DIY Life

The last few weeks, I have been waking up at night, cold and unable to figure out why. Part of it is that with the warmer weather, the heat comes on less. I get that. I think, though, that the real culprit is my down comforter.

What used to be a fluffy, warm, and cozy part of my bed now looks flat and lifeless; all the insulating properties have gone with the poof.

I know I was not supposed to lay or sit on top of the comforter so as not to damage the down fibers. Since we neglected to tell the 90-pound dog who sleeps with us, we've got one flat comforter. So I took these steps to help re-fluff it, hoping for more insulation and warmth:

• I began to fluff it daily. Come to find out, you are supposed to do this, at least weekly, from the day you first purchase it. Oops! I guess several years down the road is better than nothing.
• I fluffed the comforter up good and hung it outside to air. Do you think the fresh breezes helped re-fluff it?
• I also put it in the dryer with dryer balls, hoping the down would get some good tossing that way.

The results? I think I missed my window for daily fluffing to be an effective measure, although since it helped a little, I can see how doing this from the get-go would be a good idea. Hanging it outside gave it that fresh-air-good smell but that was it. I do think the dryer balls helped fluff the most.

So I conclude that you can fluff new life into your old down comforter to some extent, but that caring for it properly from the moment you buy it is the best way to go. Lesson learned!