Once you have found the ideal pillow, you can sometimes keep it for up to 20 years if you take good care of it. However, we all know that a pillow turns yellow over time. Indeed, we sleep with our mouth open, which covers it with drool to which is added perspiration. And what’s more, we abuse it so much during the night that it ends up deforming. Over time, it also loses its plumpness… not great for sleeping well and for your neck and spine! So, grandmother racked her brains to put together her best tips and natural solutions to avoid ending up with a yellowish and deformed pillow. Here are tips for maintaining, cleaning and de-yellowing a tired pillow while giving it a new look.
1) Good everyday actions to take care of your pillow
First, take each day a few seconds to shake your cushion. This will avoid disparate clumps of filling. Additionally, please feel free to air your pillows from time to time when the weather permits. This will keep them fresh and the sun will naturally maintain the whiteness of the pillow.
If you have a dryer, don’t hesitate to put your pillow in it once a month. Indeed, this restores fluffiness to pillows and will remove bumps from clumped trim. As with machine washing duvets, add a few tennis balls and run a cycle.
2) How to remove yellow from a pillow?
Harmful bleach or chemicals are not your only options here. Many more natural and ecological cleaning products allow you to whiten a pillow. Among these household products, we find in particular:
-Soda crystals
-Soda percarbonate
-Lemon water made from fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
-A mixture based on hydrogen peroxide (250 ml) and lemon juice (125 ml)
-Or another mixture based on milk, bicarbonate and Marseille soap
To do this, you can put it directly in the drum of the machine and add your usual detergent. Otherwise, it is possible to let the cushion soak in the bathtub for at least 2 hours (or even overnight) before putting everything in the machine. We will then make sure to add enough hot water to cover the pillow well. Then, we will drain gently. Generally, this second solution is well suited to old fragile cushions et to the most dirty.
3) Maintain your pillow by putting it in the washing machine
If you use the whitening tips above, washing in the washing machine will be mandatory. In addition, it is advisable to machine wash 1 to 2 times a year for questions of hygiene and comfort (mites, fluffy, etc.). Of course, check the label first to find out the ideal temperature and whether tumble drying is possible. Generally, thememory foam pillow is not washable in the washing machine. As a result, only its protective cover will need to be cleaned.
The steps for cleaning the pillow:
First, put the pillow(s) in the washing machine at high temperature. Add your detergent, ideally powder, because the latter is more whitening. You can also use your special homemade white laundry detergent. Then do two rinse cycles or activate the “rinse +” option (to remove traces of detergent) and two spin cycles.
After this, put the pillows in the dryer at a temperature that is not too hot. Every 20 minutes, stop the machine and shake the pillow to fluff it up before restarting the device.
Finish it air drying. The sun’s rays will help with whitening, especially if you have previously used lemon or Marseille soap for whitening. Note that air drying is recommended for the down pillow and that it remains a good option for those who do not have a dryer! It’s just longer, so you have to plan ahead.
4) Another possible gesture: stuff your own pillow!
There are several types of pillows: feather pillow, synthetic pillow, etc. If nothing helps, you may have to resolve to change to a better pillow…or change the topping! In fact, you can open the seams and rework it with your hand to undo and soften the large clumps. For optimal comfort, you can also easily buy upholstery foam in polyester online or in haberdashery. Choose it hypoallergenic to avoid allergies. Thus, we replaces old, tired foam and we offer ourselves good support against neck pain for restful sleep.
The extra thing: The sleeper can apply an anti-mite protective cover to an ordinary pillow to protect it and improve its durability.
Have a good night’s sleep everyone with your clean and very comfortable pillow!