How To Wash Decorative Pillows? Everything You Need To Know

Do you own a decorative pillow? Do you have a decorative pillow (or a few) that you need to clean? Do you put off cleaning your pillows because you fear damaging them? If so, then you’ve come to the right place because we care about the way you maintain the cleanliness of your pillows.

You know that moment when you throw a white sock in with a series of coloured clothing? Next thing you know, you pull a pink sock out of the washer and you’re at a loss because you either have to throw out a pair of perfectly good socks, or you have to wear two socks that don’t match.

You probably didn’t check the label. It’s also similar to that moment when you throw a shirt made of 100% cotton in the washer and dryer and when you pull it out, it no longer fits you.

Looking at the label of any material is vital when you’re planning to clean it. Most often, the label will tell you whether a product can be thrown in the washer or dryer. It will also tell you if you should use gentle cleaning or if you’re allowed to use a rougher, soapier solution to clean your decorative pillow.

If your material has no label, then you can assume that it’s made of silk, velvet, or something else. You can best identify silk because of its smooth texture and because it looks silky. If you want to know if your material is velvet, then you can easily tell by brushing your hand back and forth over the material. If it changes colour a bit, then it’s most likely that it’s velvet.

You can tell if your material is safe to clean with products by testing an area of your pillow that is slightly hidden to test your product on. Simply take a white towel that has some of the solution on it, and dab the inconspicuous area. Let it dry, and if there is any water stains or if you have transferred water on the pillow, then you need to find another way to clean it.

Using A Wet Or Dry Method To Clean Your Pillow

The Wet Method

Step One: Create Your Own Shampoo

The label on your product should have instructions from the manufacturing detailing how you can make a shampoo for upholstery that will not damage the material.

Step Two: Get Your Sponge Out

The next thing you want to do is to make your solution foamy by mixing it and agitating it with a sponge. Now, you can soak your sponge in it, and wring it out so that it’s dry, but doesn’t have too much soap or water soaked into it.

Step Three: Begin Cleaning

It’s time for you to begin working the mixture into your pillow. You can do so by moving the sponge in circles, all over your pillow. Be sure to clean every crevice and spot on your pillow. When you need to, you can dip your sponge in the mixture again and wring out the excess liquid to ensure proper cleaning.

Step Four: Let it Dry

You should have cleaned your entire pillow if you’ve gotten to this step. Now, you can get out a white towel to put your decorative pillow on. Once it’s dry, you should have a completely cleaned decorative pillow.

The Dry Method

Step One: Get a Pail

Now you should get a medium-sized pail that you might use to wash your car. Clean the pail, itself, and wipe it down with a dry, clean towel. This will ensure that you’re not cleaning your decorative pillow with solution that’s been tainted by a dirty pail.

Step Two: Get the Dry Cleaning Fluid

Now that you’ve wiped down your pail, it’s time to get out the dry cleaning fluid. You should be warned, however, that this solution is extremely flammable. Make sure you keep it away from open flames and that you’re working in a room that is well-ventilated. Regardless, now you can pour your solution into the clean pail so that you can begin to clean your pillow.

Step Three: Put Your Sponge to Use

You can now dip your sponge in the solution. Wring it out so that it’s not too damp. If it is, you can leave stains on your pillow from the solution, so you’ll want to avoid this. Dry cleaning solutions will not produce suds or foam like the aforementioned water-based cleaning solution will. Use circular motions to clean the pillow. If there are folds in your pillow, then make sure you straighten them out because you want to get the solution into every crevice of your pillow.

Step Four: Use a White Towel

Note: it’s really important that you use a white towel for the following step because a coloured towel will likely leave marks and stains on your pillow. Once you have your towel collected, you can begin to blot your pillow. Do not scrub; simply dab it until it’s clean of the solution. Leave your pillow on a clean, white pillow so that it can dry.

Conclusion