Can I wash pillows? How?

[anomaly13]

We have 2 down pillows and 3 synthetic? pillows that I would love to wash. Actually I would love to just buy all new pillows and get some of thoses covers but that's not happening. Do they have to be dry cleanned or can I wash them in a front loader? I plan on washing them and then getting covers fro them.

Any pillow cover reccomendations?

[Laggie]

I've always just washed pillows in the washing machine and thrown them in the dryer. I think for down you can't use the heat in the dryer but for synthetic it doesn't seem to matter - I usually put the synthetic pillows on hot to kill dust mites.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5140243_wash-down-pillows.html

[ABrez]

I use heat when drying my down pillows. I put them in for 30 minutes at a time so they are getting too hot. I also throw in the dryer balls with them to fluff them up.

I only wash my down pillows once or twice a year and keep them in covers under pillow cases the rest of the time.

[philomom]

I wash my synthetic and foam pillows a couple of times a year. Warm water, low heat. I don't have any experience with down.

[stormborn]

I just throw them in & dry on hot; down or other. Sometimes the down ones smell funny after drying but a few hours outside takes care of it.

[Jackies Ladybug]

i wash my synthetic just like regular clothes, down ones gentle cycle no heat dry, i throw 3 tennis balls in the dryer while drying them to make them nice and fluffy and not stick to the side of the dryer. i second the down pillows smell funny after a wash, kind of a wet dog smell, very "organic" if you know what i mean. i spray tea tree oil linen spray on them and air them out for a day outside after a wash and they are good as new.

[ChristyMarie]

I've also washed and dried pillows with no problems - except one time. It was a really dense down pillow and it just would.not.dry. No matter what. I ended up tossing it because since it wouldn't dry it started to smell moldy. I have no idea what went wrong with that one pillow.

[sunnysandiegan]

I wash all pillows on hot water with less than half the recommended soap. Then, I toss them in the dryer for a few minutes on hot (just under 10 minutes). That basically makes it so they are not dripping and the heat kills off any ickies. Then, I put them outside in the sun until dry and I flip them every which way during the drying time. The pillows get very clean (sunshine is a natural whitener) and they fluff up very nicely and smell DIVINE!

[ledzepplon]

I've washed down pillows before with no problem, but I've also ruined a few synthetic ones by washing, on a gentle cycle, in my front loader. Does the label give any indication as to washing instructions?

[RiverSky]

Down pillows don't often wash well. You can get them dry cleaned, but most (or all?) dry cleaning chemicals are very toxic, so personally, I would toss them and buy new.

As for synthetic pillows, I wash them all the time (every few months) but the trick is to put a clean tennis ball or two in the dryer with them. It fluffs them up and helps them dry thoroughly. Yes, sometimes I need to run the dryer twice or once on a sensor setting and once on a timer setting (say an extra 50 minutes), but sometimes they dry in the first run.

I personally wash them with warm water and dry them on high heat, to kill as much as possible.

It helps to put double pillowcases on pillows, btw, when you use them, so they stay fresher, too.

You can also spray pillows with 100% white vinegar in a spray bottle and let them air dry to kill dust mites and deodorize. The vinegar smell goes away. I do that with our mattresses, too.

[hibana]

I've always washed down pillows on the gentle cycle with plenty of water and tossed them in the dryer on low. Works fine- my last one survived more than 10 years with this treatment. Synthetic pillows you can wash in the tub by walking on them in mildly soapy water, rinse the same way, spin out and hang up.

[ABrez]

Originally Posted by RiverSky

Down pillows don't often wash well. You can get them dry cleaned, but most (or all?) dry cleaning chemicals are very toxic, so personally, I would toss them and buy new.

Oh no! You can't dry clean down pillows. It will ruin the feathers and they will never be the same.

Down pillows do very well in the gentle wash cycle and into the dryer on low heat. I've been washing down pillows for 20 years. Just make sure all the seams are secure before putting them in the wash so you don't get a feather explosion!

[ASusan]

Waaah!. I wish it were summer so I could put our pillows outside!

Washer and dryer. If you don't have tennis balls, a clean sneaker or 2 will do. (This is what my mom used to do.)

[sunnysandiegan]

Doesn't the smell of hot tennis balls reek??? I stopped using tennis balls because I couldn't stand the smell. That's when I discovered the great outdoors for drying pillows, too. (I already dry other things outside.) The trick is to flip them a few times to redistribute the stuffing, which fluffs them up naturally. BTW, it doesn't have to be summer to line dry laundry outside. I use our lawn chairs to dry pillows because they have slats and arms to prop them up for maximum airflow. Pinning them to a line would work, also. The key to drying is airflow more than temperature or sunshine. Heat just speeds it up, but it isn't necessary.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by ledzepplon

I've washed down pillows before with no problem, but I've also ruined a few synthetic ones by washing, on a gentle cycle, in my front loader. Does the label give any indication as to washing instructions?

Yeah, I think one has to be really careful. In the past I washed my pillows regularly but a few have gotten weird lumps now. I think they were synthetic ones.

[Owen'nZoe]

I wash my down pillows regularly and have no problems (as PP have suggested, just dry on low with tennis balls), but I have so much trouble with synthetic lately. I used to wash the synthetic ones with the regular wash, but lately the ones I've tried end up really lumpy and unusable. I just don't know what is causing the problem.

[luv-my-boys]

I have very expensive down pillows so I am very careful how I clean them. I usually wait until the hottest day of summer and then I have a pillow cleaning frenzy but occassionally I am forced to clean a pillow before then.

I usually only wash I pillow per load. I use a conservative amount of detergent and NO fabric softners of any kind. Remember soap residue can add a coating on the feather keeping it from lofting up. I wash on gentle. I usually try to have it spin 2x until the pillow only feels humid and not sopping wet. It may take a few more spin cycles. I use the low heat on the dryer and literally have them spin in the dryer for hours. It takes a long time for mine to dry (very thick) I dont add more than 2 pillow so the air flow is better. When they are spinning I occassional take the out and fluff the pillows.