How to wash pillows without clumping

To wash pillows without clumping, wash two at a time on a gentle cycle with a little mild detergent, add an extra rinse and spin, then dry them right through on low heat with dryer balls. Clumping is when a pillow's filling sticks together in hard lumps after a wash, and it comes from leftover detergent, high dryer heat and damp trapped in the middle. Most hollowfibre and feather pillows can go in the machine, but memory foam can't. The sections below cover the 8 steps, the right temperature, air drying, feather pillows, fluffing, how often to wash and care for each of our pillows.

Is it safe to wash pillows in a washing machine?

Yes, it's safe to wash most hollowfibre, polyester and feather pillows in a washing machine, as long as the care label allows it. Which? says feather, down and microfibre pillows can often go in the machine, but memory foam pillows shouldn't.

Hollowfibre is a polyester fibre with a hollow core, and it fills five of our six bed pillows. Solid memory foam should only be spot cleaned, according to the Sleep Foundation, which also notes that feather and down pillows are often dry clean only. Which? warns that washing a pillow against the maker's instructions may invalidate the guarantee, so the label wins over any general guide, including this one.

How do you wash pillows without clumping?

To wash pillows without clumping, follow the 8 steps below. Most of them deal with the usual causes of lumps: too much detergent, too much dryer heat and damp left in the middle.

1. Check the care label. The number in the washtub is the maximum temperature, one dot in the tumble dryer symbol means low heat, and a crossed-out dryer means no dryer.
2. Look over the seams. Persil advises checking that the outer case is strong enough to keep the filling in.
3. Load two pillows together to balance the drum, as M&S and Which? advise. With one pillow, add a couple of towels, which Whirlpool says help balance the weight.
4. Use a small amount of mild detergent, because the Sleep Foundation says too much leaves residue in the fill, and residue clumps.
5. Pick a gentle cycle at the label temperature. M&S gives 30 to 40°C.
6. Add an extra rinse and an extra spin, which the Sleep Foundation recommends to clear soap and excess water.
7. Tumble dry on low with a couple of dryer balls, if the label allows it. Cleanipedia says high heat can cause clumping.
8. Check the middle before the pillow goes back on the bed. Simba warns that a pillow can feel dry outside and still be damp inside.

Bigger bedding follows the same low-heat rule, as our guide to tumble drying a duvet by filling explains.

What temperature should pillows be washed at?

Wash pillows at the temperature on their care label. M&S gives 30 to 40°C on a gentle cycle for synthetic, feather and down pillows, and the Sleep Foundation says hot water can damage down. Our pillow listings say "cool" or "cold" at most, never a number, so the label on the pillow decides.

Dust mite advice runs hotter. Allergy UK says washing at 60°C or above kills mites, and cooler washes leave them alive. A Cambridge University Hospitals NHS leaflet advises washing pillows that aren't in allergy covers on a 60° cycle where the materials allow it, and suggests dry cleaning or 12 hours in the freezer once a month where they don't. Never go hotter than the label.

Situation	Wash temperature	Source
Synthetic, feather or down pillow	30 to 40°C, gentle cycle	M&S
Feather or down pillow	Cool or warm, never hot	Sleep Foundation
Killing dust mites	60°C or above, only if the label allows	Allergy UK, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS
Any pillow	No hotter than the washtub number	ISO 3758 care symbols

Allergy UK also recommends breathable barrier covers that fully enclose the pillow. Our guide to what a pillow protector does explains how they work.

How do you dry pillows without a dryer?

To dry pillows without a dryer, press the water out between towels, lay them flat on a rack somewhere airy, and turn and fluff them every few hours until the middle is dry. The Sleep Foundation says air drying a feather pillow takes 24 to 48 hours.

Air dry a pillow in 4 steps:

1. Press the water out between dry towels, as M&S recommends, rather than wringing it, which the Sleep Foundation says can damage feathers.
2. Lay it flat on a drying rack in a well-ventilated room, or outside on a dry day. The Sleep Foundation keeps feather pillows out of direct sun.
3. Turn and fluff it every few hours so it dries evenly.
4. Speed it up with a fan, an open window or a dehumidifier.

Give it longer than feels necessary. Belledorm says it's hard to tell when a pillow has dried in the middle, and Persil suggests a couple of days in the airing cupboard even after tumble drying.

How do you wash feather pillows?

Wash feather pillows on a delicate cycle in cool or warm water with a little mild detergent, add an extra rinse and spin, then dry them on low or no heat until they're dry right through. That's the Sleep Foundation's method.

A feather wash differs from a fibre wash in 4 ways:

1. Temperature. Hot water can damage down, so keep the wash cool or warm.
2. Spin. Belledorm recommends an extra spin because feathers hold on to water.
3. Drying time. The Sleep Foundation allows 24 to 48 hours to air dry.
4. Smell. A musty smell or a hard clump means the feathers are still damp, so keep drying.

Our duck feather pillows are machine washable in cold water. The listing says to dry them thoroughly, and that between washes the fill "recovers with a morning shake". Our guide to duck feather pillow pros and cons compares them with fibre.

How do you fluff a pillow?

Fluff a pillow by holding its two short ends and pushing them in and out like an accordion, then repeating along the long sides. The Sleep Foundation says this breaks up clumps and pushes air back into the fill.

For a stubborn lump, press your hands deep into the pillow and knead it. A low tumble dry with a tennis ball in a clean sock does the same job, if the label allows it. Down and down-alternative pillows compress easily and often need fluffing daily, the Sleep Foundation adds, and our hotel pillow listing says to fluff them after each wash.

A pillow that stays lumpy after all that is probably worn out. The Sleep Foundation says to replace pillows when they start sagging or developing lumps, and our guide on how often to replace pillows walks through the fold test.

How often should you wash pillows?

Wash pillows every 4 to 6 months, as Which? recommends, and at least twice a year even if you use pillow protectors. M&S and Persil both say twice a year. The Sleep Foundation suggests washing feather pillows more often if you sweat at night or have allergy symptoms.

How do you wash Adam Home pillows?

Wash our hollowfibre pillows on a cool machine wash with mild detergent and tumble dry them on low, and wash our duck feather pillows in cold water and dry them thoroughly. The quilted and textured listings say only "machine washable", so follow the care label for those two.

Pillow	Filling	What the listing says	From
Bounce Back	Virgin hollowfibre	Machine wash cool with mild detergent, tumble dry low	£12.99 for 2
Hotel Quality	Virgin hollowfibre	Machine wash cool with mild detergent, tumble dry low	£11.99 for 2
Satin Stripe	Virgin hollowfibre	Machine wash cool with mild detergent, tumble dry low	£10.99 for 2
Quilted	3D hollowfibre	Machine washable	£8.99 for 1
Textured	Hollowfibre	Machine washable	£14.99 for 2
Duck Feather	Duck feather and down blend	Machine washable in cold water, dry thoroughly	£19.99 for 2

Every range except Quilted comes in packs of at least 2, which makes washing in pairs easy. Compare all six in our machine washable pillows range. Our quilted pillow protectors, from £9.99 for 2, machine wash at 40°C and tumble dry low.