How to Care For and Clean a Feather Bed Pillow
- 1). Keep your feather pillow inside a zippered pillow protector. A pillow protector is fitted to your pillow, and designed to discourage dust mites and oils from settling in your pillow. The protector should be removed and laundered monthly, according to housekeeping expert Martha Stewart.
- 2). Top the pillow protector with a pillowcase that is washed weekly, or whenever you launder your sheets.
- 3). Remove the pillowcase and cover to wash your feather bed pillow at least twice a year, advise Martha Stewart and pillow manufacturer Plumeria Bay.
- 4). Examine the seams and the covers of your pillow for slits or tears before washing, advises housekeeping expert Heloise Evans, in her online "Hints from Heloise" column in "Good Housekeeping" magazine online. Replace pillows that are damaged.
- 5). Place two pillows in your washing machine so the load is not unbalanced. While both Stewart and Heloise note that a home washing machine may be used if it is large enough, manufacturers Plumeria Bay and Pacific Coast Feathers recommend using a commercial washer at a laundromat.
- 6). Pour the manufacturer-recommended amount of a mild liquid detergent into the washing machine, and wash the pillows in warm water on a gentle setting. When the cycle is complete, rinse a second time to remove any detergent residue.
- 7). Put the wet pillows in a tumble dryer with several tennis balls or clean tennis shoes. The tennis balls or shoes will help the pillows "refluff" according to all sources. Stewart recommends drying on low heat, because high heat can cause feathers to "clump." Pacific Coast Feathers advises that pillows may need to be dried for as long as six hours, and that they should be removed from the dryer and manually fluffed between cycles.
- 8). Place thoroughly dry pillows back in their protective covers and cases. Plump daily to maintain fluffiness between washings.
- 9). Store pillows in breathable cloth bags when they won't be used for an extended period. If pillows are stored in plastic bags, they may mildew, and the feathers decompose, according to Pacific Coast Feathers.