Spring cleaning: How to wash pillows in the washing machine

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In spring, the desire to get everything at home overshade. The windows are cleaned, the balcony or the terrace is brought to the forehead and cupboards are mucked out.

In addition, you want to lie down in an absolutely freshly fragrant bed. Unfortunately, it is not enough with fresh bed linen. The pillow must also be washed.

Incidentally, yellow edges on the pillow are a safe sign that you should urgently clean the pillow.

How to wash a pillow properly depends on the filling. You can do something wrong when washing the pillow - from the wrong temperature, to the wrong detergent, to the wrong drying.

If you make one of these mistakes, the pillow can be irreparably damaged. So that this does not happen to you, we'll tell you how to do it right.

How often should you wash pillows?

The pillow should be washed about one or twice a year. Because even if you don't believe that, at night the pillow is confronted with some of some. Sweat, saliva, skin scales, sebum, hair and dust mites - it's really not nice.

Fortunately, most of it is held by the pillow cover. Therefore, bed linen should also be changed once or twice a month. But some things find its way inside the pillow and can even trigger unpleasant smells.

Tipp:Washing alone is not enough when pillow. So shake or knock it out regularly and then let it ventilate well. This also ensures freshness and a fluffy filling.

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For which pillows do you need a dryer?

Pillows with down or spring filling must not be washed yourself if you don't have a dryer at home. The down and feathers clump when washing. When drying, they are separated again.

If you do not have a dryer and instead let the pillows dry in the air, the filling remains clumped and the pillow becomes unusable. In the worst case, the clumped down and feathers even mold.

Wash the pillow: How many degrees?

On the material of a pillow, more precisely on the filling, depends on how many degrees the pillow can be washed. The most common fillings are:

  • Down (40 to 60 degrees)
  • Springs (30 to 40 degrees)
  • Polyester, elastan, acetate (hand washing up to 30 degrees)
  • Cotton (up to 60 degrees)
  • Latex or visco foam (often not washable)
  • Wool or silk (30 degrees)
  • Microfiber (60 to 90 degrees)

However, these are only guidelines, because the actual number of degrees varies from pillows to pillows. A look at the manufacturer label is therefore essential.

Tipp:If the label allows this, allergy sufferers should wash their pillows at 60 degrees. House dust mites die from this temperature.

If the material should not be washed so hot, there is another trick: mites die even at very low temperatures. So if possible, if possible, if possible. Then knock out and ventilate and your pillow is mite -free.

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Wash down pillows

Dauni cushions mostly consist of a down spring mixture. Many people think there is no big difference between down and feathers, but that is far from it.

Downs are the lodging of geese and ducks. That's why they are more fluffy and have no keel. Due to their voluminous, fluffy structure, you can store heat and still ensure air compensation. However, their structure also means that they are more difficult to wash.

It is therefore important for down pillows that you do not use a full detergent. This attacks the natural layer of fat of the down so that you can then clump faster. In addition, fabric softeners should not be added. This could cause the down to glue the inside.

Instead, use a fine detergent, also special down detergents (Order here from Amazon*) you can use. Wash the down cushion in the gentle wash and wash out extra to ensure that all detergent residues are washed out.

Important:Always wash one pillow at once in the washing machine and only uses a little fine detergent. To make the pillow clean, a third of the usual amount is enough.

You should also check carefully whether the pillow has small cracks or holes. These could open up completely when washing. The washing machine can be so bad.

If in doubt, put the pillow better in a special laundry bag (Order here from Amazon*) In the worst case, down and feathers would be collected from cotton and could not spread throughout the washing machine.

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Dry the down pillow

When washing down the down pillow, drying is an absolutely important part. Dry you wrong, clump the down or start to mold. The pillow would be ruined. If you don't have a dryer, you should rather put your down pillow in cleaning.

It is best to put the down pillow in the dryer immediately after washing. Use the glance again here. If necessary, switch on several dryers. After drying, the pillow must never be remaining.

