When you think about how many hours a day you spend asleep in bed, it’s easy to see why it’s important to keep your pillow clean. The last thing you need to do is breathe in dust mites and other nasties all night long.
While pillow protectors are easy to remove and wash, the fact is that your pillow also needs to be washed regularly.
Read the Label!
The label on your pillow is a big help in determining what you need to do to keep it clean. Plenty of polyester and latex pillows can go through a gentle machine wash, which makes caring for them much easier.
It’s also important to use a hot water setting, in order to kill off any nasties that might be lurking in the pillow. A mild liquid detergent is good, but don’t use any fabric softener. If there are noticeable stains on the pillow, spray them with a laundry pre-treatment and wait 15 minutes before washing.
Use a gentle cycle, and if you can, run through the rinse cycle a second time without adding any detergent. Also, it’s a good idea to wash two pillows at once, as this helps the machine to stay balanced. If you can wash them in a machine without an agitator (eg front loading machine) that’s the best choice to reduce wear and tear, but it’s not vital.
Hand Wash
Plenty of pillows that can’t go through the washing machine can be hand washed, but again, check the label before assuming that’s the case.
Use lukewarm water and small amount of mild detergent. Completely submerge the pillow, and gentle agitate and squeeze until it’s clean. Then use cool water without detergent to rinse, gently squeezing out excess water.
Drying Your Pillows
Again – check the label! Some pillows will happily go through the dryer on a low heat setting. If you do use a dryer, it’s a good idea to stop the dryer periodically and fluff up the pillows so they get back into shape.
If you’re drying pillows on a washing line, don’t peg two corners – the pillow’s contents will most likely become misshapen and it won’t dry evenly. Instead, allow the pillow to air-dry on a flat surface, either in a shady spot outside, or a dry room inside. You can even use a towel or sheet to act as a hammock for the pillow on the washing line.
Now you know how to wash your pillows, go for it! Your health will be glad you did.