Washing Pillows

Pooky

Great start to the Easter hols...little one woke up at 2am and has been throwing up ever since.....nice!!!

Need to wash her pillow - it's a nice new fluffy one and all attemps to wash pillows in the past have ended up with lumpy unsuable pillows...only good for stuffing cuddly toys..

Any advice...I remember hearing about putting a couple of tennis balls in the machine with the pillows..but don't have any in the house....suggestions appreciated

elona

You could try putting it on a quick wash then bashing it witha rolling pin to get it fluffy (Don't let hubby see you do this as it causes panic!)

coffeeandfags

I just take a needle and thread and put one big stitch through the middle of the pillow. It can be cut out after the wash, but means that the fibre bit cant move around inside the case bit and cause a lump.

Js_Other_Half

I put mine inside the washing machine following the curve of the drum - so that the pillow is curled the same way as the drum (if that makes sense). I put it on a quick wash on its own.

hth

Sarahsaver

I don't bother, I just replace mine every few months. Gp recommended this, as one son has eczema and athsma. I only get cheap pillows, from poundland or the multipacks from woolies.

Paul_Varjak

Actually, I wash my pillow in accordance with the instructions and when it goes lumpy I take it back and get another one for free!

Curry_Queen

I've just thrown out some lumpy pillows as I got a new pack of 12 from Littlewoods in the sales

Is it just me, or do people find that the polyester filled ones never seem to last as long these days, and where they start out nice a fluffy and you only need one, they end up flat as a pancake after a few months and you need 3 or 4 to sleep comfortably :rolleyes:

I was wondering whether to invest in some feather filled ones but they're considerably more expensive and I don't know if they'd last long enough to warrant paying more

MrsMW

I've just bought a pillow today from Dunelm Mills which is washable and guaranteed for five years and it only cost £5. I shall see what it washes like and return it if necessary.

HOLsale

Js_Other_Half wrote:

I put mine inside the washing machine following the curve of the drum - so that the pillow is curled the same way as the drum (if that makes sense). I put it on a quick wash on its own.

hth

that's what i do as well and i do 2 pillows at once (we have huge machines in the laundrette here) then i put some sheets in the middle so they can't move very much, works very well!

Dormouse

Hi everyone,

Just read a few old threads about duvets and pillows, but haven't found an answer to this: how do you wash feather-filled pillows? On the pillow label it says no machine washing and no tumble drying :rolleyes:... just wash the surface with soapy water... yeah, right! Don't want to wash the surface, want to get rid of yucky stuff inside! :eek:

So, would it be okay to just wash them in the machine? That's what I do with my other polyester pillows... (And yes, I realise October is not the best time of year for doing this sort of thing.... )

Thanks

Ticklemouse

I have washed feather pillows before. I have been known to stick them in my domestic washing machine, but problems can occur when spinning as the weight can't distribute itself evenly. If you have 2 pillows that can fit in, this is a better option. However, a launderette is even better because 1) they have larger machines and 2) it isn't your machine if it spins inself to kingdom come

Drying can be a nightmare. I used to place them on top of my whirlygig and let the sun get at them (this was obviously in the middle of summer) You have to turn them around a lot and also pummel the feathers so that the wet ones get a chance to dry. Wet feathers really stink - you'll know when it's completely dry as that smell will go. I've known it take 2-3 days in summer.

One other thing to remember is that washing can damage the ticking inside. All this means is that you'll be more prone to having feathers sticking out at you after you've washed them. I've always washed mine - I too hate the idea of whatever is inside not being cleaned.

I remember my grandma opening them up and washing the cotton outers separately. Maybe this was also when they were washed so thin she was combining 2 pillows into one ?