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Thread Number: 44321
Washing pillows in a Miele |
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| Post# 651161 , Reply# 1 1/5/2013 at 07:33 (4,121 days old) by ronhic (Canberra, Australia) | ||
Whilst I don't have a Miele, I have owned 4 front load machines and pillows are the one thing I never wash in them - ever....
In my now limited experience, they have a tendency to not wash well, the stuffing 'balls' and they can throw the machine out of balance if you don't wash them correctly. IMHO, not worth the effort. Washing in the bath is easier if heavily soiled - air them if not or just buy new ones. | ||
Post# 651191 , Reply# 2 1/5/2013 at 10:39 (4,121 days old) by foraloysius  (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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| Post# 651225 , Reply# 4 1/5/2013 at 14:02 (4,121 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA) | ||
Pillows | ||
| Post# 651236 , Reply# 5 1/5/2013 at 14:24 (4,121 days old) by vsc (Chicago) | ||
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Pillow program... The pillow program starts out with a high speed spin prior to adding any water to the drum in an attempt to distribute the pillow(s) around the drum (e.g. works best on down or down equivalent). The for the balance of the program it uses more water than normal. | ||
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Post# 651264 , Reply# 6 1/5/2013 at 16:07 (4,121 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Down Filled Pillows And Duvets 
Probably have killed off more domestic front loaders than anything else.
Problem is down by nature is water resistant, which is why it keeps water fowl warm and helps them float. Encased in a tightly woven cotton cover makes it even harder to get fully wet. This means often the first washing and rinses unless some sort of extraction is done to force air out of the down means the thing tumbles round. However when the down finally does get wet it often clumps and or balls up. If that happens with say a pillow and the machine goes into spin, then "Whoaaaa Nellie"! You've got some serious wash day drama. In machines without out of balance controls and or those that will make a few attempts then spin regardless, even at 900 rpms a serious out of whack drum spinning will cause some serious damage. In machines where the shocks are starting to go and thus the drum has more freedom of movement the effects can be even worse. If things get to the worse the concrete blocks often used in many front loaders can crack or shatter. Other damage can include dented/cracked inner or outer drums. The old school method for cleaning down pillows mimics what is done by professionals today. The casing was opened and the down taken out, usually placed into a pillow case or net bag, then washed/dried on it's own. The ticking would either be laundered on it's own or simply replaced. Then as now one can either purchase ticking fabric or ready made pillow cases new. Today huge pillow cleaning machines simply vacuum out the down into a huge air chamber. There the stuff is "tumbled" in air and treated with UV light to clean, sterlise and fluff it up. When the process is finished the vacumm process is reversed and the down sucked into a new or cleaned pillow ticking. Beauty of this system is the down isn't laundered in water thus avoiding long drying times and potential for mould. | ||
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Post# 651289 , Reply# 7 1/5/2013 at 17:38 (4,121 days old) by logixx (Germany) |
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The Pillows cycle spins to force air out of the pillow. Ideally, it should also spray the item with water as it's compressed against the drum. I totally agree with Laundress: soaking a pillow takes several fill/tumble and spin cycles.
