Mom told me I had to take the feathers out of the pillows, put them in a pillowcase, tie or sew it closed, wash them, then put them into new ticking. There must be an easier way ... can't I just throw them in the washer on the gentle cycle, then dry them with a tennis shoe like I do my down coat?
Potential problem is the ticking smells funky ... that sleeping man smell.
TIA. Lobo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delete the obvious to reply to me personally. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What in hell is "...that sleeping man smell"?! Do we smell bad when we're asleep!?
Just wash the pillow in the gentle cycle, dry with low heat and no tennis shoe. Unless you really trust the existing ticking, you might put a second pillow cover on, as a back-up, until the pillow is dry again.
"The greatest thrill is not to kill, but to let live" James Oliver Curwood, author of The Grizzly King
Sorry .. didn't mean to offend anyone. A co-worker came up with that term, and we all knew just what she meant. It's actually the smell of unwashed hair and will permeate pillows. I'm sure sleeping women might smell like that too! Lobo
I'm wondering this too, I have a down comforter that I need to wash... It's a queen size and desperately needs to be done...
Monique
what is ticking ??
Ticking, AFAIK, is the material that covers the feathers. Then you put on your pillow case. Dee
Yes, that is correct. I use a "pillow cover" over the ticking, and a pillow case over that. I manage a hospital guest house, and I use pillow covers to combat the problem Lobo cited: "that sleeping man smell". Although I never called it by that name, I often have someone go to bed with wet hair--or even worse, very dirty hair. So, the pillow cover gives the pillow a second line of defense, and saves a lot of pillow washing. I use no down or feather pillows.
I washed a down pillow once, and the ticking developed a leak. It wasn't the worst mess I've ever seen, but it was a definite surprise!
LOL! We should have had some fun with Miss Priss' question! "What is ticking?" Oh, no! Check your mouse! I've heard they do that just before they explode! :-)
_________________________ Zildjan: world class cymbal of excellence.
Monique, [beautiful name!] please, do not disassemble your down comforter! There isn't a top loading washer large enough for your comforter. If you have a Whirlpool Duet, Maytag Neptune or similar large front loading washer, you can wash it at home. Otherwise, make sure it is sound condition and take it to a laundromat where you can use a large commercial-type washer. Please, let us know how it goes--however you wash it.
The washer's design will give plenty of room, provide gentle agitation, and extract much of the rinse water. I don't recommend fabric softener for down products.
Down is harder to dry than polyester filling, but well worth it! IMHO.
I have a rather fancy down comforter (because I get cold easily) and I think it is wonderful. In fact, I suspect God uses a down comforter! :-)
Thank you. ________________________ Practice safe eating - always use condiments.
I was instructed by a reputable outing shop how to wash my down sleeping bag. They were very against having it dry-cleaned. Degrades the down, they feel.
In a nutshell, you wash the down article in the bathtub with mild soap, like Woolite or Cool Love (same thing only cheaper).
Never lift part of article by a corner, lest you tear the stitching of the baffles (the stiching between compartments).
Just squeeze article gently through the water until you think it's clean.
Then drain the water, gently squeeze out the comforter, refill the tub with clean water and squeeze out as many times as it takes.
Shouldn't take too many rinses if you use a good cool-water soap, as above. After thorough rinsing and squeezing out as much water as possible, do NOT lift comforter out of tub, but GENTLY roll it into a plastic laundry basket (not wicker, lest it tear), and lay it out in the backyard in the sun, turning gently as necessary.
If no backyard, take plastic laundry basket to laundrymat and tumble-dry gently (can't remind too often ) on fairly low temp in their largest dryer.
This isn't nearly as complicated as it sounds, and will be kinder to your down comforter.
Been there
Those I have washed with no problem (also my down winter coat). Go to a laundromat and use their big washer with something like Orvus (actually horse shampoo ... they have very delicate skin, I understand). You can get Orvus at a feed store, a huge jar for a lower price/oz than if you buy it at a quilt shop. I bought 7.5 lbs for $14 about 10 years ago and still have
1/2 the jar. You use very little per load 1-2 T. rec.arts.textiles.quilting is a good newsgroup to query about quantities. In fact, just google groups in Google and you'll get lots of hits.Then dry with tennis balls to fluff them up.
I have the pillow hanging on the line in the bright, bright sun today. I washed it, dried it a long time in the dryer (there was a smell of singed feathers that made me decide to take it out), laid it over a rack, sprayed it with Febreeze, then today hung it out. It's fine, but I worry about the inner feathers being dry.
:Lobo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delete the obvious to reply to me personally. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
that blue stripey utilitarian fabric ..
I suspect Mom replaced it when she washed pillows to get rid of the "sleeping man" smell.
I put pillow covers AND an old pillowcase under my good pillowcases. DH's toxic hair oils still go through and make a yellow stain on the covers and pillow ticking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delete the obvious to reply to me personally. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the pillow cover
There is a pillow 'cover' I buy and have kept on 'some' of my pillows. This cover is supposedly mite proof, which keeps the pillows clean, but it is very crinkly sounding - not as bad as plastic -- and it doesn't stop crinkling until you wash it a lot.
I had a relative stay overnight who had a bloody nose in the middle of the night on a nice down pillow. That was before I knew about these 'mite busters.' Dee Dee
I recall that most were of this blue stripe, but actually I've not seen this used too many places in the last few decades. I sort of liked it. Dee
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