How to wash pillow? Follow step by step procedure

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Bedding gets dirty with sweat while you sleep. In particular, many people are concerned about dirt and odors because the pillows come into direct contact with the face. However, I’m wondering if pillows can be washed at home. This article will teach you how to wash pillow at home, washing procedures, and useful items when drying. Please refer to it if you want to wash your pillows at home.

Pillows are a hotbed of germs !? Also cause scalp troubles!

Pillows in contact with the scalp for nearly one-third of the day. Night sweats and sebum gradually permeate into the pillow through the cover, and there is a high possibility that dirt has accumulated! Moreover, since it is often stored in a humid closet when not normally used, it is an environment where mites, germs, and odorous bacteria can easily grow by using sebum and sweat as food. It can also cause acne and hair loss on the scalp.

What causes pillow odor?

The cause of the unpleasant odor of pillows is that germs propagate on the food, such as sebum, sweat, and dandruff. In addition, the odor of aging also causes the odor of pillows.

The odor of aging is said to be the odor generated from two substances, “nonenal” and “diacetyl.” “Nonenal” is a substance secreted by the sebaceous glands, and the oxidation of sebum causes odor. “Diacetyl” is generated when lactic acid contained in sweat is decomposed by staphylococci on the skin. Diacetyl combines with the odor component of sebum called medium-chain fatty acid, which becomes a disliked odor as a type of aging odor.

Some pillows can be washed and some cannot be washed, depending on the contents

Pillow materials may or may not be washable. First, make sure your pillow is washable.

Washable material

Washable materials include pipes, washable beads, washable polyester down feathers, corma beads and miniballs, and down.

A pipe is a material that looks like a short piece of straw and is used in many pillows. Colma beads and mini balls are small plastic balls. The ball has holes and is highly breathable.

However, some beads, polyester down, and down cannot be washed. Check the washing label on the pillow

Washable material for pillows

  • Very small beads (some cannot be washed)
  • polyester
  • Polyethylene pipe
  • Latex (partially unwashable)
  • Fiber

Non-washable material

On the other hand, pillows made of materials such as buckwheat, low-resilience urethane, unwashable polyester cotton, feathers, unwashable beads, and snow low-resilience cannot be washed.

The buckwheat is hard to dry, and washing causes mold and putrefaction. In addition, the repulsive force of urethane material weakens when washed. If you wash the wings as well, the original fluffy feel of the material will be lost. Check the washing label carefully.

Unwashable material for pillows

  • Buckwheat
  • Memory foam urethane
  • High resilience urethane
  • down
  • Wool (partially washable)
  • Cypress

How often should I wash?

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s “Hygiene Management Guidelines for the Inn Industry,” pillows must be washed at least once every six months to maintain bedding hygiene.

If you follow this procedure, you should wash your clothes about once every six months. However, unlike inns used by an unspecified number of people, only the person uses the pillow at home. You may want to wash a little less often with that in mind.

How to wash pillow

How to wash pillows in a washing machine

Before washing, prepare a laundry net with pillows and a mild detergent.

Follow the steps below to wash your pillows in the washing machine.

  1. Remove the pillowcase
  2. If there is a clear stain on the pillow, apply detergent directly to remove the stain.
  3. Put the pillow in the laundry net
  4. Put a neutral detergent in the washing machine
  5. Choose a gentle washing method such as a dry course or a hand washing course to wash.
  6. After washing, tap the pillow to even out the contents.
  7. Dry in the sun or in the shade

How to wash pillows by hand

Prepare a neutral detergent, a pillow-sized tub, and a washbasin if you wash your hands.

Bath towels help remove excess water from the pillows after washing, reducing their time to dry.

To wash your pillows by hand, follow the steps below.

  1. Remove the pillowcase
  2. If there is a clear stain on the pillow, apply detergent directly to remove the stain.
  3. Fill the basin with lukewarm water and dissolve the neutral detergent.
  4. Soak the entire pillow in lukewarm water, knead it so that the detergent penetrates into it, and wash it.
  5. Rinse with water until no detergent comes out
  6. Use a bath towel to remove water from the pillow.
  7. Dry in the sun or in the shade

Let’s dry it evenly in the sun

Pillows are fairly large and full, so it takes time to dry. If you want to dry as soon as possible, turn it over from time to time or swap the top and bottom so that the whole thing is evenly exposed to the sun.

If it is very dirty

If the pillow is very dirty, it will affect your sleep and become a hotbed for germs and mites, which will have various adverse effects.

I want to wash it as often as possible to keep it clean, but it will be more difficult to manage easily if it gets heavily soiled or if yellowing or odor accumulates. In some cases, you may have to spend money on cleaning.

Still, there aren’t many places that clean pillows, and basically, you have to do the laundry at home. Let’s take a closer look at how you can wash at home against heavy stains.

Pillow odor and yellowing stains

Sweat while sleeping inevitably stains the pillow with odor and yellowing. Sebum from the human body is the cause of dirt, and more specifically, triglycerides and fatty acids are the main components of dirt.

Originally, this sebum is indispensable for protecting and protecting human skin, but it becomes a stubborn stain when it gets on the pillow.

This stubborn stain is removed with cleansing oil.

Pillow smell Yellowish What to prepare for washing

  • Cleansing oil
  • Oxygen bleach
  • baking soda
  • Steam iron

How to wash the odor of pillows

  1. Apply cleansing oil to dirty areas.
  2. Rinse dirty parts with lukewarm water of about 40 degrees
  3. Mix bleach and baking soda in a ratio of 2: 1 and apply generously to the dirty areas.
  4. Use a steam iron to steam and sprinkle the steam on dirty spots.
  5. Rinse well and dry at the end

How to prevent the smell of pillow yellowing

Sebum stains are inevitable. Even so, by preventing it, you can easily keep it clean on a daily basis. The most effective way to prevent this is to use a thick pillowcase. If the pillow cover absorbs dirt properly, you don’t have to worry about the pillow itself getting dirty.

In addition, it is friendly to pre-wash only the part where the head and neck hit and to prevent the fabric from getting dirty with a coating agent such as glue.

To prevent the odor itself, use soap to prevent the odor of aging, or use a scalp shampoo that can remove sebum.

Dirt such as nosebleed stains and vomiting

Stains such as blood and vomiting are very formidable stains among stains. In the case of pillows, they often get dirty with nosebleeds or vomiting while sleeping, and when they get dirty, most people even consider replacing the pillows.

Nosebleeds and vomiting stains can be easily removed as soon as they adhere, but they become difficult to remove over time.

Things to prepare for washing blood and vomiting on pillows

  • Sodium sesquicarbonate
  • Liquid oxygen bleach
  • citric acid

How to wash blood and vomiting on pillows

  1. Mix sodium sesquicarbonate and liquid oxygen bleach in a ratio of 1: 1.
  2. Put plenty of what you made in 1 on the dirty part and tap it with a toothbrush without rubbing.
  3. Warm it up a little with the wind of a hairdryer, and remove the dirt with a solution of citric acid in water.
  4. Finally, rinse thoroughly and let it dry.

Washing points

This method is effective for aged blood and vomiting stains, but if it still doesn’t come off, it’s likely that it won’t come off no matter what. If you have small children prone to vomiting, we recommend using a tarpaulin or thick pillowcase as a precautionary measure.

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