Pillow
Whether it can be washed is decided by the filling, not by the pillow. Cotton, down and synthetic generally can; foam is wiped, never wetted.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
In detail
The bed manufacturers' trade association answers this by splitting on the FILLING and not on the item: cotton, down and synthetic pillows are generally safe to machine wash, and FOAM pillows should be cleaned by wiping them. That exclusion matters more than the permission, because it agrees independently with the memory-foam prohibition this catalogue already carried from a mattress manufacturer — two unrelated bodies reaching the same never-wet rule for the same reason, that an absorbent core has nowhere to send moisture. Where washing is permitted the instructions are short: load TWO pillows at a time to balance the drum, and use a gentle cycle with mild detergent unless the care instructions say otherwise. NO TEMPERATURE IS GIVEN, and that silence is carried rather than filled in — the care label governs. Drying is tumble drying on LOW heat, or air drying somewhere well ventilated or outdoors in the sun. The association also publishes what most bedding guidance will not: wash every three to four months, clean at least twice a year, and replace the pillow every two to three years.
Related
- Pillow is made from Memory foam
Sources for this page
Sources
How To Wash Pillows At Home Like an Expert
Bed Advice UK — The National Bed Federation · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That cotton, down and synthetic pillows are generally safe to machine wash while foam pillows are cleaned by wiping; that two pillows are loaded at a time to balance the drum on a gentle cycle with mild detergent; that drying is tumble drying on low heat or air drying; and that pillows are washed every three to four months and replaced every two to three years. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The washing instructions, the drying instructions, the frequency statement and the replacement statement. Supports the claim as stated. Covers can-i-wash-a-pillow, which had been partial since the memory-foam rule was recorded: the foam half was answered and feather, down and synthetic were not. The filling split is now sourced from a trade body rather than inferred, and the foam exclusion is corroborated independently.
Tempur Sealy International · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That memory foam should never get wet and that a foam item which does get wet is towelled and air-dried, which is the same exclusion the bed trade association applies to foam pillows. (background and mechanism only)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Easy Cleaning and Maintenance: covers and encasements, regular housekeeping, cleaning spills and stains, flipping and rotating. Supports the claim as stated. CleaningHQ had been prepared to model mattress cleaning as a variant of upholstery or carpet cleaning, which is what every consumer source does. The manufacturer's position is the opposite: the mattress is not really cleaned at all. It is protected by a washable cover, vacuumed, and kept dry, and wet treatment is an exception granted grudgingly with cold water and mild soap. That reframing is the finding, and it is why the carpet and upholstery guidance in this catalogue must not be transferred here.
Last reviewed by a person on .