is it alright to wash a pillow in a washing machine? My cat had an accident on a body pillow and it really needs to be washed, will it destroy the pillow to put in a washing machine. Would it be better to just buy a new one and throw out the soiled one?
if i do end up washing it, is it ok to put it in the dryer??
You can wash most pillows, but they take forever to dry and cat pee (if it's pee) is hard to remove.
Pillows are cheap, get a new one.
Buy a new one.
The cost of a new one would be minimal vs the cost to repair or replace your washing machine due to potential damage it could cause.
I've seen them for $10 at Target. I'd just buy a new one.
Things like that can throw the alignment of your washing machine off. They get heavy with water and it's just a pain.
Here's what I think. I have held on to pillows for years and washed and dried them over and over and over.
IF IF IF IF you put a pillow in the washer you MUST NOT put a single other item in there. It will unbalance and you'll be standing there and not able to do anything else.
If you don't mind spending about $4 to wash it then at least $4-$5 to dry it then go for it. I finally decided to air dry them by leaving the pillow on top of the dryer and turning it frequently. They get hard from the heat and they wad up in the dryer more than the washer since there is no agitator.
I have learned that if my pillow cost $15 or less it's not worth my time to wash it and dry it.
So I go but a new pillow when mine gets so bad I want to wash it.
Next pillow use a protective cover on it then the pillow case. It will help. But still, kids puke, hubby's puke, cats have accidents, etc...sometimes it's just easier to go buy a new one and trash the old one.
I wash and dry pillows on a fairly regular basis. My large capacity top-loader machine can handle 1 body pillow or 2 regular pillows at a time.
That said, if my cat peed on a pillow, it would go in the trash. The pillow, not the cat. ;-)
I do wash my regular pillows occasionally but a body pillow is so long, I think I would toss it or handwash it in the tub if you had a lot of energy.
A body pillow is TOO big to put in the washer.
Just buy another one.
Can you go to the laundromat and use one of their big washers? That's usually what I do for comforters and big blankets. I would also use their dryer; just flip it over once in awhile so it dries evenly.
Good luck!!
If you have a front-loader, go for it. Or go to the laundromat and use a front-loader there. Don't put a body pillow in a top-loader.
I suggest that you do an extra rinse, and put white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser to help remove the cat urine smell.
I wouldn't wash it... Like others said, it can damage your machine. (Normal pillow, yes... Body, no.)
I would either buy a new one, or take it to a laundromat. Their machines are quite a bit sturdier, and some even have machines FOR things like that. :)
I would let it air dry... Maybe start it in the dryer for 10 minutes or so, then put in a sunny, breezy spot to finish.
