How to Wash Pillows
Pillows can be quite tricky to wash, but life will always require us to wash our pillows. Here’s how to wash pillows the smart way.
Separate your pillows. Check the tags to see which ones are washable. These generally include fiber or polyester-filled pillows with cotton or polyester covers. Orthopedic pillows have to be checked first if they can be washed. Pillows filled with water, gel or buckwheat cannot be washed. Pillows covered with leather, beads or heavy cloth also cannot be washed. Feather pillows can be washed, but make sure that you follow instructions on how to wash them.
Remove the pillowcases to be washed separately.
pillow
One method of washing the pillows is washing them in hot or warm water, according to their care tags. Make sure that you put in only as many as the machine can hold (one to two pillows at a time), using less detergent for smaller loads.
Another method is to hand wash bedroom pillows in the bathtub. Fill quarter of the bathtub with water, and mix in a little detergent. Soak in one or two pillows and knead them by hand. Drain the soapy water and rinse the pillows with cold water. Squeeze out the excess water by hand or by stomping on them. Throw one pillow in one tumble dry cycle. Put a clean tennis shoe in there with the pillow to balance it out while drying.
If you’re going to wash decorative pillows (ie, pillows with beading, embroidery or such) look for the care tags and follow their instructions, or have the pillows cleaned professionally.
One way to avoid all the trouble of cleaning specialized pillows is by being smart when buying them. Look for decorative pillows that look great, but at the same time easy to wash and clean. Reading the care tags even before you buy them always helps.