A pillow collects skin, sweat, oils and saliva every night, and in time dust mites. Most of it washes out, but the method depends on the fill. A pillow put back on the bed before the core is dry can go mouldy. Part of our Cleaning 101 library.
Quick Answer: Synthetic, cotton and microfibre pillows machine-wash on a gentle, warm cycle with mild detergent and an extra rinse. Down and feather follow the label — most Australian labels CHOICE compared say hand-wash or dry-clean. Solid memory foam and latex never go in: wash the cover, spot-clean the core, hand-wash only if the label allows. Wash every 4–6 months, dry the core fully, replace most pillows every one to two years.
Why you should trust us
Simply Maid cleans homes across seven Australian cities. We have not lab-tested pillows, and nothing here is presented as our own testing. Every figure we assert below is cited to a source we opened; where we could not open one — as with the widely repeated 99% dust-mite claim — we say so, and where a source gives no number we say that too. Where two sources disagree, as they do on down and on latex, we show you the disagreement rather than pick the tidier answer. Where a step is our judgement rather than a manufacturer's instruction, it is labelled as ours.
Can you wash pillows in the washing machine?
Yes for synthetic, cotton and microfibre. No for solid foam and latex. Down and feather split our sources, so the label decides. Check that label and every seam first.
Fill | Machine? | Hand wash? | Tumble dryer? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Synthetic / polyester | Yes, gentle, warm | Yes | Low heat | We'd suggest dryer balls |
Cotton | Yes, gentle, warm | Yes | Low heat | Check the seams |
Down / feather | Label-dependent | Yes | Low, about 20 minutes | Sources disagree; see below |
Wool | Label-dependent | If the label allows | Label-dependent | MiniJumbuk: front loader, 40°C, wool detergent; commercial machine if it bunches |
Shredded memory foam | Only if the maker says so | Yes | No | Air dry flat, out of sun |
Solid memory foam | No | Only if the label allows | No | Tempur: cannot be washed |
Latex | No | Label-dependent | No | Sources disagree; see below |
Down and feather are the first place our sources part company. The Sleep Foundation says many down and feather pillows can be machine washed, but some should be dry cleaned; for a machine wash it gives a gentle cycle, warm water and mild detergent. CHOICE compared the labels of pillows tested here and lists goose down and goose feather as hand-wash or dry-clean. Its machine-wash section names only polyester, cotton and microfibre. Your label settles it. Where the label is gone or unreadable, we'd take the Australian line and hand-wash.
How often should you wash pillows — and is it worth it?
Every four to six months (CHOICE); the Sleep Foundation says three to six for fibre and down fills.
It is worth doing. A University of Manchester study found Aspergillus fumigatus in all ten used pillows tested (Woodcock et al., 2006). Mite droppings trigger allergic reactions in some people (National Asthma Council). A cold wash removed over 90% of the main mite allergen in University of Sydney tests (McDonald and Tovey, 1992). This is cleaning, not disinfection.
How to wash pillows in the washing machine
Read the care label; it beats anything here.
Remove the case, protector and every loose piece (CHOICE), and check the seams and zips.
We'd wash two together rather than one, so the load stays balanced — our practice, not a manufacturer instruction.
Use a small amount of mild detergent (CHOICE; Sleep Foundation), well under a normal dose. A dense fill can need the rinse run twice to clear it (Sleep Foundation).
Run the gentle cycle on warm, with an extra rinse and spin. We'd suggest 40°C unless the label allows more (CHOICE: up to 60°C). See hot versus cold water.
Dry it completely, as below.
How to clean memory foam and latex pillows
Agitation and soaking break down foam. TEMPUR Australia says that in general its material cannot be washed or dry-cleaned, though its pillow covers wash at up to 60°C. Its advice for the same foam in a TEMPUR mattress goes further: soaking will likely cause irreversible damage and invalidate that guarantee. The manufacturer-safe method:
Unzip the cover and wash it separately.
Sprinkle the core with bicarb soda (baking soda), leave an hour, then vacuum it off (Sleep Foundation).
Wipe marks with a cloth wrung out in cool water and a little mild detergent, then plain water. Barely damp, never wet.
Air it flat, out of direct sun, until dry.
Where the label allows a hand-wash, the Sleep Foundation's method is lukewarm water, mild detergent and gentle pressing, never wringing. Dry it flat 24 hours, air on every side.
Latex is the second place they disagree. CHOICE lists it as handwash only: warm water, gentle detergent, a thorough rinse in clear water. The Sleep Foundation says spot-clean and hand-wash, but never submerge or wring it. Both rule out the machine. Where the label allows a hand wash we'd follow CHOICE, which reads the labels of pillows sold here. Where it says spot-clean only, take the stricter line. Dry it flat, in the shade.
How to get yellow stains out of pillows
Yellowing is sweat, skin oils and saliva that soaked through the case and into the fill (CHOICE; Sleep Foundation). An oxygen bleach such as Vanish Napisan Oxi Action whitens fibre fills at the pack doses:
Dissolve one scoop (60 g) in 7 litres of water. Vanish gives a dose and a soaking time but no soak temperature; its one 40°C cap covers the pre-treat paste. Follow the directions on the tub you have.
