Lately, I’ve seen several pins on Pinterest about washing pillows.
Really, I didn’t even know I was supposed to wash pillows. Well, these pins
caused me to look at my uncased pillows. They definitely needed cleaning. I think
one of our pillows actually came from my husband’s barracks room from 15 years
ago (it was stuffed in the guest room closet).
I decided it was time to wash my pillows. Some of them had
come back from a recent camping trip and were in desperate need of washing,
some of them were just old.
So to Pinterest I went. I found several post on washing
pillows, but I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do it as most suggested. One
post seemed great, but would require making a detergent that used laundry soap,
borax and dishwasher detergent. That seems like a lot of materials and time.
Other articles suggested using chlorine bleach. I don’t even have chlorine
bleach in my house. So I decided to wash my pillows using my own homemade
laundry detergent (I will share in a future post, I’m still working on making
it more green) and my homemade bleach alternative.
After a little research, I learned that bleach can be
controversial. Some people love it, some people despise it. I could not find a
real valid reason why we shouldn’t use bleach. Personally, I don’t like the
smell and I don’t want my son exposed to it any more than necessary. I also
have an issue with getting it on my cloths every single time I wash a load of
whites. I have ruined so many shirts and my favorite (Lucky Brand) sweat pants.
My homemade bleach works really well; it is inexpensive and does not damage my
clothes. I can wash my son’s multicolored/white t-shirts and not fade the colors.
I also don’t have to worry about chemical reactions from mixing it with other
chemicals.
·
One gallon jug (empty, I used an old vinegar jug)
·
1 cup of peroxide
·
1 cup of vinegar or lemon juice
·
Water
·
Lemon essential oil (optional)
Mix peroxide and vinegar in jug. Add water to fill. Add
about 10 drops of essential oil.
This mixture will last up to a month in a regular, semi
clear bottle. If you put it in a dark bottle, like the kind peroxide comes in,
it will last three months. Peroxide turns to water after prolonged exposure to
light. I spray painted a couple of old vinegar bottles black and covered with a
little mod podge (it’s what I had on hand) to keep it from scratching off. You
can make it cute or just functional, it’s up to you!!
As for the pillows, I put them in the washing machine on a
normal cycle, with hot water. My washing machine has a soak option, so I let
them soak in the washing machine for 30 minutes before the wash cycle started.
You could easily do that by not starting the machine for 30 minutes if your
machine doesn’t have that option.
 |
| Before: Nasty Camping pillow |
I used laundry soap
and about 1 cup of my bleach alternative.
I washed two at a time, one on
each side of washing tub to even the load.
 |
| After!! Clean, white pillow!! |
When the cycle was done, I used
two dryer balls in the dryer with them to fluff them back up. You can also use
tennis balls to do this.
I only lost two pillows (obviously
very cheap pillows) and have more than 10 clean-like new pillows.
I feel so much better knowing my
family is laying their heads on clean, like new pillows. And my husband is
happy to have his old pillow back!! I don’t think he will get too much more time out
of it, but I’m glad he’s happy and sleeping better for now.
 |
| The top pillow is a in a white pillow case to compare |
May Your Joy Be Full,
Rachel
24
If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be
sweet.
Proverbs
3:24 (ESV)
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