Doonas, quilts and weighted blankets are some of the trickiest things to wash at home — usually because they simply don’t fit. Cram a king doona into a domestic machine and it can’t tumble, which means it won’t actually get clean, and you risk straining the motor. The good news: with the right-sized machine, they’re easy. Here’s how to do it well.
First, always check the care label
Before anything else, read the label. It tells you the safe water temperature, whether the item is machine-washable, and how it should be dried. If a label says “dry clean only” — believe it. Everything below assumes a machine-washable item; the label wins every time.
Washing a doona or quilt
Down and synthetic doonas both wash well, but they need room to move:
- Use a cold or warm gentle cycle and a mild detergent — skip the fabric softener, which can clog down and flatten synthetic fill.
- Don’t overload. The doona should have space to tumble freely, not be packed in tight.
- Run an extra rinse to clear all the detergent from the fill.
- Dry it thoroughly on low heat with a couple of dryer balls (or clean tennis balls) to break up clumps and refluff the filling. Down especially must be bone-dry, or it can go musty.
A queen doona generally needs an 18 kg machine; a king doona is far happier in a 27 kg machine.
Washing a weighted blanket
Weighted blankets are heavy by design — often 5 to 9 kg — and that weight is the whole challenge:
- Check the fill and weight on the label. Most glass-bead blankets are machine-washable; some with heavier fills are not.
- Always pick a machine that comfortably fits the blanket’s weight plus water. A blanket that’s too big for the drum won’t clean and puts the machine under strain.
- Wash cold on gentle with mild detergent, and tumble dry on low or lay flat to dry.
What size machine should you use at Fresh Lab?
This is exactly what our large Speed Queen machines are built for. As a rough guide:
- Washers 4–6 (18 kg) — most queen doonas, quilts and weighted blankets.
- Washers 1–3 (27 kg) — king doonas, multiple items, or a doona plus its cover.
- Dryers 11–12 (34 kg XL) — bulky bedding that needs space to fluff and dry evenly.
You can check which machines are free before you leave home, tap your card or phone to start, and — because we’re open 24 hours — wash that doona whenever it suits you. Save 10% by paying through the Speed Queen app.