Take One Doona, a Sunny Day and a Pair of Feet

Today is sunny, very, very sunny. And so very hot - expected to reach 41 degrees C here in Melbourne today.

Which makes it the perfect day for washing doonas.  You could, if you wanted, take your quilts and doonas to the laundromat but that costs money, around $8 to wash and partially dry, so why bother when you can do it so easily yourself?

Here's my step-by-step to seasonally cleaning doonas (and they are synthetic, hypoallergenic, not down - down doonas require a completely different treatment).

1.  Strip the cover off the quilt and launder it with the sheets, pillowcases, pillow protectors and mattress protector.

2.  Fill the bathtub with the hottest water available. Add a half a cup of Cheapskates Washing Powder. Swish it around to dissolve. Now add the doona. Squash it down so it's all submerged. Allow to soak for an hour.

3.  Drain the bath and refill with more hot water and another half a cup of Cheapskates Washing Powder. Let the whole thing soak for another hour.

4.  Make sure your feet are clean - if they're not, wash them. Climb into the bath and walk up and down on the quilt. Twist. Shuffle. Jump up and down. Run on the spot. Do whatever you like but make sure you squash the daylights out of the quilt and any little dust mites that might have taken up residence. Do this for at least 5 minutes.  Let it all soak for another half an hour.

5.  Now empty the bath and re-fill it with hot water and swirl the quilt around in the water to rinse it. Drain and re-fill, then add ten drops of your favourite essential oil and leave to soak for another hour.

6.  Drain and roll the quilt up and squeeze as much water as possible out of it.  Take it outside and hang it over the line to drip dry...preferably on a very hot, sunny day just like today!

7.  Go out in an hour and turn the quilt over. This will help it to dry right through  quickly and evenly.

8.  Once the quilt is completely dry take it off the line and give it a good shake. Put a clean cover on it and put it back on your bed that has been made up with the freshly laundered linens.

Plan an early night - you've earned it after washing your quilt.