash your comforter at home, make sure that you allow it to air dry. If possible, you'll want to hang up your comforter to ensure that each side is dried correctly and thoroughly. If you don't have a large washing machine or the ability to air dry your bedding, it's probably best to have them dry cleaned.

If you have a white duvet that you're looking to clean, double-check to ensure that the duvet cover and the duvet can go in the washing machine. If the duvet is made with down feathers, it may not be safe for the washing machine and require dry cleaning.

The Best Detergent To Use On Your White Comforter

If you decide to use your washing machine to clean your white comforter, you'll need to choose the right detergent to get it clean. A great detergent that will clean your bedding and fight to remove stains is OxiClean White Revive detergent. This is safe for whites and colors, so you'll be able to use it for more than just your white comforters.

If you don't want something as strong as that, you could try a mild detergent that is meant for whites. Most major brands make a laundry detergent that's safe on white linen, so you'll be able to choose from the brands that work best with your skin.

If you don't want to use laundry detergent, you can use bleach and fabric softener instead. Chlorine bleach leaves your bedding clean, and it smells great. Use this option with warm water to kill bacteria and dust mites while keeping your whites crisp and new. One word of caution; avoid using the dryer if you use warm water to wash your whites to avoid causing too much heat damage to your linens.

If you use cold water to machine wash your white comforters, check the label to see if they can be machine dried. Some comforters and bed linens will still recommend air drying, which typically indicates that the material is not meant to withstand excess heat.

White Revive Liquid Laundry Whitener + Stain Remover
$6.93

by OxiClean 

Buy Now
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

How to Keep Other White Linens Clean

Keeping your white duvet cover or other types of white comforter clean is great, but there will still be an eyesore if your white sheets have stains. You can clean your white bed linen in similar ways as your comforter.

Wash your white bedsheets in the washing machine and use either bleach or laundry detergent that's made explicitly for white linens. Using bleach ensures that you're not leaving any detergent or grease stains on your fresh white sheet. Since your sheets are much lighter than comforters, you'll be able to use a dryer after washing them.

Try using dryer balls to avoid having static in your bed sheets from the dryer. There are different types to choose from, but typically wool dryer balls are great for keeping your sheets fresh and can avoid the static shock you feel after pulling them out of the dryer.

There's no better feeling than coming home to fresh sheets, but sometimes that feeling is dampened by pesky stains. Here's a quick guide to getting tough stains out of white sheets.

Removing Stains From Your White Comforter

The best way to fight stains and keep your white bedding white is by immediately taking care of spills or dirt. The longer the stain sits on the bedding, the harder it will be to get out. Spot-cleaning can be a challenge on the go and doesn't always happen right away, but when it's possible to address a stain immediately, it will prolong the life of your beloved white bedding.

An important thing to remember when spot cleaning is to blot the stain instead of rubbing it. It's a natural instinct to scrub the stain, but that can work it deeper into the fabric, which you want to avoid. The stain pulls out the foreign substance and leaves your fabric clean when you dab the stain.

When you spot-clean your white comforter or white bedsheets, try using a cleaner such as OxiClean or Borax. Both of these cleaners are versatile enough to use on your white comforter or your flat sheet, and they work hard to keep your white sheets white.

These cleaners have also been proven to help with yellowed sheets by removing surface-level dirt and stains and keeping them sparkling white. If you're aiming to remove yellowing from your white sheets, you can throw the sheets in the washing machine and use a light wash cycle with either of these detergents.

Don't worry if you don't have either of these cleaners on hand! A few household items can be used to tackle pesky stains on your bright whites.

Strain Removers We Love

Versatile Stain Remover Powder
$14.98 ($0.10 / load)

by OxiClean 

Buy Now
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/06/2024 10:24 am GMT

Household Stain Removers

You can't always predict when stains are going to happen. There may be times where you find yourself with a stain after you've run out of your favorite store-brand stain remover. You've probably heard of various tips and tricks for removing stains, but some of them might actually cause more harm than good. It's important to be mindful that your white linens will be sensitive to anything that gets on them. Try out these tricks if you find yourself in a situation without stain remover.

Lemon Juice and Lime Juice

Lemons and limes are highly acidic, which acts as a natural bleach. If you have yellow stains or other light color stains on your white bedding, try blotting the stained area with lemon or lime juice. Let the area completely dry, and for really tough stains or dark-colored stains, you can add a pinch of table salt to the mixture.

You'll want to wash the bedding once it all dries to avoid any discoloration, especially on comforters. This approach is gentle to use on everyday stains like grass and liquid spills, but it's also tough enough to get through rust and grease stains.

White Vinegar

There are many uses for white vinegar, including bringing yellowed sheets back to their original white color. White vinegar is very acidic, making it a fantastic whitener for your white bedding. If you add a cup of distilled white vinegar to the last stage of your wash cycle, it will act as a natural version of chlorine bleach which gets rid of the yellow color. It will brighten up your whites and restore them to their natural color without having to scrub or soak anything.

White vinegar is also great for cleaning out your washing machine. Over time, your machine catches dirt and particles from your clothes, and they end up swimming around when you do your laundry. Pour four cups of white vinegar into your washing machine and set it on high heat.

Once the cycle gets going and the machine fills up, pause it. Let the water and white vinegar soak in your machine for about an hour, and then resume the cycle to let it finish up. Your washing machine will clean your laundry better and smell better after doing this, and it will help protect your white comforter and bedding when you wash them after this.

Table Salt

You'll have to go to your kitchen for this next homemade stain remover. Table salt can absorb dark stains like blood or red wine from your white bedding. If you sprinkle a thin and even layer of table salt directly on the stain before it dries, the salt can soak up the liquid. You'll have to be careful with this one for a few reasons.

Try to carefully brush off the salt after it's absorbed the liquid to avoid getting it on any other part of your comforter or sheets. If you get the salt on other parts of the white bedding, it may also stain those areas. It's also best to put the bedding through a light wash immediately after using table salt to avoid any discoloration where the stain was.

Bluing Your Whites

A great way to keep your white comforter clean and looking brand new is by bluing it. Bluing is the process that most manufacturers will use to keep whites bright and crisp. The problem is, after several washes, the bluing fades and gets washed out, so you'll have to add it back yourself.

You'll want to be careful with this process because it could lead to stains and even stain other clothes or fabrics that you put in your washer if it's done incorrectly.

The first thing you need is a bluing liquid. Mrs. Stewart's is one of the most commonly used bluing liquids, and it works perfectly for white bedding, so this would be a great one to use. Once you have the bluing liquid, you'll want to dilute it to ensure it won't leave any blotchy stains or add a blue tint to your linens.

Suppose you have a washer that will let you add detergents during the wash cycle. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of the bluing liquid with one quart of water. Add this mixture directly to the water in the washing machine instead of using the automatic detergent dispenser. Using the automatic dispenser could stain it or leave traces behind, which would stain your next load of laundry.

If you add the bluing liquid during the rinse cycle, you'll need to dilute it a bit more, so you'll mix 1/8 teaspoon of the bluing liquid with one quart of water and add directly to the water in the machine.
It's important to note that bluing liquid can only be used with regular detergent. If used with bleach, fabric softener, or other cleaning liquids, it could create stains or streaks in your white linens.

Bluing is a great way to keep your white comforter looking brand new. It will work on your comforter and your sheets which will help you keep your bedding fresh and looking new. It's preventative, and it helps clean, which saves you time and money!

Was this article helpful?
YesNo