Washing

Subject should have read WASHING PILLOW

I've done that Jeanie . Dunelm do good replacements!!

Buy new ones?

It's easy enough to open one end (halfway probably enough) and unfold the filling. I've done it often enough.

Yes, cut open one end and then oversew it back up again after you have fluffed up the innards. I do it often too.

I never wash them always replace regularly JL or Dunelm.

I can remember ancient feather pillows, covered in ticking. I dread to think how long parents and grandparents from the 'made to last generation' had them!

Our policy is to replace every so often. x

I would never wash a pillow I don't wash cushions either, just the covers. Replacements are cheaper and easier!

I'd just buy a new one. They're not terribly expensive, and trying to beat a lumpy pillow into submission is soul destroying.

Like jingle and Janer I have also unpicked one end and unfolded the filling. Last time I washed a pillow I put some big tacking stitches at either end to keep the filling in place. It worked!

To change the subject rather. My rather elderly, incontinent little dog peed on my bed. It went through everything. I can't wash my winter duvet so got a quote from Johnson the cleaners. They wanted to charge me £26.50 to clean it. I bought a new one in Tesco this morning for £21.00. DH will dispose of the old one next time he goes to the tip.

I know- and yet, the thought of those huge pillows and duvets going into landfill fills me with dread. We recently had good quality duvets washed for about the amount mentioned, and for me, it was worthwhile just to know it won't add to landfill (although here it would be incinirated, so perhaps not so bad).

With pillows, I always ues thick padded cover, and wash those very frequently- much better than washing and/or replacing pillow. I wish they would do those for duvets. We now have 2 large single duvets, instead of one big one, and I can wash 1 at a time in our large washing machine- in the UK, I went to the launderette to use one of the large machines for this sort of job.

I nearly threw away some feather cushions but then saw how expensive new ones are. I'm hoping that my newly purchased spin dryer will help with washing them. I'm going to wait till the weather is hot then wash them using that Dettol wash additive , spin dry them for ages then put them outside in the scorching heat [ever the optimist]. My dog lives in the kitchen but when I do let her sit on the sofa I put a single duvet on it in case of accidents, as they're easy to wash. It did happen once for no apparent reason.

We somehow have managed to end up with a spare kingsize duvet so I take one to the launderette periodically and have it service washed and dried. It costs me £15. I even, sometimes, remember to collect it before they ring me up and threaten to charge storage!

What is so annoying it is a newish pillow and wasn't cheap.

My husband regularly marks the pillow case and the protection cover but this time the pillow was marked.
I was horrified to see how much it was marked when I changed the bedding this week. Haven't a clue how he marked the pillow so much.

Might as well have bought an inexpensive one.

I'm going to open the end this time and see what I can do.

Thanks everybody for your comments, I just had to have a grumble about this to get it off my chest.

Thank goodness hildajenniJ you didn't take the duvet to Johnsons. After a very distressing experience with their 'cleaning' a few years ago I would not trust them with a dishcloth.

There are some times in life when something is trashed, lost or broken and you have to just put it behind you, pretend it hasn't happened and move on. This is one of those times .

If it is a natural feather filling, I'd heard you can tumble dry it on a high heat with a couple of clean tennis balls, and it stops the lumps. Not sure of it works though, but seems you have nothing to lose, so may be worth a try.

Tennis balls do work with down/ feather fillings. I do my gilets like that!

Or dryer balls. I'm going to have a go at washing one of those cushions and see what happens.

I'd use tennis balls or dryer balls but I have to I hate the sound of them beating up the inside of the tumble dryer...... They don't do any damage it's just the sound!

It's the luck of the draw with pillows.
I have washed two this week and they are fine, but in the past I have had them go lumpy. Lumpy ones get slung out as I can't be bothered to faff around with them. Maybe they were cheap to start with, I can't remember. But I do put a couple of bath towels in the machine with the pillows to balance the machine; maybe that helps and the pillows don't get bashed about so much.

I washed and dried a memory foam pillow last week. I do not have a tumble drier so it took a week to dry naturally indoors. It was very lumpy but surprisingly it is now back to normal, needing only a small amount of pummeling. I only use it downstairs to elevate the pinned and plated ankle following a #dislocation.

Ouch Charleygirl, and commiserations-I did the same (Weber C#) two and a half years ago. Do hope you recover quickly.