Unlike the duvet inner, which is protected and barely touches your skin, the cover is in direct contact with you every night. That is why it gets washed more often, and why it is worth doing with a little care. Knowing how to wash a duvet cover is not complicated: it is about preparing it properly before the wash, choosing the right programme and not spoiling at the last step what went well in the machine. In this guide we cover how to machine wash a duvet cover, how often to wash a duvet cover, how to iron it and the trick for putting it back on without wrestling with the duvet.
what you will take away
- 1The two preliminary steps that prevent almost every problem: closing the cover and turning it inside out.
- 2How to wash a printed duvet cover and what to do about the three most common stains.
- 3How often to wash a duvet cover depending on whether or not you sleep with a top sheet.
- 4The roll trick to put a duvet cover on in a minute.
how to machine wash a duvet cover: what to do first
When it comes to machine wash a duvet cover, most mishaps do not come from the programme chosen, but from what is done — or not done — before pressing the button. They are two steps that take half a minute.
Close it fully
An open cover becomes a sack inside the drum: it traps socks and pillowcases, twists up and washes badly on the inside. Do up all the buttons before putting it in.
Turn it inside out
Washing it inside out protects the printed side from rubbing against the drum and the other items. It is the simplest step for keeping the design sharp.
Check the inside corners too: fluff or bits of filling often collect there. A shake with the cover inside out removes them before the water sticks them to the fabric.
One cover, one load
A duvet cover for a 150 cm bed already takes up a good part of the drum. Washing it on its own, or at most with the matching pillowcases, lets the water circulate so it does not come out with creased or poorly rinsed patches. If you want the details on capacity and programme for the duvet inner, you will find them in our guide on how to wash a duvet.
how to wash a printed duvet cover without the colour fading
You will find the basic temperature and detergent guidelines on each cover’s product page. Here we focus on what is rarely explained and has the biggest influence on how a print looks after many washes: what it is washed with and what to do with stains before washing.
Sort by tone, not just whites and colours
A print on a light background is washed with lights; one on a dark background, with darks. A new pair of jeans or a brightly coloured towel can dull the whites in the design.
The first wash, on its own
The first time, wash it alone or with items in very similar colours. From then on you know how it behaves and can fit it into your routine.
Treat the stain before, not after
A stain that goes through the machine untreated is much more likely to stay. Deal with it dry, before putting the cover in the drum.
How to remove the most common duvet cover stains
To remove stains from a duvet cover, it helps to know where they come from, because a cover does not get stained the way a sheet does. Almost everything gathers in the top strip, the turn-down, and usually comes from three places.
Make-up and creams. They are greasy, so water alone will not shift them. A drop of hand soap or washing-up liquid on the area, rubbed gently with your fingers, and a rinse with cold water before washing.
Coffee or juice from breakfast in bed. The sooner the better: cold water through the back of the fabric, to push the stain out rather than further into the weave. Hot water sets these pigments.
The yellowish ring along the turn-down. It appears over time where the cover touches your face and neck. It is prevented more than removed: wash the cover regularly and, if you want to space out washes, sleep with a top sheet.
The cover is what you see of the bed. Caring for its colour is caring for the look of the whole bedroom.
how often to wash a duvet cover
The short answer: as often as your sheets, or a little less if you sleep with a top sheet. The cover is the part of the duvet that is in contact with you, so it builds up the same as any other piece on the bed.
Weeks, without a top sheet
If the cover is in direct contact with your skin, the usual is to wash it every one or two weeks.
Weeks, with a top sheet
With a top sheet between you and the cover, you can space out washes to every two to four weeks.
A practical trick is to have two covers per bed and alternate them: while one is washed and dried at leisure, the other dresses the bed. And each time you rotate, you change the look of the bedroom.
how to dry and iron a duvet cover
This is where it is decided whether the cover will need ironing or not. Take it out of the machine as soon as the programme ends: if it sits creased in the drum, the marks set and are hard to remove later.
Hanging it well is half the ironing
Shake it firmly a couple of times, smooth it out with your hands and hang it widthways, held at several points and in the shade. Prolonged direct sun is what fades a print’s colours the most. If you use a tumble dryer, choose a low temperature and take it out while slightly damp.
Iron less (or not at all)
To iron a duvet cover you do not need to go over the whole thing. The part you actually see on a made bed is the turn-down strip and the front that falls at the foot, so those two areas are enough, always inside out so the print gets no direct heat. Another option that works: fold it straight off the line, still warm from the air, and store it under other pieces; the weight alone smooths out many of the creases.
how to put a duvet cover on in a minute
Washing the cover is easy; putting it back on is the bit nobody enjoys. This is the method that solves it, known as "the roll trick".
Cover inside out, on the bed
Lay the cover out inside out, with the opening towards the foot of the bed.
Duvet on top
Place the duvet inner on top, corner to corner.
Roll and turn
Roll the two up together from the head of the bed towards the opening. Tuck the ends of the roll inside the cover, unroll towards the head of the bed and close it.
As you unroll, the cover turns itself right side out and wraps the duvet with the corners already in place. One last shake and it is done.
the print, printed onto the fabric
We design our duvet covers in our studio in Cocentaina, and they are printed and made up in workshops in Spain. We print the design directly onto the fabric, without screens, which lets us reproduce prints with many colours, gradients and fine details. That is why they deserve the care we describe in this guide.
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washing a duvet cover well is easier than it seems
Close it and turn it inside out before washing, sort it by tone, treat stains before they go in the drum and hang it in the shade. Iron only what shows, and inside out. And to put it back on, the roll trick. With that, your cover will come out of every wash ready to dress the bed again.
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