I have a couple down feather pillows that I have had for
a few years. Right after I got them, I sewed pillowcases
over the pillows to help keep the feathers in, and I just
put our decorative pillowcases over the sewed ones.
The problem is that the pillows have begun to feel limp
and not fluffy anymore. Is there any way to revive them
without buying new ones? ~Barbara
From Heloise's Household Helpline:
Feather and down pillows can be cleaned in your machine,
but make sure there are no slits or tears in the covers and
that the ticking is secure. For balance, load two pillows at
a time and use only a small amount of detergent. Set the
machine on a delicate cycle and give the pillows a second
rinse ...place them in the dryer with several clean tennis
shoes, which will aid in the fluffing process. It is also a
good idea to take them out periodically and fluff by hand;
use your fingers to break up any clumps. Pillows will take
longer to dry than a normal load of clothes. If they have a
musty smell, set them in the sun for a couple of hours.
Regarding problems with flat down pillows. I am an
executive housekeeper at a hotel and we use feather
pillows and foam pillows, when we wash them, we throw
tennis balls in the dryer with them. They come out nice
and fluffy, just like new. Hope this helps. ~Jean
On the down pillows, whenever we washed ours and
dried them in the dryer we always put a couple of new
tennis balls in the dryer with the pillows and that helps
keep them from clumping as they dry. We do the same
thing with our down sleeping bags. ~Reader
I also wash my feather pillow from time to time but
in-between times I just put them in the dryer on the
lowest setting and for about 15 minutes. This fluffs
them up perfectly if you put a fabric sheet in too it
will freshen the smell as well. ~Lola
