If My Feather Bed Gets Wet, Is It Ruined?

Feather beds are the ultimate in bed luxury and provide soft luxurious comfort for the sleeper. Most featherbeds are bought in stores seasonally and they are about 3 inches in height. Featherbeds are typically imported from China due to the high labor cost to make them. Feather beds are expensive to ship so most folks buy in stores (although if you buy online at a website offering free shipping it's a good deal).

Feather beds are not machine washable so it is important to offer the right amount of preventative maintenance to keep your investment in good order. Most featherbeds sold in stores sell for between $50 and $100. Feather beds sold online are usually much more expensive because they offer features not available in store models (such as being hypoallergenic and made in the USA, plus a better filling like 10/90 white goose versus 5/95 duck).

Feather beds are never sold with stain or water resistant protection so it is important to learn how to cover and protect your investment. You should always consider using a featherbed protector which usually is made of cotton and features a zipper closure. These covers are typically made with a twill weave cotton and offer another layer of thick fabric to keep daily usage, perspiration and dirt from touching your featherbed. Feather bed covers are not water resistant and will frequently sell in the $25 to $50 range. Be sure that the featherbed protector you buy is large enough to fit your feather bed – some styles like down top featherbeds can be really thick. We recommend considering feather bed covers with a gusset which will fit the gusset of the featherbed very nicely.

Even with a feather bed protector I hand it is recommended to use a water proof liner or mattress pad on top to prevent any spills from kids or dogs to a minimum. Make sure to buy one with a soft liner versus a crunchy plastic liner which can be annoying. Having a mattress pad with as skirt will also have the benefit of keeping your feather bed more in place (and thus limiting featherbed sliding).

Now if your feather bed got wet or soiled from a child, pet or other type of accident and it did not have a waterproof liner you will likely need to get rid of the feather bed and replace your feather bed. This is because feather beds are too large and even the smallest one is not machine washable or dryable. Furthermore the option of dry cleaning should be avoided as well due to the size and inability of the process to remove moisture. The area of the greatest concern is feather bed feathers and their quills. These hollow tubes can store water and make it very hard to remove. And with moisture present and your body warmth against the feather bed you are basically cooking the bacteria and allowing the possibility of mold. Thus you should never wash or dry clean a wet feather bed.