How can you wash a feather and down pillow at home?

Fresh bed linen and clean pillow contents are one of the conditions for a restful, deep sleep. Anyone who knows how to wash a feather pillow can also get rid of microscopic dust mites that live in contaminated filling and cause allergies.

Some people prefer to delegate this troublesome task to dry cleaning workers. But washing at home also has its advantages: saving the family budget, confidence in the use of safe products.

The best time for such an operation is spring or summer, when hot, sunny weather will be your ally.

Using a washing machine: preparation and washing

How to wash a feather pillow: by hand or in an automatic washing machine – it’s up to you. Each of the two options is preceded by preparation. It is necessary to stock up in advance with covers or bags large enough to accommodate the feathers and down from the pillow freely. Two or three bags are sewn from thin fabric (sometimes old pillowcases are suitable for this purpose), but not from gauze, as is sometimes recommended. Gauze will not hold the feather, and during the washing process it will clog the working drum of the washing machine, clog the filter and drain hose.

Next, the contents of the pillow, carefully ripping out the corner of the pillowcase, are carefully transferred into bags-covers, which are immediately sewn tightly and placed in the machine. Small pillows can be washed entirely without opening the pillowcases.But at the same time, you should consider how to distribute them evenly in the car so as not to cause strong vibration.

Washing mode:

• minimum number of revolutions - 400;
• maximum spin;
• maximum number of rinses;
• water temperature 30–40 degrees;
• washing powder for delicate washing or for woolen items.

If washing powder causes allergies, it is better to use a soap solution. A few drops of fragrant oil - cypress or lavender - will not hurt either - the smell, as long as it lasts, will repel linen mites.

After finishing washing, you will find that the fluff and feathers have huddled together. Use your hands to evenly distribute the filler over the area of ​​the cover. Roll the covers into old towels and squeeze them well, twisting them out.

What is the best way to dry a washed feather?

The drying stage is very important, since a feather that is not completely dried can become moldy, black spots will appear on the pillowcase, and the pillow will emit an unpleasant odor. It is necessary to carefully straighten the contents of the bags that have stuck together during the washing process and place them in the hot season on a sunny balcony, where they will receive additional ultraviolet irradiation, which sterilizes the feather mass, and in winter - on heating radiators. It will take a day or two to dry at home, constantly turning over, shaking and beating every 40–45 minutes. Semi-dry bags can be hung on clothespins in a room with free air flow. Pillows that have been washed untouched are also dried.

To speed up the process, you can use a hot hairdryer.

Updated pillow

Absolutely dry feathers and down are transferred to a new bedstead, sewn from thick cotton fabric - teak.The edge is sewn with a double seam to prevent down from leaking through. You can sew or buy a cover for the pillowcase that closes with a zipper, which will protect the pillow from contamination, and then washing it will become a rare “pleasure.”

Advice

Before starting the “operation”, cover the floor with a large piece of cloth, such as an old sheet. No matter how carefully you try to act, the fluff will inevitably scatter around the room; it will be easier to collect it with the help of such a bedding. But at the final stage of cleaning you still can’t do without a vacuum cleaner.

How to wash by hand?

For hand washing, you will need a large container - a basin or bathtub - filled with warm water and soapy water, with completely dissolved washing powder or liquid detergent. You can add a teaspoon (5 liters) of 10% ammonia to the water - the solution will become more active. Down and feathers are laid out in the liquid gradually, in small portions, otherwise they will fly freely around your bathroom. The contents of the pillow, freely placed in the container, are soaked for one and a half to two hours. Having wrung out the feather with your hands, you should transfer it to a new washing solution and begin washing. Rinse in clean water, preferably running water, using an ordinary colander, twice. But in order to dry the washed feather, it will have to be transferred to prepared covers or bags. Then dry as recommended above.

Advice for the wary

1. When using a colander when hand washing, be sure to cover the tub drain with a mesh screen to prevent lint from clogging it.
2. When using an automatic machine, try throwing some toys, tennis balls or Anti-Stress balls, for example, into the drum. They will fluff up the covers with feather filling, preventing it from clumping into clumps.
3. Rub the inside of the new bedstead with laundry soap. It will become less dirty, and therefore you will have to wash it less often.