How To Clean Your Pillows

Today's Traffic Light Trivia question was "everybody has one but most us don't know how to clean it properly."

The answer was "pillows." When I asked that question it got me thinking, I don't know how to clean my pillows either. For me, the act of cleaning pillows is putting on a clean pillowcase. I guess there's more to it. According to cleanmyspace.com

• Use a gentle detergent that is ideally scent-free.

• Press out as much air as possible before loading it into the washer.

• For top load washers, do 2 at a time for balance (or else you will hear a loud knocking sound coming from your washer and may think there is a monster, Chuckee or Jason in your basement and who the heck needs that additional stress?).

• Front load washers don’t have an agitator so you can do 1-2 per load. Set your machine to run a full cycle using warm water. Run a second spin cycle to help eliminate excess moisture. By removing excess moisture, you’ll help reduce mold growth and any unpleasant odors from developing.

• To dry, take 2 tennis balls and split them into 2 socks. Tie the socks to secure the tennis balls in place. The tennis balls will help beat out excess moisture while putting them in socks will prevent the smell and color of the tennis ball from transferring to your pillows. Put the pillows in the dryer using a low heat setting. It may take a few cycles to fully dry the pillows. Once dry, take a deep smell of the pillow to test if there’s still moisture in the pillow.

Sounds simple enough. If you need more, Melissa Maker put together a video explaining how to clean your pillows. Don't forget, you can play Traffic Light Trivia at 5:05 pm every Monday thru Friday for your chance to win pizza from Lino's.