Rest hours can be a very pleasant moment or quite the opposite. A large bed, with a comfortable mattress, good pillows and soft sheets to the touch, always contribute to a restful sleep and prevent the sleeping experience from becoming a real nightmare. In the case of mattresses – but especially pillows – it is also very important to maintain a good cleaning, which will keep annoying and unpleasant odors away from the room.
Keep in mind that night after night we use pillows to rest our head and although they are always protected by a cover, it is inevitable that they accumulate dirt from the products we use to take care of our hair or the sweat we give off when sleeping, as well as mites, dust and bacteria.
The first thing we need to do to clean pillows is to know what material the filling is made of. In the case of cotton or synthetic feathersThe simplest formula is to simply remove the pillowcase itself and throw it in the washing machine. If they are very dirty because you have not washed them for a while, you can first use a hot water cycle and then wash them with detergent and bleach in case yellowish stains appear on their surface. If you want, you can put a dose of fabric softener in the washing machine drawer to give it a little scent.
A tip to avoid crowding
It is best to wash the pillows without mixing them with other clothes. It is true that they can come out a little encrusted after washing. But do not worry, because we are going to give you a trick to avoid it. To make the pillows come out with the filling in place, the best thing to do is to put two or three tennis balls in the drum of the washing machine, if you have them at home, next to the pillow itself.
If you plan on drying them in the dryer, same thing. Also leave the tennis balls in so the pillows don’t lose their shape. Another formula that works very well is to let them dry outside in a horizontal position.
In the case of memory foam pillows The process is more delicate and we must avoid putting them in the washing machine. We will clean them by hand with a mild detergent and water, and we will never immerse them completely so as not to damage their material. To dry them, we will do it outside and better leave them in a shaded place, without exposing them directly to the sun’s rays.
If your pillows are latex The process will be similar to the one we would follow with memory foam pillows, since they are also more delicate. In this case, we will also wash them by hand and also in cold water. We cannot immerse them in water for a long time, nor vigorously rub the stains so as not to damage them and lose their qualities.
Disinfect and bleach pillows
Maintaining good hygiene of mattresses and pillows, we already know that this will lead to more pleasant sensations at bedtime, but it is also very important to guarantee good hygiene and avoid health problems; in particular, skin allergies and other dermatological conditions. Now you know the more or less basic rules for washing our pillows depending on the material they are made of, but we will also give you some recommendations for disinfecting and bleaching them properly if you need to:
- Use Baking Soda with Vinegar. It is a foolproof formula, since both products separately are already very effective. In this case, we will mix 80 grams of baking soda with half a cup of white vinegar (125 ml). The resulting paste, in addition to being whitening, is a powerful disinfectant. What we will do is add the mixture to the washing machine drawer once the water cycle has started, if our pillows can be machine washed.
- Hot water and lemon juice. Along with baking soda and cleaning vinegar, lemon juice is another option that we usually always have on hand at home and that, in addition to being versatile, is very effective against stains and is also a disinfectant. Dissolved in hot water, it will act as a powerful cleaner and will leave our pillows as new, with a fresh feeling. What we will do is heat the water until it reaches the boiling point, in which case we will add the juice of five to six fresh lemons and completely immerse our pillow in this solution. We will add more water if necessary; The idea is that it remains completely covered. We will let it soak for about two hours. Once this time has passed, we will wash it in the machine with the usual detergent and fabric softener.
- Baking soda and tea tree essential oil. By mixing half a cup of baking soda with a few drops of tea tree oil – between ten and fifteen – we will also obtain a very useful paste to disinfect our pillows. In this case, we will spread the resulting paste on the surface of the pillow and let it act for 45 minutes. After this time, we will brush the pillow well to remove the remains of the paste as well as the dirt. This is a valid solution for more delicate pillows – such as those made of memory foam or latex – that cannot be put directly in the washing machine or it is even better to avoid immersing them completely if we wash them by hand. In case you didn’t know, tea tree oil is a very popular remedy for cleaning and disinfecting and even to keep insects away or prevent lice.
So now you know, washing your pillows is a fairly simple task. We recommend washing their covers at least once a month and washing your pillow thoroughly at least two to three times a year, you can take advantage of the change of season to do so.
