Washing Your Nasty Pillows Isn’t as Hard as You Think

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Most of us wash our bed linens pretty regularly, but it’s easy to neglect washing your pillows. Here’s why you should do it and how.

If it’s been a while (or never) since you washed your pillow, it’s harboring some gross stuff, like sweat, oils, drool, dirt, mold, bacteria, and dust mite dander. Blech!

Pillows aren’t the easiest things to wash and dry, so we get why you don’t toss them in the wash all the time. Plus, depending on the materials in your pillows, you might need to be careful when washing them. It’s worth the effort, though, because a freshly laundered pillow has fewer allergens and you’ll sleep better.

Before You Wash Your Pillows

There are a couple of things you can do between washings to keep your pillows fluffy and aired out.

First, fluff and shake them out every day. Pillow fluffing is a great habit of getting into when you make your bed. Fluffing restores the pillow’s shape, shakes out some of the dust, and airs it out. Some pillows (like the solid, memory foam kind) don’t shake back into shape. You can toss these pillows in the dryer on a cycle with no heat (high heat damages many synthetic materials) now and then to air them out.

Next, if possible, hang your pillows outside once a month. A few hours in the warm sun on a breezy day (doesn’t matter if it’s cold or hot) freshens your pillows. If you wash your pillows too often, it can break down the fibers, so hanging them outside keeps them fresh. The sun’s ultraviolet rays also kill off any surface bacteria.

How (and When) to Wash Your Pillows

Before we dive into how to wash your pillow, you might be wondering how often you should do it. The typical recommendation is every three months, so you can time your washing with the change of the season. You can adjust this schedule if you use an allergen case or pillow protector, as these cut down the dirt.

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Before you wash your pillow, always look at the care tag. If it’s dry clean only, washing it in water could damage it. If you know the material your “dry clean only” pillow contains, it might help you determine whether you can wash it at home.