Duvets

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Do you really need to pass your duvet on?

A quarter of British people have never washed their duvet (according to some silly marketing survey). When they start looking tired and grubby, we tend to just buy a new one. Maybe yours hasn't actually reached the end of its useful life, it just needs a wash! If it won't fit in the washing machine at home, some laundrettes have extra-big machines for precisely this kind of thing. A rough guide is that a single duvet will fit in an 8kg washing machine, but a double or king-size will need a 10kg drum. Or you could even wash it in the bath. If you're tumble-drying it, try putting tennis balls in the machine with it to keep it fluffed up. If you're planning to line-dry it, pick a sunny day!

Who will take used duvets?

Dunelm Homewares shop Dunelm has a Textile Take-Back Scheme that accepts duvets and pillows. They ask that all textiles donated are in "good, clean condition" and placed in bags. We asked for clarification on what "good, clean condition" means and the reply was that items don't have to be new but they should not be damaged or stained. (Source: phone call, March 2022.) All textiles donated are then taken from the shop for sorting and either reused or recycled. The scheme operates in most Dunelm shops but there are a few exceptions, so please check the website.

Some animal shelters Some animal shelters will take duvets and pillows that are no longer suitable for human use, to keep the animals comfortable. But so far we have not found any specific examples of animal shelters which are currently accepting duvets. There are lots of good reasons for this: duvets are hard to wash and dry, hygiene is an issue and some shelters are concerned that the stuffing represents a choking hazard (if you're a dog whose hobbies include tearing up textiles with your teeth). Please do not drop off your duvet at an animal shelter without first checking that they want it. (And if they say yes, get in touch with us on griffinkate@gmail.com so we can add them to this page!)

Not taking/no longer taking duvets
 * Most charity shops won't take used duvets. They take up a lot of space, they're hard to sell and there may be hygiene concerns.
 * Duvets are hard to recycle and we don't know of any council that does it, so don't put them in textile recycling bins or put them out for recycling. If you can't find a way to pass it on, it should go in the general waste.
 * The IKEA textile recycling/reuse scheme will not take duvets because "they're not really textiles". (Source: phone call, Dec 2020)