[rhapsdy]

OK....we need to replace our feather down blankets with machine washable ones. (Our cat has decided when she's mad at us she wants to pee on our blankets and well....getting them dry cleaned is freakin expensive - like $45 each!)

I know that last time I was at Ikea I found some there that I really liked. They felt extremely similar to the pretty light down ones we have now. We live in Louisiana so we don't need really thick heavy blankets but yet we like the weight of a down blanket without feeling like we are over heating.

Anyway...so my question is...does anyone know of which blankets at Ikea I am talking about? I can't seem to find anything like this on their website. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place. They were in the bedding department and came in lots of weights I believe and different kinds of materials. I know that they were machine washible. I want to say they might have even said something about being synthetic down or something (I could totally be wrong). The one problem is the nearest Ikea is 4 1/2 hours away and we won't be able to get to one soon. However, my parents will be at the Houston Ikea this weekend and would be able to pick them up for us if we had the name!

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[rhapsdy]

OK.....after searching some more on their website I see that they call them quilts, not blankets. Ok... now to just figure out which one might match my discription best. I def want a down feel. I don't want a bedspread feel. It needs to be light and airy. If anyone is using a quilt from ikea and has any input - please share!!

[kelly]

I live in Minnesota and I have many quilts...my sons have three that are synthetic fill. One is ancient and medium weight and warmth, not IKEA. Two are medium warmth, and pretty heavy, IKEA white synthetic fill inside an IKEA comforter cover or duvet. Could be the duvet, but these suckers weigh a lot.

I have a silk covered summer weight down comforter from Company Store that I ADORE. If you want lightweight, I think you want summerweight down. If you want washable, be prepared for weight...

[RubrikGreen]

Hi! I have many weights of down quilts. Light one for summer; med for autumn/spring; heavy for winter.

You can probably WASH your down, yourself, at the laundromat. You'll need the laundromat because most home washers don't have the capacity for a large-sized quilt.

Cool water, gentle cycle - especially gentle SPIN, and away you go. Use about 1/3 the soap you'd normally use. You can pre-treat stains with any normal stain remover stuff.

If the quilt fabric is sturdy, you can dry it using the "cool" or "fluff" cycle and a pair of clean tennis shoes or *Clean* tennis balls in the dryer to help keep the down fluffy.

You can also dry it spread out over a rack or a couple of lines, but this will take a lot of time to dry fully. You'll have to turn it over several times.
You can then use a dryer on "Fluff" for about 10 min to, well, FLUFF the quilt. (usually the line-drying ones are sort of "crispy"; the tumbling in the dryer softens them up a lot)

If this seems weird, consider: Cotton downproof cover - processed with water; down is from ducks or geese - um, they get wet every day. If the cover shrinks at all, it'll be only about 2%, and you probably won't notice. If it's a colored cover, there might be some dye run, but again, you probably won't notice.

So... IF your cat insists of expressing her dissatisfaction this way, try washing the comforter yourself next time. It'll cost you about $5, some gas, and some time.