How to Clean Bed Pillows

"Pillowcases help keep your pillows free of buildup and allergens, but, over time, sweat and oils from your skin make their way to the filling inside. It's good practice to wash your pillows once or twice a year. Different fillings need different washing methods, so we asked Jack Sukalac, owner of All About Down, for advice. JACKIE REEVE

Spot treat minor stains. For small stains, try spot cleaning in between major washings or before you put your pillow in the washer. Follow the instructions for whatever stain remover you choose. But generally you'll want to spray or saturate the stain directly, pinch the fabric on either side of the stain and rub the fabric sides together to push the spot treatment into the stain. Let it soak for several minutes and then wet a clean rag to blot and rinse the soiled area.

Empty foam pillows and wash the cover. Single-piece foam fillings are easy to remove, but for shredded foam pillows you'll want to unzip the cover and empty the contents into a big container until the cover is washed and dried. Once the filling is emptied, wash the cover on cold and leave it to air-dry.

Thoroughly rinse down and down alternative pillows. Down alternative pillows are less precious to wash than down, and you can just follow the care label instructions.

Mr. Sukalac says you always want to protect the oils on the down feathers inside your pillow. If the down gets wet it can become sticky and start to stink. Eventually it will lose its loft and leave you with a flat pillow. Wash it in cold or warm water on the gentle cycle, and don't add too much detergent, as soap residue can build up on the down. Thoroughly rinse and spin the pillow to make sure the soap is removed.

Go easy with the dryer. Drying your pillows on high heat for a long time can damage down and down alternative stuffing, but high heat is the best way to kill dust mites, bed bugs and other pathogens. So Mr. Sukalac runs the dryer on hot for the first 20 minutes, then sets it to medium or low for the duration. He takes pillows out of the dryer every 20 minutes to shake out clusters and make sure the fill is evenly drying and redistributing. Don't remove the pillow until it is completely dry.

Jackie Reeve is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter, a product recommendation site owned by The New York Times Company. For more advice, visit nytimes.com/wirecutter." [1]

1. Here to Help; How to Clean Bed Pillows: [Science Desk]. Reeve, Jackie.  New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast); New York, N.Y.. 30 Nov 2023: A.3.