When’s The Last Time You Cleaned Your Pillows?

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I was doing some reading and was shocked when I read an article stating that you should clean your pillows every 6 months.  I clean my pillows, but that usually meant letting them sit out in the sun for a day to air out.  I figured every 6 months would coincide with a thorough spring and fall cleaning.  This is usually when I take all the curtains down and wash, clean the shower curtain and liner, the windows inside and out and don’t forget the screens.

This past weekend I decided I would do all the bedding, it also helped that the weather changed and we had 2 days of the sun shining and the temperature in the 80’s.  I took all the sheets washed them and then hung them on the line to dry.  I then took the feather beds and put them out to air out and get some some sun – I sprayed them down with a mixture of vinegar, water and lavender essential oil.  My washing machine is not big enough to wash them and I will be going to the laundry mat to clean them within the next couple of weeks.

I then sprinkled baking soda on the mattresses, putting the baking soda into a shaker, giving a coating to the whole mattress and let sit for the day.  Before putting the sheets back on I vacuumed the mattresses making sure to get all the baking soda up – the mattresses smelled fresh after doing this.  I think next time I will add some lavender oil to the baking soda – lavender is suppose to help relax and induce sleep – so why not and I love the smell.

I then did the pillows and with 6 pillows this was an all day project.  I went to the local sporting goods store the day before and purchased a can of tennis balls.  Several of my pillows are down and if I followed the manufacturers directions for cleaning I would have brought them to the dry cleaner – I did not want to clean my pillows with chemicals.  We have a dry cleaner here that says it is organic, but they purchase the chemicals to clean with from Chevron and BP – to me that is not organic.  Following the directions below you will be amazed with the results and your pillows will be as full and fluffy as when you first purchased them!  I have to preface that this is not too eco-friendly, but it is better than the dry cleaners.

1. Washing 2 pillows at a time, fill the washing machine to about 2/3 of the way full and put in some liquid soap, not detergent – making sure it is dissolved before putting the pillows in.

2. Using a fabric softener ball I filled with 1/4 vinegar.  Using the vinegar in the final rinse cycle will make sure that all of the soap is out of the pillows and will help kill germs.

3. Let the wash go for the full cycle and then do an extra spin cycle, making sure to get as much water out as possible – this will also help with the drying.

4. Place the pillows in the dryer with 3 new tennis balls.  The tennis balls will help un-clump the feathers and make the pillows so fluffy.  Make sure the heat is on low.  I had to do the pillows on two dry cycles to get completely dry – you do not want the pillows to be at all damp.

5. Look how fluffy the pillow is!  They won’t be as easy to get into the pillow case as they used to be.  All the dried sloughed off skin, bacteria, dust mites and dirt and gone – sweet dreams!

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