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Wash and Dry Pillows and Duvets

Tips on washing and drying your pillow and duvet. With a few housewife tricks, cleaning and caring for the pillow and duvet is very easy. This saves you the cost of professional cleaning.

It’s not that difficult to clean a pillow and duvet yourself. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind. There are also many care tips so that the bed linen stays beautiful for a long time.

Pay attention to cleaning in the washing machine

Always read the specific care instructions for your bed linen before cleaning. This can usually be found on a care label sewn to the duvet or pillow. As a rule, light pillows and blankets can be cleaned in the washing machine without any problems. However, dry cleaning is preferable for thick winter duvets filled with a lot of down feathers.

Most bed linen can be washed at a maximum of 40 degrees. Choose a washing machine program that uses a lot of water. These are, for example, the wool and the hand wash program. The spin speed should be set to around 400. It is important that you choose a detergent for the washing process that is also suitable for down. It has proven to be particularly helpful to put tennis balls in the washing drum during the washing process.

Can pillows and duvets be put in the dryer?

Many who don’t own a dryer know that it takes a long time to dry a large down comforter and pillow. Especially in cool temperatures, when the laundry cannot be dried outside, this is often very annoying, as the bed linen is usually needed again quickly. A dryer is a solution for this. However, it is important that the care label specifically states that the material is suitable for tumble drying. Many dryers have a special program that is suitable for down pillows and is particularly gentle on the sensitive down. If the result after drying is not satisfactory, simply repeat the process with the dryer again.

How often should you clean your duvet and pillow?

To keep the down nice and fresh, it should be cared for regularly. Basically, the following applies to washing down comforters:

  •  Clean duvet: every 5-8 years
  • Clean pillows: every 1-2 years

Extend the life of down comforters and pillows

The filling of the blanket stays nice and fluffy if you air and shake it out regularly. This is especially useful in the morning so the blanket can shed moisture from the night. However, down duvets and pillows should never be left to dry in the sun for too long, as this removes the moisture from the down. This has a negative impact on sleeping comfort. Avoid bedspreads. While these look nice, they prevent the down from breathing.

Care of down comforters

When caring for the down comforters, you should avoid a vigorous beating, for example with a carpet beater, because it damages the down. Many people clean their ceilings with a vacuum cleaner. You shouldn’t do this either, as vacuuming the down comforter will do more harm than good. In the worst case, the material gets holes and the filling comes out.

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Cooking Tips

Harvest and Dry Sage Correctly – You Should Pay Attention to This

If you harvest and dry sage properly, it can be stored for a long time. So you can use it at any time of the year to refine and season dishes. Even harvested and dried sage is also suitable as a tea for a sore throat.

6 tips for the right sage harvest

The real sage is a popular herb for refining dishes. But sage can also provide relief as a variety of home remedies, for example for sore throats or gastrointestinal complaints.

It is important to harvest the sage correctly in order to have sufficient supplies for the cold season, when the sage no longer sprout.

You should pay attention to these tips for a productive harvest:
Harvest time is from May to August. Normally, the sage begins to bloom at the beginning of summer. In its heyday, however, its aroma content is very weak, which would make it uninteresting as a herb.
If you grind consistently and evenly, you’ll reduce woodiness and blooming. The young shoot tips in particular are rich in essential oils and aromatic ingredients.
Never cut into the woody part of the shoots, otherwise the shoot will not sprout again.
Do not wash the harvested sage, just wipe it off to avoid unnecessarily slowing down the drying process and losing valuable ingredients.
To avoid loss of aroma, you should dry or freeze the sage immediately after harvesting.
You should harvest the last time around the end of August so that the shoots can fully mature before the first frost and are therefore protected. To protect the hardy shrub from frost, you can put leaves, fir green or straw around the root area. Attention: Not all sage species are hardy.

drying sage

Dry or Freeze Sage – Which is Better? The answer: both are possible! The essential oils are preserved both dried and frozen.