Alex CLICK HERE TO GO TO logixx's LINK | ||
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Post# 651294 , Reply# 8 1/5/2013 at 17:55 (4,121 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Have Got A Better Way
Though more labour intensive! *LOL*
One simply soaks a pillow in water for a bit and then cranks it through the mangle. Halfway through the thing is reversed and then fed back in from the other side. Result is a nice "flat" down pillow ready for whatever laundering method desired. Usually take the pillows round to the laundromat for washing in their huge SQ front loader. Rated to hold nearly 50lbs of wash and bolted into several feet of concrete that machine isn't going anywhere during even the most out of balanced spin cycle. Once washed pillows are taken back home for a trip throught the spin dryer/extractor to remove the water left in from the SQ washer, then bunged into dryer. If one has the time will start early enough in the day and take the pillows back over to the laundromat and use their dryers. Just return every hour or so to take out the pillows, whack/beat them to break up any clumps, check on dryness level and then back into the machine. Yes, time consuming but seeing as one has only the Whirlpool portable it is actually faster and less expensive electric use laundormat dryers. Oh and the drum is larger as well. Being as all this may one does not launder down filled pillows all that often. After all they are encased in protectors and covered in slips. Simple test to see if your pillows have "had it". Take the down filled pillow and fold in half. If it does not bounce back at once it is time for either cleaning or perhaps better still purchase new. Little known little tip. If one does not change bed linens daily at least pillow slips should be changed every other day or two if possible. Using the same pillow case for a week or more (gasp) then worse allowing it to sit before laundering is the reason for the yellowing so often seen in the center. That yellow colour is a chemical reaction between one's skin/face and hair oils and the fabric. If not laundered out quickly the stuff oxides and turns colour, just as with underarms and indeed anything else treated with fats that are allowed to go rancid. If one has the habit of using face creams and such before bed the advice goes double. You also see this sort of yellow discolouration along the hems of sheets that come into frequent contact with the face as well. Once the yellowing starts often all the bleaching and boil washes won't totally remove. Bluing and OBAs can help mask the problem though. Another old world tip: If one has ever visited northern EU countries and elsewhere during the colder months you'd see down duvets and pillows airing on railings and such. This was done every morning or at least once a week and does wonders for down. I've seen pillows that were flattened out during the night puff right back up after an hour or so of airing. During the night moisture from contact with human bodies builds up inside the down filled items. If not allowed to air dry the stuff builds up and leads to musty smelling pillows/duvets. Besides helping to break down the filling it creates the sort of damp/warm conditions dust mites just love. This post was last edited 01/05/2013 at 18:45 | ||
| Post# 651536 , Reply# 11 1/7/2013 at 01:32 (4,119 days old) by MIkeKLONDON (London) | ||
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Pillow Wash I send mine to a local cleaners that wash down pillows / duvets in a FL machine with tri-wax i'm not sure what tri wax is but they come back like new | ||
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Post# 651560 , Reply# 13 1/7/2013 at 06:19 (4,119 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Beware! Americans Hear The Word "Bleach"
And run for chlorine type which will totally ruin down feathers. Even oxygen bleach isn't that good of an option as it too will eventually break down protein fibers of not properly rinsed and neutralised.
Personally see this as the reason it is much better to send down pillows to a professional service where the down and ticking are cleaned apart. The harsh treatment of hot water and or strong bleaches used to launder pillow tickings will destroy down fibers in very short order. OTHO the neutral mild detergents for cleaning down may not deal with a ticking very soiled with body/facial oils, stains (blood, drool, and god only knows what else)so the ticking may be less than totally clean. Enzymes by the way are out as well since they attack protien and that is what down is made from. You can use Persil's Perwoll on down, as well as the various other detergents such as Linen wash sold for the purpose. Really only thing you really want is a neutral pH detergent that rinses cleanly. Of course if using a front loader you'll want controlled sudsing but otherwise in a pinch a clean rinsing non-cream shampoo for hair would work as well. Another thing about cleaning down inside the ticking is that much of the gunk, dust, dirt, bugs, etc aren't going to come out through the casing. This is very true of the modern high thread count percale cotton variety that are tightly woven. | ||
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Post# 651565 , Reply# 14 1/7/2013 at 06:52 (4,119 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK) |
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I use the Pillow cycle | ||
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Post# 651566 , Reply# 15 1/7/2013 at 06:55 (4,119 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK) |
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as above | ||
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Post# 651588 , Reply# 17 1/7/2013 at 09:58 (4,119 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK) |
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Dex | ||
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Post# 651595 , Reply# 18 1/7/2013 at 10:19 (4,119 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Post# 651600 , Reply# 20 1/7/2013 at 10:40 (4,119 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany) |
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Have to say I`m really disappointed to learn that the Pillow Cycle on Youtube does not spin between the rinses at all. What were they thinking ? You probably end up with a lot of soap residue when washing down filled pillows.
