The Incredible Shrinking Comforter

The other day, a customer asked “I washed a comforter that shrank. What happened?”

Well, some natural relaxation shrinkage can show up after cleaning household
items such as comforters, bedspreads, and blankets. There is usually a
fullness of the backing or shell fabric, causing a puckered appearance.
Also, any piping borders, quilting stitches, and seams may be rippled or
distorted.

Although many factors can contribute to this type of
shrinkage, the major cause is the original fabric not being properly
preshrunk or stabilized before the article was constructed. When this
occurs, the latent strains of relaxation will appear during any
acceptable care procedure.

Some slight shrinkage (approximately 2-4
percent) is to be expected on all household items, but on properly
cleaned items that shrink excessively, the manufacturer should be held
responsible.

Read more about caring for down comforters >>