Freshen Up Your Bed with Clean Pillows

As we enter the season of spring cleaning, you may be considering a closet reorganization or a garage overhaul. But, don’t overlook an item that’s right under your head – your pillow!

Here’s the Rub

These comfy cushions can hold onto a lot of gunk, from dead skin cells and sweat to bacteria and dust mites, all of which can impact your health when you lay your face on them day in and day out. A zippered pillow cover, washed every three weeks, can greatly help in protecting you from these pollutants. It’s important to wash the actual pillows, too. Set a reminder to do this every three months.

Scrub a Dub

Before anything takes the plunge into sudsy water, check the tag on your pillows to ensure they’re machine washable (yes, there’s a reason you’re supposed to leave those tags on!). While front-load washing machines tend to work best for this task, top-load washers can do the trick if you don’t mind pausing the cycle occasionally to squeeze the air out of your pillows so they don’t float. Here are some tips to get the best pillow-washing results:

Polyfill pillows:

• Machine wash in warm water using a gentle cycle with one tablespoon of laundry detergent
• If your machine is large enough, wash two pillows at a time to balance the load
• Dry on low heat along with a few dry towels and dryer balls or toss in a couple of clean tennis balls to break up any clumps in the filling
• It may take a few hours to ensure the filling inside is completely dry – use the timed dry setting since auto-dry will only detect moisture on the surface

Feather or down pillows:

• Machine wash in warm water using a small amount of powder detergent (liquid can leave your pillow feeling sticky) and the gentlest wash setting
• If your machine is large enough, wash two pillows at a time to balance the load
• Dry using the air dry setting (no heat) along with a few dry towels and dryer balls or those clean tennis balls again to break up any clumps in the filling
• Alternatively, you can hang your pillows to line-dry outside if the weather is warm

Foam pillows:

• Back away from the washing machine – memory foam pillows should never be washed or steamed
• Regularly vacuum them using the hose attachment and spot-clean any stains with a damp towel

Start Fresh

While it’s never too early to start washing your pillows, sometimes it can be too late. All those unpleasant pollutants that get trapped inside can break down the filling and lessen the support these cushions provide. To test if it’s time to buy a new place to rest your head, fold your pillow in half. If it springs back to flat when you let go, it’s a keeper, but if it stays folded, it may be time to start fresh.

Do yourself a favor by creating a regular pillow washing schedule to continue enjoying clean, well-supported slumber!