Who doesn’t love climbing into a freshly laundered bed at the end of a particularly long and tough day? You can almost feel the stresses of the day melt away as your head hits the pillow. But what if your sheets haven’t been cleaned in weeks, the comforter smells musty and the pillows are stale and lumpy?
Fortunately, with a little effort you can ensure that your bed is always a joy to get into, and that lumpy, less-than-fresh-smelling pillows are a thing of the past.
Top tips for a welcoming bed
Firstly, you should make it a habit to always make your bed as soon as you get out of it every morning. And don’t just roughly throw the comforter over the top to hide the disarray of sheets beneath it! This takes just a couple of minutes, but can make such a big difference to your comfort levels when you get back into it, and can make your bedroom look much tidier, too.
Then, you should try and wash your sheets and pillowcases at least once a week, or once a fortnight at the minimum. Beds are popular breeding grounds for dust mites, and these can be a nightmare for anyone living with allergies. So, if you don’t want to share your bed with these pesky mites, keep it as clean as possible.
When it comes to your pillows, here are some handy hints for keeping them soft and smelling fresh, in readiness for your tired head:
Washing your pillows
Provided you haven’t gotten your pillows dirty, washing them twice a year is usually enough to stop them from smelling and becoming horribly lumpy and stale. That said, if you live in a warm climate and don’t use A/C frequently, you may need to wash them three or four times a year.
Fortunately, most pillows nowadays are machine washable, but it pays to check the care label first. If they can be put in the machine, here are some simple instructions:
- Set the machine to a gentle, cold water cycle before adding a small amount of detergent. If your pillows are made of synthetic materials, you can use a warm water cycle.
- Place one pillow into the drum at a time, balancing the load as much as possible when doing so, and set the machine going.
- You may need to perform an additional rinse cycle, as suds can be harmful for pillows.
- Take them out when the cycle is complete, and be sure to fluff them up before drying them.
- Always use low heat if drying your pillows in a dryer, and check the care label if drying synthetic pillows, as some are not dryer-friendly. Use a dryer ball or tennis balls, and stop the process every 10 to fifteen minutes, fluff up the pillows; repeating the process until the pillows are dry.
How often should you replace your pillows?
When pillows are cared for appropriately, they can last perfectly well for many years, and how often you change them will be down to your personal preference. However, if your pillows are no longer fluffy and feel lumpy instead, it might be time to replace them, and keep in mind that dust mites and dead skin cells might be lurking in an older pillow, even if it looks and feels fluffy and clean.
Washing pillows periodically is always a good idea, but if it’s not something you fancy doing yourself, simply ask your cleaning service to add it to their list of chores. Don’t have a cleaning service? Check out some local companies and see how they could help you save time and energy, and enjoy a clean home, all year round.
