A pillow is a delicate product designed to ensure sound and quality sleep.
It is delicate because it requires proper care, otherwise a product with any filler can become a breeding ground for harmful microorganisms, the removal of which will require not only a lot of time, but also money.
Down is an ideal filling for pillows, inexpensive but durable, with a number of positive qualities: it quickly restores its shape and has no specific odor.
But to ensure a long service life of a product made from swan filler, you should know how to handle it correctly, namely, wash it.
Is it washable?
So, is it possible and how to properly wash a swan down pillow? Swan down pillows can be washed either by hand or in a washing machine. But before you load the pillow into the washing machine, it should be properly prepared.
The process of preparing a product from swan filler:
Carefully knock the product out onto the street . Dust and small debris are those things that can remain in the product even after washing. They should be gotten rid of first.- Buy special covers . Advice that applies to pillows with all types of filling: it is better not to wash without a cover. If it is not possible to purchase special covers, you can use a simple pillowcase, tying it tightly around it.
- Divide the contents into several equal parts . Many experts recommend not washing a swan down pillow as a product, but doing it in parts. The quality of washing with this approach increases several times. Another positive point is that the drying process is faster.
- Place each piece of filling in a case or an old pillowcase . If you load fluff without a cover into a washing machine, this will not only lead to its deterioration, but can seriously clog the drain of the household appliance.
If there are no covers and no time for knocking out, then washing a product made from swan's down can be done this way. But the quality will remain too low, and the dust remaining between the fibers will become the first cause of unsightly stains.
Swan feather pillows
Nowadays it is very rare to find filling made from natural swan down. Modern bedding is made from artificial material. It is called swan's down. The filling is polyester fibers that look like down. During their production, the material is coated with silicone. Because of this, an elastic soft structure is obtained.
Bedding can be washed in the washing machine. Swan down tolerates water treatments well at a temperature of no more than +30 degrees on a delicate mode. A special filler manufacturing technology allows the fibers to recover immediately after washing, remaining soft and fluffy.
For clarity, we suggest watching a video about washing pillows.
In the washing machine
Firstly, many users advise not to wash down pillows, but to simply purchase new products. This is due to the fact that after each washing process this type of filler greatly loses its positive qualities .
Secondly, there is an opinion that fluff should not be put into the washing machine at all. Both the first and second assumptions are incorrect. Swan down can be washed well both in the washing machine and by hand.
For the correct process you need:
- high-quality preparation of the product,
- expensive powder or other household product,
- choosing the appropriate temperature mode for the washing machine.
Basic rules for high-quality washing of pillows with swan down:
Selecting the correct mode . The best mode for fluff is delicate. But we should not forget about the water temperature, which should not exceed 30 degrees. If the delicate mode in the washing machine is automatically set to more than 30 degrees, then this parameter should be adjusted manually or eliminated altogether.- Selecting the correct spin mode . The correct spin for products made from swan filler is no more than 400 revolutions. If this parameter is higher, this can significantly damage the filler.
- Choosing a good powder . The most basic parameter is the correct choice of washing powder or gel. Typically, such products are expensive, but they are cheaper than buying new pillows.
Nowadays you can buy special capsules for washing pillows in household chemical stores. In the middle of the capsule there is a gel that dissolves in water during washing.
Such products not only wash fluff efficiently, but also have a very reasonable price.
How to wash feather pillows in the washing machine
Feather and down sleeping accessories should not be machine washed. It is better to send the pillows to a special cleaner, where they will be opened and disinfected and dried. If you plan to wash the sleeping accessory yourself, you will have to work hard. Pillows cannot be washed entirely. Firstly, they are of impressive size, and secondly, the filler can be ruined.
Before starting the procedure, it is necessary to open the napkins. Their contents are laid out in separate bags (pillowcases can be used). Ideally, down and feathers should be washed by hand. But not every housewife is ready for such stress. Therefore, the bags can be loaded into the drum of an automatic washing machine.
Down pillows are washed on a delicate cycle using liquid detergents. Dry powders are too aggressive for such fillers. In addition, it is difficult to rinse them so that chemical residues do not remain on the feathers and down. During the washing process, there should be tennis balls in the drum, which will prevent the natural filler from getting lost. It is better not to use the spin mode (in exceptional cases, spinning up to 500 rpm is acceptable).
After washing, the bags must be hung on a rope to drain the water. Feathers and down are dried on fabric in direct sunlight. The natural filler is laid out in a thin layer, separating the lumps with your hands. After complete drying, the feathers are returned to the napkins. By the way, the latter also needs to be washed or replaced with a new one.
Manually
Many manufacturers of household chemicals confidently claim that hand washing for swan down is better than washing it in a washing machine. An important distinguishing feature is that the filler does not form into lumps, which are very difficult to dry later .
How to properly wash a product made from swan down by hand:
The pillow and filling are washed separately. Therefore, the first step is to rip the pillow, pour the filling into a separate container and soak in water at a temperature of up to 30 degrees.
The minimum soaking time for swan down is 3 hours.- After 3 hours, thoroughly mix the fluff in water with washing powder, then squeeze through a colander. After squeezing out the filler, rinse it in clean water. The water temperature should not exceed 30 degrees.
