What to do with old down comforter?

[razz]

My old comforter has been replaced but what do I do with the worn out down-filled item? Does it simply go into the garbage or is there a second purpose to recycle it?
TIA

[Ultralight]

I would give it to Harlan for a nap bed.

[Teacher Terry]

A lot of animal shelters want them for their dogs.

[catherine]

Good to know these responses. I have an old lumpy comforter, too.

[Teacher Terry]

They also take old towels.

[iris lilies]

I cutUp comforters into probably six pieces, Sew the edges, and use them for dog beds. But mine I’ll have poly fill not down. How well do down comforters wash?

[mschrisgo2]

Down comforters was fine, it's the drying that is a challenge, in my expereince.

[Teacher Terry]

To dry down you need to put tennis balls in the dryer to fluff them up.

[Tybee]

TT, that works for me, too. It takes a few cycles to get them really dry, but they puff up really well with the tennis balls.

[iris lilies]

Is a down comforter a practical donation for animal shelters, then? Probably not.

[iris lilies]

They also take old towels.
I got my last bath of towels, around 15, from the dumpster of dog shelter at the end of my street. They were clean and folded.

[Teacher Terry]

You probably need to ask the shelter. Here they frequently ask for towels and blankets.

[beckyliz]

I had old down pillows (like 1940's old). I cut them open and dumped the down in the far corner of the backyard. Thought some small critters might be able to use it to make nests. At the very least, it would eventually biodegrade.

[KayLR]

Beckyliz, that's a great thought.

[Tybee]

I have made pillows out of "broken" down comforters. Down pillows are very expensive.

[CathyA]

Is a down comforter a practical donation for animal shelters, then? Probably not.

Hmmm.....maybe not, since it could make a mess if the feathers got out. But if not, it sure would be comfy!

[jp1]

This thread reminds me of the time my mother and I decided to combine two down feather pillows into one. Thankfully we decided to do this outside. The one pillow we had after we'd finished this process was perhaps 10% larger than either of the previous two pillows. The amount of down feathers that were flying around our yard was impressive, and had us rolling on the ground laughing at our failed attempt at merging the pillows for hours.

[mschrisgo2]

Ok, so I experimented... I bought a dog bed cover, and stuffed it with my old down comforter. After about 5 minutes of dogs laying on it, it is completely flat and they are annoyed with it, as evidenced by much scratching and snuffling and then the puppy barking at it! Not working at all. So I too have a down comforter to dispose of somehow. The thrift won't take it, I asked when I dropped off another load yesterday.