Tossed my pillows in the Duet today...

[mattl]

I decided summer is over around here, and tossed my pillows in my front loader to wash today. Even with pillow protectors hot summer nights can do a number on them. Initially I tried 3 feather pillows, I set it to prewash and then to drain an spin to get the pillows wet. But looking at the action 3 was too much, plus one pillow had a very good ticking and it would not let air escape.

With two the wash action was good, I used a small dose of Tide liquid Free and Clear followed by an optional extra rinse and an extra high speed spin. Tossed them in the dryer with a few tennis balls and all seems well.

Washing them in my top loader was a chore to say the least and took forever to dry. The 1000 rpm+ spin definitely helps. I had a synthetic fill pillow I tossed in with the original 3rd pillow and it seems to be in good shape too. Wasn't sure what to expect but pleased with the results.

 

[arbilab]

My early lowlife Frigi 'Gallery' doesn't have much problem with pillows. But the pillows have problems. The stuffing gets disoriented inside the case. Can be quite difficult to get back where it belongs.

 

[henry200]

I love clean pillows,

but trying to wash them in a top-loader was always an exercise in futility.  They simply refused to stay submergered, sometimes even lifting the lid on the washer, and trying to squeeze the air out of them never helped for more than a few seconds.  And, reaching into a tub of scalding-hot water was another kind of pain!  Then I got a Neptune front-loader and was positively gleeful.  Yay!  Clean pillows!  For the first time the pillows came out thoroughly washed, rinsed and rung-out with no manual intervention.  Since I'm allergic to down, I have always had synthetic pillows and the clumping of the filling when trying to wash them in a TL was another royal pain but has never been a problem since I started using a FL.  The Duet washer I have now also handles a pair of pillows with no fuss, no muss. 

 

[franksdad]

I wash my down filled pillows about once a year in my BOSCH FL.  I use Sears detergent along with Borax.  They come out clean.  I lay them on a drying rack for a day then toss them in the dryer. 

 

[DADoES]

 
Have washed pillows several times. Agitator toploaders can be done, but of course tend to not work so well. My Calypso does an adequate job. Last couple washed were done in my Neptune TL. One pillow doesn't tumble, two does much better. One of the pair, the stuffing got turned 90° inside the case.

 

[mattl]

I have a real dislike for synthetic because I like to scrunch up my pillow under me and they tend to resist.  I've done my pillows in the TL for years but resisted because it's such a chore.  Now I'll have to get busy and put new ticking on a bunch of older pillows and run them through the FL.

 

I remember years ago my mother would send out the pillows to be cleaned and reticked, used to be several locations that did it, now I never see any cleaners that offer that service.

 

[henry200]

There are several places around town here that will clean and re-tick pillows.  In my old neighborhood there were two places within two blocks of the house.

 

[franksdad]

My Mama

used to buy pillow ticking at the cloth shop and make new tickings for our pillows when I was growing up.  Mama would let me help!  It was always fun getting "new" pillows!   On hot summer days Mama would have me gather up all our pillows and hang them on the line to "air out".  I still like to air out my pillows.  You can still find ticking material at Wal-Mart occasionally and at most reputable cloth shops.  I have always loved down and feather pillows.  When I was a boy solid foam rubber pillows were all the rage.  I begged Mama for a set of foam rubber pillows.  She finally bought me a set at Woolworth's.  I tried to use them one night then never used them again.    

 

[autowasherfreak]

My Cabrio does a pretty good job on pillows, but not as good as a front loader.