Queen Woollen

10Nov/10Off

Queen Woollen

Washing a wool doona that is 'dry clean only'?

I've just got a new kitten who had a bit of an accident on the spare bed...It was on a queen size woolen doona that is labelled 'dry clean only'. I've hear my dry-cleaners say before how they cant do queen sized woolen quilts (I have NO idea why not) so I'm wondering if there is a way I can clean it at home?
I'm assuming it will need to be handwashed, which is fine, but can anyone tell me what temperature water to use? I'll use wool mix but can I also use some 'Biozet' in there too? (I've used it before to remove cat urine and it works well)
And also, how do I go about drying it? Can I put it on a gentle spin cycle then hang it over my washing line? Or do i have to do something else?

Thanks in advance.

This depends more on whether your doona is a feather duvet with a wool covering or a wool blanket.

If it's a wool blanket, wash in cold water in the bathtub with a gentle odor-free detergent. If you are worried about the urine odor lingering, I'd suggest a detergent containing an enzyme dissolvant. The spin cycle should work to remove most of the water but make sure your washing machine is set to delicate/cold - some spin cycles add water halfway through for some bizarre reason. When drying, consider that it may be so heavy that putting it on the washing line will pull the line down to the ground. If so, you can hang it over a door, but only if the floor underneath the door is water-safe and the door (including the top, where nobody ever washes) is perfectly clean. You can't put it in the dryer.

If this is a feather or down duvet with a wool cover, wash the cover separately from the down duvet. Most down duvets (and those filled with polyester) can be washed in a washing machine and dried in a dryer. Wool should be washed in cold by hand and dried either flat or on a line.

In both instances, if you're dealing with something with bright or dark dyes, test the detergent in an inconspicuous place to make sure the dyes don't run. I'm not sure what Biozet is, but looking it up online it seems fine for wool, as long as you wash by hand.

However, check around if you'd prefer to have it dry-cleaned. Not all dry-cleaners have rules about the size of quilt or duvet they can handle. (To be honest if it's wool this may be your best choice: washing a wool blanket easily without having it shrink is a pain.)