Sage really dry
In the air:
Dry the sage at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 27 degrees Celsius) in a well-ventilated area. That takes about ten days.
You can simply spread individual sheets on newspaper.
If you have harvested stalks, tie them together with string and hang them upside down.
In the oven:
It is also possible to dry the sage in the oven at 40 degrees Celsius within about six hours.
Turn the leaves regularly and leave the oven door ajar (say, with a wooden spoon between them). However, this method is not very energy-efficient and therefore not recommended.

Freeze sage properly

To freeze sage, you can put the sage leaves uncrushed in a screw-top jar or freezer container.

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Lifestyle

Tips on How to Dry Laundry Correctly

Dry laundry quickly, but how? Washing is the order of the day for most families. Especially with children, there is always a lot of laundry, which of course not only has to be washed but also dried. We have the best tips for drying clothes.

The washing process itself is no longer a problem with modern washing machines. But where can you dry your laundry quickly and easily? We’ll show you what to look out for when drying your clothes indoors and outdoors.

Different ways to dry clothes

There are different ways to dry clothes. Mistakes already happen when doing laundry. This includes, for example, not having spun the laundry well in the washing machine. But other clever tips and tricks can also help you to dry your laundry properly and quickly. We will show you the things you should pay attention to below.

1) Don’t forget the spin cycle

Of course, you should not spin very delicate items of laundry. But normally all pants, sweaters, towels, and the like are suitable for the spin cycle. The spin cycle helps to ensure that the laundry no longer comes out of the machine dripping wet, but only damp. This dries it faster. Also, note our tips for washing and caring for laundry.

2) Air dry laundry

If you have a garden or balcony, you can dry your laundry in the fresh air. You can use a good old clothesline. If you don’t have a rotary clothes dryer in your yard, use a plastic tie. Then stretch it open on two sides and hang the laundry on it. Because the pieces dry fastest in the sun and in the fresh air. This method works particularly well for bedding. Also, note our contribution to washing and caring for bed linen.

3) Dry clothes with a proper drying rack

Traditionally, the pieces are hung over a drying rack after washing. Some are wider, others are taller. But no matter which drying rack you use, you should definitely leave space between the individual items of clothing. This allows the air to circulate better. You can also hang everything from a stand that is placed on the edge of the bathtub. Individual pieces can also be hung in front of the heater to dry.

4) Dry laundry in winter

Washing clothes is difficult, especially in winter. Washing and drying pillows and duvets are also a reluctance to do in winter. Because clothes often take longer to dry in winter. But even in winter, you can dry your laundry outside. Because even cool temperatures dry your clothes. But you should make sure that the humidity is not too high. Otherwise, the clothes will take longer to dry outside. If the clothes are frozen during the process, let them hang a little longer. Because after some time the moisture pulls out and the problem is solved.

5) Dry laundry in the apartment

If you don’t have a garden, laundry room, or balcony, you have to dry your laundry indoors. But there are many things that can go wrong. In the worst case, mold forms due to the high humidity. And then only home remedies help to remove mold. So that it doesn’t get that far in the first place, we have put together the most important tips for drying laundry in the apartment:

The right choice of room

If you hang up your laundry in the apartment, then you should choose the right room. The room should have a temperature of 20 degrees. Because in unheated rooms, the humidity can increase due to the wet laundry. And it is possible that the humidity in the air is drawn into the walls. This can lead to the formation of dangerous mold and you then need effective mold remediation. Likewise, the right room is not too small and has windows for ventilation.

Regular airing in the apartment

Regular ventilation ensures that the air is exchanged. As a result, you can reduce the high humidity in the room. And that is very important to prevent mold from forming. Also, read our other tips on reducing humidity.

Hang up clothes and cleverly place drying racks

You should also be careful not to hang the clothes too close together. Instead, leave a little more space. You should also place the drying rack in such a way that the air can flow through the laundry when it is aired. This makes drying laundry even faster.

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Lifestyle

Wash, Dry and Care for Down Comforters

Clever tips for washing and caring for down comforters. We will tell you which detergent and which wash cycle you need to clean your feather bed. We also have tips on how to dry the down comforter.

