How To Wash & Care For Your Down Pillows
You can wash your down pillows at home, in fact they should be cleaned every three to six months and it’s not necessary to spend money at the cleaners for this simple task. Taking proper care of your bedding is essential for hygiene, but also for increasing the longevity of these important items.
Down pillows are superior not only for their enduring support and softness, but also because the natural materials last longer and are easy to keep clean and fresh. Synthetic pillows may be cheaper, but they quickly lose the buoyancy and support you admired when you purchased them, and with synthetic, it’s impossible to get those qualities back. To make matters worse, synthetic pillows usually come out of the washing machine lumpy and flattened, completely ruined after the first wash.
Follow these easy steps and your luxurious down pillows will be as spotless and lofty as the day you bought them.
Washing
1: Before washing, make sure your pillows do not have any broken seams or tears. This is unlikely with Elegant Strand’s Goose Down pillows, but we need to raise this point because a small tear might result in a washer full of loose feathers.
2: Load two pillows at a time so your washing machine maintains its balance for an effective spin cycle. It’s best if your top-load washer doesn’t have an agitator in the middle. If you only have one pillow to wash, add 2 white towels to balance the load.
3: Set the water temperature to cold and choose the gentle cycle. Choose an extra rinse cycle to make sure all soapy residue is removed and make sure the fastest spin cycle is in used because you’ll want as much moisture removed as possible before putting the pillows in the dryer.
4: Use about one third the amount of soap you’d typically add to a machine of this size. Make sure your detergent is specifically for down, or use a gentle, enzyme-free, natural laundry detergent.
5: Do NOT add fabric softener. It will coat the down and result in a heavier, flatter pillow.
Drying
1: Select a low to medium heat.
2: Drying time may vary, and it may take several cycles. It is important that your pillow is completely dry throughout to prevent mildew.
3: After one drying cycle, hand fluff your down pillow to check if it’s thoroughly dry. In fact, you may stop the machine every 15 minutes to hand fluff the pillows. It’s better to machine dry your pillows a little too much rather than leaving them damp on the inside, and if you feel any clumps, the down is probably still damp, so pop them back in the dryer until they are airy and soft.
4: Tip of the day – Put up to three tennis balls into the dryer with your pillows. They will make a huge noise, but don’t worry, nothing will break, and it will speed up the drying time while making your pillows fluffier.
Fluffing Your Pillows Between Washes
If you want to freshen your down pillows between washes, simply pop your pillow into the dryer with three tennis or dryer balls, a damp wash cloth and a natural fabric softener sheet for a fragrant finish.