The pillow
Wash on cold, gentle cycle, with a mild detergent and no fabric softener. Softener coats the fibres and is the fastest way to flatten the loft. Run two pillows at once so the drum stays balanced.
Tumble on low. Adding a couple of clean dryer balls helps the coiled fill open back up. Make sure it is dry all the way through before it goes back on the bed, and give it a firm shake end to end.
The cases
Cold machine wash, tumble low, and a warm iron if you want the hotel finish. Long-staple cotton gets softer over the first few washes rather than pilling, so there is no need to be gentle with them.
Between washes
- Air the pillow for an hour with the bed stripped, once a week if you can.
- Rotate end to end so the same section is not always under your head.
- Strip and wash cases weekly. It is the single thing that most extends the life of the pillow underneath.
When to replace
Fold the pillow in half and let go. If it stays folded, the fill has stopped springing back and no amount of washing will bring it round. On the Nuzzle that point sits past three years in testing.