Also give some dryer balls (Order here from Amazon*) In addition, so that the pillow is loosened particularly well and the down are super fluffy again. In addition, the pillow dries faster.

Wash the spring pillow

Pen pillows are often also a feather-dauna mixture. However, springs ensure that the pillow is fuller and more stable than is the case with soft down. Similar requirements apply to springs when washing, but not the same, since springs have a keel that can easily break.

Spring pillows should therefore be shaken every morning and regularly ventilated. So they have to be washed less frequently.

New spring pillows can often be washed at 60 degrees. At this temperature, most bacteria and dust mites are then killed. Older spring pillows can usually only be washed at 30-40 degrees. So take a look at the label and, if in doubt, wash at the lower temperature.

No full detergent should also be used in the spring pillow. This also attacks the natural layer of fat and would roughen it and thus promote the clump. Better use fine or wool detergent, down detergent also goes (Order here from Amazon*).

In addition, spring pillows should only be washed individually, otherwise the springs are squeezed too much.

Also important: hurls the pillow at a maximum of 600-800 revolutions per minute. Throws more, the springs can break.

Tipp:Also checked when the spring pillow, whether there are small holes or cracks somewhere. If the pillow tears completely, the washing machine can be damaged. It is important here that you do not pull out feathers when you see somewhere that a keel pierces. This further enlarges the hole. Better push the keel inwards again.

If you want to be on the safe side, put the spring pillow in a laundry bag (Order here from Amazon*), The springs are collected in the pillow in the event of a crack and cannot spread in the machine.

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Dry the feather pillow

Spring cushions must also be dried in the dryer. If you dry them in the air, the springs stick together. If you dry them over too strong heat, the springs can cancel.

Therefore, they should be dried in the gentle duct, preferably using dryer balls (Shop here at Amazon*). They accelerate the drying because the feathers are repeatedly whirled up. In addition, clumps are solved.

At low temperatures there is sometimes a little residual moisture in the pillow. After that, let it dry in the sun and keep shaking up until it is 100 percent dried.

Wash the pillow made of polyester, elastan or acetate

Sicks made of art fiber mixtures can usually only be washed at up to 30 degrees, since artificial fibers are often sensitive to heat. Sometimes the label also reveals that such pillows must not be washed in the washing machine. In this case, you only have to go into professional cleaning, as it is usually not allowed to dry in the dryer.

Art fiber cushions that can be dried in the dryer should be added in the gentle duct and with dryer balls.

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Wash the microfiber pillow

Microfibers pillows are relatively easy to care for. You can use normal fully detergent and they can be washed at high temperatures. However, this is not necessary, because with full detergent, even at lower temperatures, the pillow gets clean again. You should only do without fabric softener, which can glue the fine fibers.

Wash the neck support pillow

So -called neck support pillows usually consist of a viscoelastic foam. Such foams would usually not survive a wash in the washing machine.

Take a look at the label here. Most neck pillows explicitly say that they should not be washed in the washing machine. There are exceptions, but with these it is also declared on the label that they are machine washable.

Most of the time, such pillows have an extra thick, firm cover, which can be easily washed in the washing machine at 60 degrees. This cover captures most of the dandruff, sweat & Co. so that nothing gets into the pillow. The compact and firm foam structure also prevents a recording. Therefore, it is usually sufficient if you wash the cover.

If you would rather wash your neck support pillow, you can use a little trick: just put the pillow in the freezer for a few hours. Germs and bacteria not only die in hot water, but also at sub -temperatures.

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Wash the pillow without dryers

If you want to wash your pillow but have no dryer, you have to consider some things. Do not choose the hand wash of your machine. The pillow is often in the water and can therefore suck up with water. Also relies on a high spin -up of up to 1000 revolutions. A large part of the water is already pressed from the fibers.

Danger:Down or feathers must not be thrown at more than 800 revolutions.

The pillow should also be taken out of the washing machine as soon as it has washed. Afterwards shake the pillow and put it in the plump sun or on a hot heating. Keep up the pillow and turn it down when drying.