- Divide the washed filler into several equal parts. Place each part in a special bag or an old pillowcase. Try to make sure that there is little fluff in the bags - this will simplify the drying process.
- Place the bags or pillowcases outdoors or in the sun. Shake the bags and turn them over every 30-40 minutes.
This hand washing method is also suitable for other types of fillings, for example, bamboo or environmentally friendly synthetic materials.
General care recommendations
Caring for such bedding is extremely simple, because washing in a machine (delicate cycle) will not cause harm. However, you cannot iron them, otherwise you may accidentally damage the item. The quality of the filler will certainly suffer when ironing. Drying the pillows is quite easy because they dry quite quickly. Simply place the product on a horizontal surface and let it dry completely naturally.
If it is heavily soiled, do not be afraid to take the item to the dry cleaner - using special chemicals suitable for this material, professionals will successfully remove all stains. Effective products include those containing monofluorotrichloromethane, ethylene chloride or gasoline. Sometimes the laundry needs to be taken out into the fresh air and ventilated. This way the fibers will be saturated with oxygen, and the dust will disappear. It is advisable to carry out such a procedure at least once every six months.
Features of the process for products made from artificial substitutes
Artificial down is a synthetic material that is very different from natural filler. And it requires an appropriate approach when washing.
Artificial litter is best cleaned by hand . The process is not much different from washing a natural product, with the exception of household powder or gel.
Here you need to purchase the appropriate product to combat dirt in synthetic fibers. The cost of such a product is not much different from the standard one.
The best way to quickly straighten wet synthetic mass is to add a little special conditioner to the water while rinsing. The conditioner will make the fluff soft and straighten it efficiently.
It is not recommended to soak synthetics ; it is better to start washing immediately. Using gentle movements, squeeze the fluff into the water and move it through your hands. After 7-8 times of such a leisurely spin, the synthetic material can be rinsed.
The rinsing process is very important, since excess moisture will be the first cause of damage to synthetics.
Washing natural filler
It is difficult to wash natural down filling, but it is a solvable task. There are three main methods - machine washing, hand washing and steaming. Machine washing requires similar recommendations as with artificial padding. It is better to put the item in a washing bag, set the minimum possible temperature and speed and program a generous rinse. At the end of the procedure, open the seam, dry the filler and stuff it into a new diaper. Wash the fluff by hand in a basin, rinsing with a colander. You can use powder or soap, the water should be warm (not hotter than 50 degrees). Pour soapy water over the feathers, leave to stand and rinse - and so on several times. In order not to change the bedstead, try steaming the product. This will help destroy bacteria, remove odors and renew the material. After treating it with a vertical steamer on both sides, repeat the procedure, then let it dry, straighten out the lumps inside - everything is ready, you can put on a fresh pillowcase.
How to dry it properly?
Drying a pillow is no less important a process than washing itself. And if this process is performed incorrectly, then the result, to put it mildly, will not live up to expectations. For example, terrible stains as a consequence of improper drying after hand washing.
Criteria for proper drying of a product made from swan's down:
Drying can only take place outdoors. For the quality of the process, the contents should be distributed into small but equal parts. Place each part of the filler in a special bag;- Drying on a radiator or drying with a hairdryer at home are the main ways to make swan's down completely unsuitable for further use. The same applies to spinning at high speeds in a washing machine;
- After hanging in the open air, the bags with filling should be beaten and turned over every 30-40 minutes. Firstly, this speeds up the drying process, and secondly, it prevents the fluff from turning into a homogeneous mass, which will lead to the purchase of a new product.
The main thing to remember from this paragraph is that you should not dry down pillows near an open heat source, for example, a radiator. This will forever make the filler unsuitable for further use.
Is it possible to wash a pillow (down/feather) in a machine?
Before starting the procedure, the product must be “disassembled”. To do this, carefully rip open the napkin and remove the down (feather) from it. Place the filler in several pre-prepared fabric bags. This is about the question of whether pillow feathers can be washed. Taking into account the fact that a small volume will be better cleaned and dry faster, they should be filled to no more than 2/3 of the volume.
Is it possible to wash a feather pillow without ripping it out? Small decorative items can be washed in your own diaper. As for pillows of standard sizes, it is better to use the above method of preparing the product for washing.
Before starting, it is important to select the correct machine program. This should be a delicate or hand wash mode with a temperature of no more than 30 degrees
It is recommended to use liquid detergents intended for woolen products.
To prevent fluff from sticking together, you can put special laundry balls in the drum or replace them with tennis balls. It is advisable to set the number of rinse cycles as high as possible. If additional spinning is possible, this function should also be activated. During the spin cycle in the washing machine, the filler will inevitably form clumps, which should be kneaded with your hands before drying.
Bags of fluff are dried in air, periodically turning over, shaking and beating the fluff. You can dry it on warm radiators. This filler takes about 2 days to dry. If possible, it is best to dry the feathers by taking them out of the bags and laying them out in the sun on a horizontal surface, covering them with gauze. The more often you ruffle your feathers, the better. The well-dried filling is collected into a new bedstead made of dense calico and sewn up. This completes the pillow renewal process.