Tide with bleach as seen in the video isn`t a good choice either. High pH, enzymes and so on is so not suitable for protein fibers like down. However downs can withstand high washing temperatures very well, hot or nearly boiling water is fine. Switched to synthetic filled and never looked back, but when I still had down filled myself I treated them the same way like Nrones. Prewash, 60 or 90 wash and maximum spin on normal cottons cycle. Never ever had a serious OOB problem. | ||
| Post# 651607 , Reply# 21 1/7/2013 at 11:30 (4,119 days old) by nrones () | ||
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Pillows wash @foraloysius, thanks for the tip! I'll deffinately try it next time, sounds like a great idea :) @chris74, why do you think 90 is too much? I use that wash quite often, I must admit :) | ||
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Post# 651711 , Reply# 23 1/7/2013 at 18:35 (4,119 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Pillow Cleaning In The USA | ||
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Post# 651712 , Reply# 24 1/7/2013 at 18:35 (4,119 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Post# 651748 , Reply# 25 1/7/2013 at 21:00 (4,119 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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@Chirs74
One did not say *YOU* recommended chlorine bleach but was pointing out the fact that on this side of the pond Americans hear/see the word "bleach" and assume it means LCB. If you want to take that to mean your endorsement of such things then by all means go ahead. Am growing weary of the semantic LE of late.
Local Dry Cleaners and Laundromats & Down Filled Items. Here in this area at least nil to few clean down items properly. You drop them off and they go into the same laundromat/commercial front loaders used for routine washing. Unless you supply everyone I've seen in action uses Tide (powder or liquid) or worse commercial powdered detergent that comes in huge drums. Most laundromat front loaders do not spin between the pre-wash and main cycle. So the down floats and bobs around the first two washes and then only becomes flattened after the first or second spins. Depending upon how many rinses the machine is set to give it could be near the final rinse before the item is water logged enough to achive a good through cleaning. Suppose a way round this would be to run the thing through again but that takes time and costs money. Drying may or may not be done properly for several reasons. First to dry down takes along time and should have a machine with decent airflow but gentle heat. Even if done right it takes hours for down filled pillows or duvets to dry and that means tying up a machine for the duration. Next though many laundromats and dry cleaners (again locally) do have 50lb or greater washers, few to none have dryers to match that capacity. Theory being one supposes that large loads from the washer will be spilt amoung one or more dryers. This is fine for laundry but some queen and certainly king sized duvets do not have room to tumble properly. As the down dries and fluffs the drum fills and can lead to damage. For instance if the duvet constantly rubs against the glass door frame/seal it can lead to friction "burn" marks. | ||
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Post# 651899 , Reply# 26 1/8/2013 at 18:00 (4,118 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Maybe In The Minority Here
But am not that fond of eiderdowns. Find sleeping under one causes one to wake up the next morning nearly soaking wet. This even on very cold nights with the heating turned off.
Much prefer a nice wool filled duvet and Peacock Alley cotton blanket. Cause of the warmth may be related to the thick featherbed under the bottom sheets, but as there isn't a place to store the thing off season it remains on all twelve months of the year. | ||
| Post# 652078 , Reply# 27 1/9/2013 at 17:02 (4,117 days old) by jerrod6 (Southeastern Pennsylvania) | ||
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Laundress that's for the links to the French Laundry services. Prices seem reasonable.
I don't understand what you mean by your featherbed under the bottom sheets. Is this a mattress or in addition to a mattress? | ||
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Post# 652126 , Reply# 28 1/9/2013 at 20:16 (4,117 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Pillow top mattress (covered, then featherbed (covered) then bottom sheet.
Historically featherbeds can go either above or below the bottom sheet, it all depends upon what one perfers. Featherbeds like duvets come in mainly three designs: baffles, channels, and open. With the last one many like to use it above the bottom sheet (covered) or simply covered and it being the "bottom" sheet of the bed. This allows whomever is sleeping in the bed to shift the down to their preference. Some like to create a "nest" in the center,others will shift the feathers away from them towards their partner (or whomever is sharing the bed), others shift the filling to provide more or less support where wished. | ||
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Post# 653013 , Reply# 30 1/13/2013 at 11:55 (4,113 days old) by logixx (Germany) |
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Here is a video of the Miele W3033 washing a down pillow | ||
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