One hears and reads, again and again, that down duvet or down pillows cannot be washed. When washing the down comforter, you often get the problem that the down sticks together. Then they are very difficult to separate from each other and they do not spread evenly. How can this be prevented?

What is down?

Down are the soft and delicate feathers of geese and ducks. Due to their structure, they are good at storing body heat. Therefore, they are an effective insulation material used in sleeping bags, outdoor clothing, and blankets. In addition, they are light, breathable, and durable with good care. However, they can also absorb a lot of moisture. That is why they are often impregnated.

How can I clean my down?

If you have now decided to buy down pillows and down duvets or already have some at home, then you should consider our following tips for down care. Because with the right tip, washing is also possible. You should wash you down pillows once a year and your down comforters at least every two years. Also note the instructions for washing and drying the pillow and duvet.

1) Wash down pillows and down comforters

Here the question often arises: Are down duvets and down pillows washable? And if so how? The answer is yes! You can wash your pillows and duvets. However, there are a few points that need to be considered when washing down comforters. To avoid damaging the down, the down should not be crushed in the machine. The usual washing machines have a capacity of between 5 and 7 kilos. Therefore, you can use it to wash small down comforters, but it could be difficult for larger ones. You should also darn tears and holes before washing the bed linen.

2) Wash down as a delicates or wool wash

You should choose the right washing program for washing the down comforters. The right detergent is also important. If you have a washing machine that can fit a down comforter or pillow, use the delicates or woolens cycle. Also, read our laundry tips.

3) The right detergent for down

Before washing the down comforter, you should choose the right detergent. To keep the feathers supple, you can use an extra detergent for down. Because these are neutral and easy to wash out. Other detergents can remove the oil from the down. As a result, the heat is no longer stored well and the volume is also lost. In contrast, for normal laundry, you can make your own detergent.

4) Wash duvets at 20 or 30 degrees

In no case should the temperature be above 30 degrees? To ensure that the last residue of the detergent is rinsed out, the rinsing process should be long enough after the wash. You might want to turn the washing machine on again and only set it to rinse. Then spin gently, but only use a very low number of revolutions. As a result, the feather bed becomes completely clean. Avoid other common laundry mistakes as well.

5) Always rinse down thoroughly

After the first wash, the white marks are often a problem. Looks like the ceiling wasn’t flushed thoroughly enough. It may be due to the dust that settled on the down during manufacture. That’s why you have to rinse the duvet a few times. Better to have the blanket flushed a few times right away, just to be safe. Also, read our tips on washing and caring for sportswear and functional clothing.

6) Tennis balls loosen the down

Many brands recommend customers use tennis balls when washing down fabrics. They go in the washing machine with the blanket. 3 tennis balls are in the washing machine with a blanket that makes them move. The down is opened up. As a result, sticking is prevented and there is a better effect when rinsing. Also, read tips for washing different jackets.

7) Hand wash down comforter

The question of hand washing or washing machine is often asked. If your washing machine isn’t big enough and you don’t want to clean it, you could wash your down comforter in the bathtub. But this is laborious and not always successful. Because there is a risk that the down will stick together. It is easier with down sleeping bags or down jackets. But if you dare to try, you should also make sure that the temperature is around 30 degrees. Also, use a down detergent and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. In addition, you also have to rinse several times here and only lightly press the down comforter.

8) Dry down pillows and down comforters

To dry down duvets, it is best to simply put them in the dryer. This is set to a low temperature. To prevent the down from clumping, you should also put a few tennis balls in the drum. To dry afterward, place the down comforter or down pillow in a place where it can be dried undisturbed. Also, note our tips for drying laundry properly.

9) Take care of feather beds and down

You should care for down duvets and down pillows regularly so that they remain nice and soft. To do this, regularly shake out and pat out the down duvet when making the bed. Regular airing of the down in the fresh air also ensures natural odor elimination. If with the best will in the world, the down is no longer usable and has become clumped or stinks, you should buy a new down comforter.

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