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Start with the care label. It is usually sewn into a side seam, sometimes on the same tag as the fill content. The label tells you whether the pillow, the cover or neither can go in a machine. Methods by fill follow a general pattern, and where your label disagrees, follow the label.
Two questions decide the method. Can the fill survive water and a spin cycle, and can it dry all the way through? A pillow that comes out of the dryer damp in the middle is worse off than one you never washed.
Fiber
Polyester fiber and down alternative
Polyester fiber pillows, including most sold as down alternative or gel fiber, are usually machine washable. Wash two at a time if you can, so the drum stays balanced, and use a gentle cycle with a small amount of mild detergent. An extra rinse helps clear soap out of the dense fill.
Fiber clumps when it is wet. Dry the pillow on low or medium heat, and expect it to take more than one cycle. Between cycles, pull it out and work the clumps apart with your hands so the fill dries evenly. Our page on down alternative fill covers how the different fibers hold up.
Down and feather
Down and feather pillows
Many down and feather labels allow a gentle machine wash. A front-loading washer without a center agitator is kinder to the shell, and a top-loader with one can twist the pillow and strain the seams. Use mild detergent, a cool or warm setting as the label allows, and an extra rinse and spin to get as much water out as you can.
Down takes the longest of any fill to dry. Use low heat and plan for several cycles. Before you call it done, squeeze the pillow in a few places, including the middle: a cool, heavy or clumped patch means water is still inside. More on the fill itself is on our down and feather page.
Shredded foam
Shredded memory foam
Shredded foam pillows usually have a removable outer cover, and the cover is what goes in the washer. Some makers allow the whole pillow in the machine. Many limit washing to the cover, because wet foam pieces dry slowly and can tear, so read the label before you try it.
If the inner shell can't be washed, unzip it and let the fill air out in a dry room, or spot clean the shell with a damp cloth. Some adjustable pillows come with a bag of spare fill. That bag is the fix for a pillow that has lost height, not a wash.
Solid foam and latex
Solid memory foam and latex: cover only
A solid block of memory foam never goes in a washing machine. The tumbling can tear it, and a soaked block holds water for a long time. Wash the removable cover on its own and spot clean the core with a cloth and a drop of mild soap. Let the core air dry completely before the cover goes back on. Our memory foam page explains why the foam behaves this way.
Latex follows the same rule: no machine, cover only. Spot clean the core, press water out with a towel instead of wringing, and dry it flat away from direct heat. Patience matters more than method here, since a thick core can feel dry on the surface while the center stays damp.
Drying
Dry it all the way through
Moisture left in the middle of a pillow is how sour smells and mildew start. A pillow can feel dry on the outside and still be damp at the center, especially a thick down or fiber one. Give it one more cycle than seems necessary.
Many people toss two clean tennis balls or wool dryer balls into the dryer with a pillow to break up clumps of wet fill. None of the sources we read covers the habit, so treat it as a household trick. Use it only if your label allows tumble drying.
When the label says air dry, lay the pillow flat on a rack in a warm, airy room and turn it every few hours. Foam and latex take the longest. Put the pillow back on the bed only when every part of it feels the same as the dry corners.
Dust mites
Washing temperatures for dust mites
If dust mites are your reason for washing, temperature matters. Allergists at the AAAAI advise washing bedding weekly in hot water at 130°F and drying it in a hot dryer. Mayo Clinic gives 130°F (54.4°C) as the minimum for sheets, pillowcases and bedcovers. For bedding that can't take a hot wash, its alternative is at least 15 minutes in the dryer above 130°F, followed by a wash.
MedlinePlus goes further and names the pillow itself. Its advice is to wash bedding and pillows once a week in water between 130°F and 140°F (54.4°C and 60°C). Few pillow labels allow a weekly hot wash, which is where covers come in. The AAAAI, Mayo Clinic and MedlinePlus all recommend allergen-proof or mite-proof covers, and the ACAAI lists pillows among the places mite particles collect.
Covers cut your exposure, but keep expectations in check. A Cochrane review of trials in people with mite-sensitive asthma found no effect of mite-reduction methods, covers included, on symptoms. Cochrane has since flagged that review as predating current standards and not for clinical decisions. Treat a cover as one step, not a treatment.
How often
How often to wash
For the pillow itself, the only schedule we found is MedlinePlus's weekly advice for people managing dust allergy. Everyone else can let the pillowcase do most of the work. Wash it with your sheets, and wash the pillow or its cover when the label allows and it looks or smells like it needs it.
A protector between pillow and case takes the sweat and skin oil that would otherwise reach the fill, and it is far easier to wash than the pillow. If a pillow still smells after a full wash and a full dry, read the signs in our guide to replacing a pillow.
Questions
Questions buyers ask
Can you put a memory foam pillow in your washing machine?
Not a solid one. Wash the removable cover and spot clean the foam core by hand. Shredded memory foam is different: some makers allow a machine wash and many limit it to the cover, so the label decides.
What temperature should you wash a pillow at for dust mites?
MedlinePlus advises 130°F to 140°F (54.4°C to 60°C) for bedding and pillows, and Mayo Clinic gives 130°F as the minimum for bedding. Check that your pillow's label allows hot water before you try it.
How do you know your pillow is fully dry?
Squeeze it in several places, including the middle. Cool, heavy or clumped spots mean water is still inside. Run another low-heat cycle before the pillow goes back on the bed.
Should you put tennis balls in the dryer with your pillow?
Many people do, to break up clumps of wet fill, and clean wool dryer balls serve the same purpose. None of the sources we read covers the habit. Use them only if your label allows tumble drying.
