Today's bedroom décor generally features a lovely bed comforter that gives your bed that warm, cozy look. But how do you clean them? If you've got a queen or king bed, they're not going to fit in the washer. But even if they do fit, how can you be sure that they won't get ruined? We asked our colleagues at our sister company, 1-800-DryClean, for some advice on cleaning comforters that we want to share with you.

Follow the care label. "The first rule of thumb when you clean your comforter is to follow the care label," says Shannon Toler, Vice President of Franchise Services at 1-800-DryClean. "That's the first thing we do when a comforter comes into one of our stores." But Shannon says when they get a comforter made of fabric that is considered to be problematic, they pretest it for color fastness in an inconspicuous spot using dry cleaning solvent or water. What is considered problematic? Shannon says, "Dark colors like navy blue and red will tend to dramatically fade or run. Delicate fabrics like silk can also be problematic. Comforters made of 100% cotton, on the other hand, are not." One important thing Shannon notes is that, regardless of the care label, when you clean your bedding the first time, it will be the first time that it has ever been subjected to the cleaning process. So it is critical to pretest to make sure the care label is correct.

The story about stains. Over time, in addition to the normal dust, skin cells and body oil that a comforter collects, it also will get stained. But unlike a garment that you would clean once or twice a month, comforters get cleaned once or twice a year. The general rule with a stain is the older the stain, the less likely it will come out.

"Just about any stain can be removed if it is addressed right away," Shannon points out. "However, a long-term stain will be permanent." Why? Because a fabric "stain" acts exactly like a fabric dye. If foreign material is allowed to stay on a fabric long enough, it will permanently change the color of that fabric. "When you finally clean it," says Shannon, "you will remove the foreign material, but the stain itself will be permanent." That's why sometimes you'll see a perfect impression of the foreign material on the fabric as though it were still there. Shannon notes, "The foreign material is actually gone but has permanently dyed the fabric on which it was sitting. At that point, there's nothing you can do to get rid of it."

The moral of the story is get to comforter stains right away or there will be permanent damage. A more frequent dry cleaning or washing is still going to cost less than replacement in most cases.

Down comforters. Remember seeing pictures of those quill pens that people used to write with before ball points? They were made of feathers because feathers are hollow and can hold ink. Your down comforter is made up of thousands of "little quill pens." When your down comforter is submerged in water or dry cleaning fluid, the feathers will hold the liquid. Proper drying, therefore, is critical. If the comforter is not thoroughly dried, the feathers will mildew or disintegrate. Down comforters must be dried by themselves in a large drier where the heat can properly circulate.

Also, feathers clump. "We get down comforters nice and fluffy again by throwing in a half dozen tennis balls into the drier," says Shannon. "The tennis balls break up the clumps and redistribute the feathers." Shannon says that this also works nicely with polyester fiber-filled comforters.

The care label still applies when it comes to down comforters. If the outer fabric is washable, then it can and should be washed. Otherwise, it must be dry cleaned. "Investing in a duvet cover will save the outer fabric of the comforter from stains that will permanently damage it as well as keep it cleaner longer," Shannon advises. "And duvet covers are generally much easier to clean on a regular basis."

If you do decide to wash your comforters yourself, use gentle detergents and low drying heat to protect the filler. Spot check it before washing to make sure colors won't fade or run. If it's down-filled, dry the comforter thoroughly to insure that all the water has evaporated from the feather quills.

With the proper care, you can keep your comforters clean and in good shape for years to come. And with the help of your Molly Maid, your bedroom can be a beautiful setting for a warm and cozy-looking bed.