The down pillow inserts from your favourite throw pillows might seem like they would need special care, but the cleaning process is actually surprisingly simple! Here’s how to wash feather pillow inserts.
Like many home decor enthusiasts, I love a good pillow chop, which comes to my sofa courtesy of my collection of beautiful feather pillow inserts. There’s really nothing quite like a feather pillow and they’re such a great, affordable luxury. Unfortunately, simple cleaning processes and luxury items don’t often go hand-in-hand. Before you pack all your pillows up in the back seat of your car and drive them over to the dry cleaners though, check out this simple step-by-step for how to clean them at home. It’s ridiculously -and surprisingly- easy. Here’s how to wash feather pillow inserts.
Washing Feather and Down Pillow Inserts
I was so happy to find out that my affinity for choosing the “fancier” feather pillows whenever I had the chance was actually the more practical choice. Good quality feather pillow inserts are actually easier to keep clean and will maintain their shape and usefulness for much longer than most pillows filled with other synthetic fillers.
If you happen to find a down or feather pillow insert at the thrift store, don’t hesitate to take it home, give it a wash and add it to your collection!
When it comes to the actual washing process, there isn’t too much you need to know, other than the fact that you absolutely can wash them just like you would wash almost anything else!
Isn’t that great news?
How to Wash Feather Pillow Inserts: Step by Step
Start out by removing the covers from your feather pillows inserts. You can wash those separately if needed, or just spot clean them and run the iron over them to freshen them up.
Toss your feather pillow inserts into your washing machine. If you’re using a top-load machine, make sure your load is balanced by washing two larger or four smaller pillows together at one time.
You can choose a cycle with either cold or hot water. Keep in mind that some shrinking of the outer fabric may take place if you use hot water, but if you’re washing a second-hand insert it’s worth the risk for the extra cleaning capabilities of the hot water. A good amount of chopping and fluffing after your wash cycle will stretch the fabric back out and allow the pillow to regain its shape most of the time anyway.
Use a gentle, low-sudsing laundry soap, like an HE detergent and avoid any other additives in the wash. Definitely stay away from any fabric softeners as they may decrease the fluffiness of the feathers afterwards.
How to Dry Your Feather Pillow Inserts
The drying process for your feather pillow inserts is a very important step, but luckily, it’s an easy one. 🙂
Just toss your feather pillows into the dryer on whichever cycle you normally like to use and turn it on!
It’s important that your feather pillow inserts and completely dry before you replace their covers, and it may take more than one dryer cycle to make that happen.
When in doubt, definitely err on the side of drying your pillow inserts more rather than less.
If you find your pillows are clumpy and not as fluffy as you would like them, they probably need more time in the dryer. If they have any odor to them at all, they probably need more time in the dryer.
Wool dryer balls can be really helpful because they’ll fluff the pillows up as the dry and will possibly cut down on your drying time a little bit.
When you’re satisfied with the dryness of your pillow inserts, replace their covers (or make new ones with this ten minute pillow cover tutorial! 🙂 ) and fluff them up again.
It’s a good idea to wash feather pillow inserts every 6 months to a year, depending on how much use they get, to remove dust and allergens and to keep them nice and fluffy.
If you use your pillows a lot for propping yourself up on the couch or if your kids sit on them on the floor, wash them more often. If they don’t see much human contact and they’re mostly just for show, then you don’t need to wash them quite as much, just like anything else.
Do you love to use feather pillow inserts in your pillows?
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.