How to Choose When Sending Down Duvets and Quilts: Material, Drying, and the Right Time in the Season

Last updated: 24 October 2026 | This article is based on EN Laundry’s currently published collection, quoting and treatment processes, and will be updated if the rules change.

When you send a down duvet or a quilt for cleaning, start with three things: whether they are treated separately by material, whether they are dried through to the inside, and when is the best time to send them. Down fears alkali and high heat, and clumps if it is washed wrongly; a thick quilt that is dry on the surface but still wet inside will go moldy and smell from the inside after a few days.

Different materials should not be washed together

Down, silk, wool and ordinary cotton quilts should be split among dry cleaning, wet cleaning and a gentle wash, and only the same kind of material is treated together. Silk and wool are protein fibres; they are damaged, shrink and go stiff when they meet a strong alkali and high heat, so we don’t recommend washing them with everyday clothes.

They must be dried through

Thick quilts and down are hard to dry through at home. One advantage of sending them in is that they can be fully dried before they’re returned. A quilt put into the cupboard before it’s dried through often smells musty the following year.

When to send them in

Before you put things away for the season, we suggest washing them first. Bedding that has been used still holds sweat and sebum in the fibres; once it’s in the cupboard those oxidise slowly, and next year you take it out to yellow patches and a musty smell.

Many duvet covers and sheets: you can use Bag Wash

When you have many sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases, you can use Bag Wash — priced by the bag, with no need to count piece by piece. Bag Wash is only collected in Taoyuan District, Luzhu District and Zhongli District of Taoyuan City; we don’t offer shipping, and it usually takes about 1–2 days. Large bedding such as down duvets is better sent as individual pieces.

Q1. Can a down duvet or a silk quilt be washed with everyday clothes?

We don’t recommend it. Down fears alkali and high heat; silk and wool are damaged by a strong alkali and high heat. When we take items in we treat them separately by material.

Q2. Do they have to be washed before seasonal storage?

We suggest washing them before you put them away; that can reduce yellow patches and mustiness the following year.

Q3. How many days does it take?

Turnaround depends on the item and how many pieces there are; when we take them in and quote, we’ll also give you an approximate finish time. Shipping takes about 10–14 business days. For prices of each item, see theDown duvets and quiltspage.

Q4. What if there are mold spots or serious stains on the quilt?

When we take it in we look at the material and the stains first, explain how far we can take it, then quote, and we start only after you agree.

Further reading

• Why down, silk and wool shouldn’t be washed with everyday clothes
• Before you put clothes away for the season, why must they be washed first? That’s how next year’s yellowing starts
• Restoring loft to down
• How is Bag Wash priced? How does it differ from sending items one by one?