How to Wash Your Pillow (Yes, You Should Be Washing Your Pillow)

For regular maintenance, give your pillows a daily fluffing to restore their shape and remove dust. Then, every month or so, hang them outdoors on a clothesline for a few hours, ideally on a bright, breezy day. If that’s not possible, or your pillow is the type that doesn’t fluff (a foam pillow, for example), run it through the dryer on the no-heat cycle (commonly known as air fluff). This will allow cool air to pass through the pillow as it tumbles, which can help plump it back to life.

CR also recommends using pillow covers to protect pillows from substances such as sweat, body oils, and face cream. Launder both the pillow cover and the pillowcase regularly—say, once a week—along with your sheets (especially if your pet snuggles in your bed).

“If your pillow can withstand being laundered, you should wash it at least twice a year, or quarterly if you sweat a lot, eat in bed, or have pets sleep in your bed with you,” says Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer at MaidPro, a housecleaning franchise in the U.S. and Canada.

If your pillow has a stain that you’re trying to remove, spot treat the pillowcase and pillow with a stain cleaner that targets that type of stain before popping it into the wash. (The same trick works for getting stains out of a mattress.)

If your washing machine is large enough, wash two pillows at a time. That will help balance the load, allowing the water and detergent to circulate more effectively. Because the agitator on conventional top-loaders can be tough on pillows, it’s best to agitate on the gentle cycle only for a few minutes (or the shortest possible setting, if you can’t control the time). Alternatively, you could make a special trip to the laundromat to use its front-loaders.

Follow these directions for specific types of pillow fills.

• Down or feather: Most down pillows can be put in the washing machine. But use cool water and a mild detergent, then dry on low heat. (High temperatures can damage the down.)

• Memory foam or latex: Washer agitation can break up slab-style foam pillows, so Handel suggests skipping the washing machine for these pillows. But he says there are some machine-washable shredded foam pillows, so read the care label on your pillow carefully. For most, you’re best off cleaning them by vacuuming the pillow’s surface, then spot cleaning with a damp cloth and a small amount of mild detergent. Lay the pillow flat to air dry, Handel says.

• Polyester: Wash with warm water on the gentle cycle (washing several pillows at a time will help balance the load). Be sparing with the detergent—use only about 1 tablespoon of liquid soap.

• Buckwheat hulls: Empty the buckwheat filling onto a large cookie sheet or wide, shallow bowl. Set the buckwheat out in the sun, which will eliminate odors, and wash the shell casing using cold water and a mild detergent.

It’s crucial to get the pillow completely dry—otherwise you risk mildew. Skip the auto-dry setting on your clothes dryer, because the sensors will detect only surface moisture, leaving you with a pillow that’s still damp on the inside.

Instead, many pillows can be dried for a good hour on low to moderate heat. Adding a couple of dry towels will speed things up. Toss in two fresh tennis balls or dryer balls and they’ll keep the filling from clumping as they bounce around the drum.

When drying down or feather pillows, however, use the no-heat air-dry setting (it will take a while) and dryer balls or tennis balls to break up clumps.

If the weather is mild, you can hang most pillows on the clothesline until they’re dried all the way through. Whichever drying technique you use, you still need to check for moisture inside the pillow. If none remains, it’s time to make the bed.

CR experts recommend washing your pillow at least twice a year, but you should try to extend that to four times a year if you can. In other words, try to wash your pillows every three to six months. You may need to adjust the schedule depending on which pillows you buy, as some pillow types may require more frequent washing, while others may be too delicate to withstand the same cadence.

Our guide above serves as a good starting point, but you may need to alter your cleaning technique or washing frequency depending on your pillow’s specific material. If you’re unsure what your pillow needs, refer to the washing instructions it came with and start from there.

Time to invest in a new pillow? CR members can read on for ratings and reviews of some of the best pillows from our tests. The pillows below are listed in alphabetical order.