Yes, You Should Be Washing Your Pillows– and Here's How

We wash our sheets, comforters, duvets, and pillowcases regularly. But why not our bed pillows? We lay our heads on them night after night; we bury our faces in them when our alarms blare morning after morning. Think about all the germs our pillows accumulate over the course of a few months (or, for most of us, a few years). Our pillows collect sweat, bacteria, allergens, and dust mites. EW! Add washing your bed pillows to the top of your spring-cleaning to-do list.

Do yourself a favor this allergy season, and give your pillows a thorough wash. As a general rule of thumb, you should wash your them every three to six months. Before throwing your pillows in the washing machine, check the tag to see how they should be properly cleaned. To get rid of dust mites, run pillows for a round in the dryer on hot. Adding detergent to fluffy pillows will cause a sudsy mess; instead, TODAY suggests using a few household ingredients are most likely already sitting in your pantry: hydrogen peroxide, oxygen bleach, and baking soda.

How To Wash Polyester and Synthetic Pillows

Put polyester and synthetic pillows in the washer. For top-load washers, place one pillow on either side so the weight will be equally distributed. Add 1 Tablespoon each of hydrogen peroxide, oxygen bleach, and baking soda. Wash in hot water. Then put straight in the dryer. Adding one or two reusable wool dryer balls will help the pillows dry faster. Dry on medium heat.

How To Wash Feather and Down Pillows

Fill a bathtub or deep sink with the same mixture of hydrogen peroxide, oxygen bleach, and baking soda. Wash feather and down pillows by hand. Wring out the excess water, and hang up to dry.