Testing & Washing Bed Pillows

1 Material

Do you test and wash pillows on your bed?

Over the years I've made some pretty big mistakes like washing my grandma's feather bed pillows. The covers were dark blue with off white stripe ticking and they had them for quite a while. She gave me some and young Dolly decided to machine wash them in hot water. The hot water only made them smell like dead birds! I aired them outside for days it seems and don't believe they ever smelled decent enough to sleep on again. This brings me to the question do you wash your bed pillows? We're talking pillow washing today.

I guess I learned a lesson the hard way back then. Always check the contents of your bed pillows. They are made so differently now. Read those irritating tags that hang down from the pillow to be sure and it should also tell you if your pillow is machine washable or dry cleanable.

How old are your pillows? You might take that into consideration. These pillows are around five years old but I had them stored without using for awhile. I've been sentimental to them because when my mama was so sick and I stayed with her, she switched her pillows for mine and I just smiled. She knew they were soft and comfy. I've begun to use them and so now sadly I will wash them. She'd want it that way.

Test your pillows to see if they are worn completely out or if they are good to use longer. If they stay folded in the middle where you've folded them it is definitely time to replace them.

My pillows shown are extremely soft and I really love that they are. I personally can't stand a stiff hard pillow. Hubby loves the stiffer variety. Even though these may look soft from much use they really aren't. I bought them this way extremely soft and luxurious!

You should know that pillows do yellow and for a number of reasons:

Body Fluids, Product Breakdown, There are certain coatings that are sometimes put on them to make them whiter/brighter. That and sunlight can break down this coating. The fabrics naturally turn yellow and gray over time.

I'm washing these pillows now in one of my homemade laundry soaps. This one is made with the new 'White Lirio Soap' that is specifically made for 'White Laundry Only'. I made this with my Heavy Duty Mixture which can be found here. The tag on these pillows said machine wash on gentle cycle in warm water. I was tempted to use hot but turned it down according to the instructions. I also added lavender essential oil to the wash for a sweet smell.

Pillows: Clean, Dry, Fluffy, Smelling Fresh & Clean, Ready to Cover and Use!

TIPS

#1 Read the tag for contents and instructions.

#2 How long have you had the pillows?

#3 Test your pillows as above in video

#4 Wash according to pillow instruction with a great detergent/soap for cleaning whites!

#5 Dry and Fluff in dryer on low heat. You may have to run through more than one drying cycle.

Now you're ready to sleep on clean comfort for another 3 months or so.

Join me over at the website for more cleaning, tips, tool, mixtures etc. Hit link below.

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  • Joyce Joyce on Oct 13, 2018

    The pillows I want to wash are about 40 yr-old feather pillows. Still very very nice. My plan was to wash in warm water with vinegar, no soap, possibly put a bit of lavender in the rinse water. Then line dry. That was how we did it in the "olden days." What do you think?

  • Esme Esme on Dec 17, 2019

    What is White Lirio?

  • Anonymous Anonymous on Dec 16, 2020

    Wouldn’t mold grow in the washed pillows?

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