How To Wash a Body Pillow

Body pillows can be wonderful for sleeping and lounging. They are also especially wonderful for expecting mothers. That being said, pillows are like any other bedding item and that means they can become dirty. 

Considering that a body pillow is much bigger than a typical pillow, it can be quite confusing and leave you wondering how to wash a body pillow and if it can be done. 

A body pillow can be washed; however, caution is always advised when washing it and the body pillow should be washed a maximum of 3 times in a month. Doing this ensures that the pillow’s structure is not damaged when the pillow becomes clean.

Things to consider before washing the body pillow

Before you wash your body pillow, you have to find the tag that displays any special cleaning instructions. If you are unable to find the tag, it would be best for you to contact the pillow’s manufacturer to ensure you are washing it the correct way. 

There are some body pillows that consist of down feathers, meaning that they should be professionally dry cleaned when they become dirty. Memory foam and Tempurpedic pillows can be quite confusing to wash as they tend to lose their form when they are placed inside washing machines. 

They also typically come with their very own instructions for cleaning and that sometimes involves handwashing. Body pillows that are made up of cotton can be washed easily, however, you have to remember that low-quality body pillows might fall to pieces if they are not correctly handled.

What are the steps to washing your pillow

If you want to know how to wash a body pillow, simply follow the steps below:

Step one: Make use of the correct water temperature

If you intend to wash your pillow in a washing machine, you have to ensure the right water temperature is being used. You can make use of cold or warm water, but you should never use hot. This is because hot water has a propensity to destroy your pillow causing it to become lumpy or fall to pieces.

Step two: Wash your body pillow alone

You should never attempt to place any other pillows or laundry in your washing machine with your body pillow. This is because it can be quite large and requires every single bit of space.

Step three: make use of a mild or gentle detergent

You should never use a detergent that has ingredients such as bleach or chlorine. Rather you should make use of a single measure of mild detergent.

Step four: ensure that you tumble dry the body pillow

Considering that you should not use hot water to wash your body pillow, it only makes sense to not utilise high heat to dry your body pillow. 

What you should make use of instead, is a low heat setting. Additionally, you can simply tumble dry your body pillow.

Here is a tip to ensure that your body pillow stays fluffy while in the dryer: place in a couple of tennis balls before the drying process. doing this lets the balls hit the material with every revolution ensuring that the pillow’s structure is maintained.

Step five: fluff your body pillow

As soon as the pillow is fully dry, you should manually fluff it to ensure that it regains its structure and bounce. 

This can be a great step to make use of especially when your pillow is feeling a little flat or becoming lumpy. Lightly fluffing the pillow can help it regain the shape. 

You should not simply fluff your pillow after you wash it, but rather do that every few weeks to ensure that it remains comfortable.

Spot cleaning the body pillow

In the event that you see no need to clean the entire pillow in a washing machine or if you happen to simply have a slight stain on it, you can opt to clean that spot by hand. 

To do this, you have to make use of a gentle detergent, alongside a clean, but damp rag. The rag is to rub off any dirt or stains. Once you have gotten the stain out, you should simply let the body pillow air dry.

It is possible that your body pillow might have a few soap spots present even after the drying process. while this depends on the type of material, you can make use of a damp, but clean rag to thoroughly pat that spot. 

This is something that will require a few tries for the spot to disappear, so do not be afraid to repeat the process as many times as you want. Once the body pillow is completely dry, you can then manually fluff the pillow and even choose to put it inside a body pillow case ensuring that it does not get stained again.

How does one care for a body pillow?

While the main aim of this article was to show you how to wash a body pillow, part of that also means that you have to learn how to maintain it. 

If you are able to maintain your body pillow well, you will not have to wash it as often as if you did not care for it. The simple fact is that body pillows tend to last longer when they are correctly maintained. Here are a few tips to ensure that your body pillow lasts a while and brings prolonged comfort to you:

Cover it

One of the most effective ways to ensure that your body pillow lasts longer is by simply covering it. This is an important step as all pillows absorb skin particles, dust, and sweat. It is for this reason why it makes sense to cover them with specially made body pillow covers.

Shake it

Take the time out to shake the body pillow every now and again. You can probably choose to do this when you switch out your bedsheets.

When you shake your body pillow, you are getting rid of any caked dander or dust that got through your cover.