Submerge the pillow under a folded towel for at least two hours; coloured covers two hours maximum.
Squeeze it out, then machine-wash on gentle with normal detergent plus 60 g of the powder (30 g in a front-loader), and dry it completely.
Foam and latex cannot be soaked, so we'd put a protector on those from day one.
⚠️ Safety note: Oxygen bleach is not chlorine bleach, and its pack says not to combine the two. Bleach with ammonia gives off chloramine gas; with acids such as vinegar, chlorine gas (Washington State Department of Health).
Safety Never mix cleaning products. NSW Health: "Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner." Ventilate the room during and after use. Wear gloves and eye protection. Follow the label's dilution and contact time. In an emergency call 000. For poisoning advice call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 — 24 hours, anywhere in Australia.
How to dry pillows so they don't go mouldy
Mould needs moisture. NSW Health says to dry water-affected items completely or discard them. The cover feels dry long before the core, so judge by the middle. Squeeze hard: coolness, weight or a damp smell means another cycle.
Tumble dryer (synthetic, cotton, down): low heat (CHOICE; Sleep Foundation). We'd suggest dryer balls or clean tennis balls to break up clumps, and more than one cycle for synthetic fill. The Sleep Foundation gives down and feather about 20 minutes on low. We'd then check the core and run it again if it is still damp. Never tumble-dry foam or latex.
Air-drying: flat on a rack in moving air. CHOICE says lying flat in direct sunlight is best; foam and latex stay in the shade (Sleep Foundation). In a humid Brisbane or Sydney summer, wash on a dry morning and ventilate the room. If the bedroom itself is damp, see our guide to getting rid of mould.
Common mistakes and myths
"A few drops of eucalyptus oil kills 99% of dust mites." The University of Sydney work (Tovey and McDonald, 1997) tested a defined washing procedure, not drops in the rinse. We could not obtain the full text, so treat the 99% figure as unverified. ASCIA's version is a eucalyptus or tea-tree laundry product at the pack dose, in a cold wash.
The viral whitening cocktail of chlorine bleach, dishwasher detergent and borax. Oxygen bleach alone whitens without the hazard.
When this doesn't work
Still flat, lumpy or smelly after a full wash and dry: it is past saving. Replace it rather than escalate to harsher chemicals.
Mould inside the pillow, or a damp bedroom. NSW Health says to discard what cannot be dried. If bedding keeps going musty the room is the problem; in a rental, raise it with the agent.
Past its life. Most pillows need replacing every one to two years (Sleep Foundation). The same page splits that by fill: one to three years for down and feather, two to three for memory foam, two to four for latex, six months to two years for polyester. Fold it in half and let go; if it stays folded, the loft is gone. See our guide to cleaning a mattress.
Prevention
A zip protector on every pillow. We'd wash it monthly — more often than ASCIA's minimum of every two months.
Pillowcases changed at least weekly. Medical microbiologist Manal Mohammed notes the recommendation to change them every two to three days.
Keep the room dry. ASCIA recommends reducing indoor humidity where mites are a problem.
Cost and time
Our estimates: two fibre pillows take one gentle wash plus more than one low-heat dryer cycle, or a full day on a rack, and a soak adds the pack's two hours. Foam is ten minutes of work, then the Sleep Foundation's 24 hours of drying. The only product you may need is oxygen bleach (Coles, Woolworths). A standard house clean does not include laundry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it safe to wash pillows in the washing machine?
Yes for synthetic, cotton and microfibre, and for wool where the label allows. Down and feather depend on the label, and the sources split. CHOICE lists most of the Australian labels it compared as hand-wash or dry-clean. The US Sleep Foundation says many can be machine washed and some should be dry cleaned. Where the label allows a machine wash, use a gentle, warm cycle, mild detergent and an extra rinse. Solid memory foam and latex never go in.
Q: Can I machine wash a memory foam pillow?
Not a solid one. Agitation and soaking break down the foam, and Tempur Australia says its traditional pillows cannot be washed or dry-cleaned. Wash the cover separately, freshen the core with bicarb soda and a vacuum, then wipe marks with a well-wrung cloth. Shredded foam is the exception: follow the maker.
Q: How do you clean yellow pillows?
Soak fibre-filled pillows in oxygen bleach at the pack dose for at least two hours. That is one 60 g scoop in 7 litres, following the directions on the tub. Machine-wash on gentle with the in-wash dose, then dry the core fully. Never soak foam or latex.
Q: What temperature kills dust mites in pillows?
Water at 55°C or hotter killed all mites in University of Sydney tests. CHOICE's machine-wash instruction allows a gentle cycle up to 60°C. So a hot enough wash is within reach, but check what your own label allows first. The alternatives are a ten-minute hot tumble after drying (National Asthma Council), or a eucalyptus or tea-tree laundry product in a cold wash (ASCIA).
