How to Wash Feather Pillows

Can you wash a feather pillow? Yes, of course you can, you can do anything you want, and so the question you want answered here, is SHOULD you wash a feather pillow. It’s not a bad idea, really. In fact if you do so you’ll bring new life back into an old pillow, making them feel almost brand new. If you try doing that with a synthetic pillow you definitely aren’t going to get the same result. This is just one of the benefits of natural fills – they’re soft AND they’re easy maintenance. They might be a bit more expensive than a synthetic pillow right off the bat but they’re going to be worth the investment.

A Step Above Synthetic

If you’re here reading this, then you’re probably a bit wary and rightly so. You have probably washed more than your fair share and you know that it tends to be a bit of a gamble. They often come out lumpy or stiff, which leads many to end up sleeping on a dirty pillow for years. In fact, there is a chance that you simply take a look at the synthetic pillow after a few years, throw it out, and buy another one. Natural fills on the other hand don’t come with that risk. You can clean your duck or goose down feather pillows over and over again without a single worry and we’re going to tell you how! Just remember – the key to washing your down pillow is fully rinsing and drying. They have a much greater density than synthetic pillows, so you have your work cut out for you in that department.

Before we get to the most important part of the washing process here we want to answer a burning question: why do pillows turn yellow? Yes, that’s not just you; everyone’s pillows turn yellow. This is the result of sweat leaking into the pillow, and eventually your once white and beautiful pillow is now an ugly shade of yellow. Let’s get on to the part where you remedy that.

The Basics of Washing your Down Pillow

The following tutorial can be applied to either feather or down pillows, so take the following tips into account and make sure you execute them precisely as we say:

Step 1: Starting your Washer

As you prepare your washer, the first thing you need to do is make sure that you wash two pillows at the same time, always. The two pillows will adhere to centripetal force which will keep them firmly adhered to the edge of the machine as it spins. This will ensure better coverage and will keep your washing machine on balance.

The water temperature for the session can be set as you like with the understanding that hot water can cause shrinkage. You will also need to set the washing machine to the highest possible spin speed as this will help to remove more moisture than other settings. Lastly, make sure you’re adding an extra rinse cycle at the end to ensure all of the soap is removed after the washing is complete.

Step 2: Get it Dry

The next step will be to get that pillow dry, and you’re going to use, you guessed it, the dryer! Start by using a warm or hot temperature, and like we said before, high temperatures can result in some shrinkage so be ready for that.

We can’t tell you how long it will take to dry the pillow because it depends on your machine – just make sure that you are patient and that it is completely dry before you call it quits. If you pull your pillow out of the dryer and notice clumping or odor, this is a sign that it is not yet dry. Between each cycle, hand fluff your pillow and make sure it doesn’t clump. Remember: a pillow can feel dry the touch but still be quite damp inside.

TIP: To speed up dry time, add two tennis balls into your dryer during the cycle. This will sound nasty, but they aren’t going to hurt your dryer- the most they’ll do is dry your pillows faster.

Step 3: Repeat Frequently

To keep your pillow clean we recommend washing it at last once every six months. We spend a lot of time with our pillows and as expected, they end up filled with skin cells, dirt, and dander. They also collect a lot of moisture that reduces their fluff, which is why you should be dedicated to keeping yours clean.

One way to extend the usage period for your down and feather pillows is to ensure that you’re using a case – this will help you out significantly by creating a barrier between your pillow and your head, keeping out much of the unpleasantness that we mentioned before.

As you can see, down pillows and even feather pillows are very easy to wash and they are one of the most comfortable type to keep around. Check our store for some of the best down pillows the industry has to offer and get the support you need. Most importantly, make sure you stick to our washing instructions for the best results!