How Do You Wash Your Pillows?

Hi M.,
As most everyone has suggested, use tennis balls in the dryer (at least three). I have expensive down pillows on my bed (4) and wash them at least at three months - sometimes more. The cheap pillows (2 for 7.00 at Garden Ridge) will also come out lumpy if you don't use tennis balls. The tennis balls work wonders with regular comforters and my down comforter in the dryer. Another suggestion is to fold cheap pillows in half and wrap with one of those monster sized rubber bands and dry on low but for a longer time period. This keeps the filling from shifting (trick I learned from working at a laundromat when I was a kid). Good luck!

I wash them on a hand-wash cycle. I used to wash them on a normal cycle and they would always come out lumpy. Washing on a slower cycle seemed to keep this from happening.

Buy some more. They are $3-$4 at Wal-mart. By the time you hassle with cleaning them, the detergent, the energy, the effort - - - just get yourself some new, yummy pillows.

wash in your washing machine and put in dryer w/ a few tennis balls to get the clumps out!!

If you can stand the noise try putting 2 tennis balls in the dryer with your pillows or invest in some of those dryer balls. (I've seen them at Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond for around $10, but a can of tennis balls is much cheaper!!) The tennis balls bounce and fluff your pillows while they dry and it keeps them from getting all lumpy. The only downfall is listening to the "bump" noises for 30-45 minutes as they dry.

Good luck!

Wash the pillows like you would normally do. When you put them in the dryer put a couple of tennis balls in there with them and that will keep them fluffy.

Something I heard and tried once is to hand sew with yarn the front of the pillow to the back of the pillow and tie it off. Do it numerous times spacing them out evenly across the pillow. It helps keep the stuffing from moving around and once it's dried then cut the yarn and smooth out the pillow. Guess it might cause wrinkles but in a pillow for sleeping or a throw pillow with a pattern this won't matter. It's an option you can use if you don't want to run your dryer. They can air dry on the line or where ever.

I think it depends on the quality of your pillows too. I use the tennis balls, but my cheap pillows come out clumpy, my nicer ones don't. (I buy cheap for some people/beds, etc, and nice ones for some)

K.

I have heard tennis balls in the dryer help. If washing them is okay, then you might try to air dry them outside where they can get air on all sides. Try hanging them up by safety pinning them to hangers or using the hangers that clamp the ends of pants (make sense?). Pick a warm dry (not humid) day and hang in the sun. You may need to flip them over to make sure stuffing doesn't wind up all on one end.

My son has told me that they put tennis balls in the dryer along the pillows.
I hope that this helps you.

I always have this problem, too! I'll have to try the tennis ball idea. :)

I've tried just about everything from the tennis balls in the dryer and they still come out a lumpy. I use the pillow protector cases and just replace them all the pillows once a year.

I have down pillows and I always put 3 tennis balls in the dryer with them and they're fine when I take them out.

Well, one thing you can do is throw two or three tennis balls in with the pillows they beat the pillows while they are drying and this keeps them fluffly. This works real well with down confortors to.
And if that doesn't work you should take them to the laundry mat and use the big dryers with the shelf in them.
Hope this helps!
J.

If you have a steamer that is a great way to disinfect them unless they are soiled then try the other suggestions.

Hi!
I wash our pillows in the washer & dryer too. They are clumpy when they come out, but after a couple nights they unclump. Do yours remain clumpy? I have to admit, I buy cheap pillows, I will throw them out when the have reached their washing limit. I know people that have down pillows for years and never wash them because they cant be washed. That concept is disgusting to me! But then again, I like the clumpiness, its more support and I only have to use one pillow not because it seems a lot fuller. Enough about pillows??

I haven't had trouble with them getting lumpy. I don't dry them all the way, just mostly. Hope that helps.

Hi M.,

I've noticed almost everyone so far has said to use tennis balls. I know of something that you can use without having to put them into the washer and dryer. It's a little pricey, but you can use this for ALL kinds of things around the house. It's a steamer called The Tobi. Check it out at
www.tobisteamer.com

Hope this helps. ls

Dry the pillows with a couple or three tennis balls in the dryer, it will help keep them from clumping up.

I've never done this with regular pillows, but it's worked with my Boppy. I put a clean tennis ball in the dryer with the pillow and it comes out without clumps.

Have you can use one of 2 things on them you could spray them with the lysol linnen spray that is a germ killer smells great on the pillows. Or you could always do them in the dryer with the dryel stuff but on that end you would only get one pillow in the bag at a time.