Photo: Daehyun Park / Flickr

It is imperative that your bedding is cleaned on a regular basis. Although it is easy to pop everything in the washing machine, what do we do with our pillows? Some of them can be washed in the machine, but others have to be hand washed. It is important to check the label of each pillow to establish this before washing.

Washing your pillows

If your pillows can be put in the washing machine, it is best to do only two at a time. If you only wash one at a time, your top loading machine will be unbalanced. Pop your pillows in the machine, use warm water and put them on a gentle cycle. Only use a small amount of detergent and rinse your cushions twice to make sure that all the soap has been rinsed away. If your pillows need to be hand washed, use warm water and a small amount of detergent. Wash the pillows and then rinse them. Make sure that all excess water is squeezed out before hanging.

Drying your pillows

If you do not dry your pillows straight after they have been washed, they will start to smell. You can either hang them on the line, or put them in the dryer two at a time. Put a clean tennis ball in the dryer too in order to get rid of the excess water. Only take them out once they are completely dry. If you have dust mites, then add 10 drops of tea tree oil to your washing mixture and then dry the pillows on the hottest setting possible. Once the pillows are completely dry, put them out to lie in the sun for a few hours. The last step is to seal them in black bags for 48 hours or more.

Pillows should be cleaned every two weeks, so it is best to get different sets and alternate between them. Bedding should also be changed on a regular basis especially if you suffer from allergies.

Tags: cleaning