Laundry guide
How to wash pillows and weighted blankets
Both jobs fail for the same two reasons: a drum too small to let the filling move, and drying that stopped too early. Fix those and the rest is straightforward.
Which pillows can be washed
- Down and feather: yes. Warm water, mild detergent, long low-heat dry with dryer balls.
- Polyester fibre: yes, and the most forgiving of all.
- Memory foam: no. Water breaks the foam down and it will not dry through. Vacuum it, spot clean, air it.
- Latex: no, same reason.
- Buckwheat: empty the hulls out, wash the empty cover, refill when dry.
Washing pillows, step by step
Check the filling, not the cover
Down, feather and polyester fibre wash well. Memory foam and latex do not — water breaks them down, and a soaked foam pillow never fully dries.
Wash two at once
A pair balances the drum. One pillow slams around on the spin cycle and can knock a machine off balance.
Use a front loader with no agitator
A top loader’s central agitator tears seams and compacts filling. This is the main reason people take pillows to a laundromat.
Warm water, mild detergent, half the usual dose
Detergent trapped in filling is what makes a washed pillow smell worse than before. Add a second rinse if the machine offers one.
Spin twice
An extra spin removes more water than any amount of extra drying time, and drying is the part that takes hours.
Dry low and long, with dryer balls
Two or three dryer balls, or clean tennis balls, break up clumps as the filling dries. Expect 60–90 minutes, and stop to fluff by hand every 20.
Check the middle before you stop
Squeeze the core. If it is even slightly damp, keep going — a pillow that is dry outside and damp inside grows mould.
Weighted blankets: the weight is the whole problem
A 20 lb blanket holds several more pounds of water once it is wet. Home machines are rated for a dry load of 12–15 lb, which is why the blanket either does not spin or the machine walks across the floor trying.
The rule of thumb: check the blanket’s weight, then use a machine rated at least twice that. A 15 lb blanket is comfortable in a 40 lb front loader; anything heavier wants a 60 lb machine. Wash cold on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent, no fabric softener and no bleach — bleach degrades the stitching that keeps the beads in their pockets.
Drying is the slow part. Low heat only, or air dry spread flat rather than hung — a wet weighted blanket over a line will stretch its own seams apart. A laundromat’s folding table is the easiest flat surface most people have access to.
Why this is the classic laundromat job
Bedding is the reason most people visit a laundromat even when they own a washing machine. Two pillows, a duvet and a weighted blanket in one 60 lb machine takes one trip and about ninety minutes; the same job at home takes a weekend and usually does not work.
See how to use a laundromat for machine sizes and timings, and what a large load costs before you go.
Frequently asked questions
Can you wash pillows in a washing machine?
Down, feather and polyester-filled pillows, yes — two at a time, in a front-loading machine, warm water, mild detergent. Memory foam and latex pillows cannot be machine washed; spot clean those and wash the cover instead.
How often should pillows be washed?
Two to four times a year for the pillow itself, with the pillowcase and protector washed weekly. Replace a pillow when it no longer springs back after being folded.
Why should I wash two pillows at a time?
Balance. A single pillow throws the drum off during the spin, which is noisy at home and can stop a commercial machine mid-cycle. Two pillows also come out with less compacted filling.
How do you wash a weighted blanket?
Check the weight and the filling first. Glass-bead blankets up to about 15–20 lb can go in a large front loader on a cold, gentle cycle. Heavier than that and a home machine cannot handle the wet weight — a 40 lb or 60 lb laundromat machine can.
Can a weighted blanket go in the dryer?
Only on low heat, and only if the label allows it. High heat melts glass beads together and can damage the internal stitching. Many are best air-dried flat, which needs a surface large enough to spread the whole blanket.
What size machine do I need for a duvet or weighted blanket?
A queen duvet or a 15–20 lb weighted blanket needs a 40 lb machine to move freely; a king duvet or a heavier blanket wants 60 lb. Bedding crammed into a small drum comes out with detergent still in it.