<p>Next time you take your car to the automated drive-through car wash, just tie your bed mattress to the roof of your car and you can kill two wash jobs at same time.</p>
<p>Lizard - maybe Romney was just trying to wash his dog when he tied him to the roof of this car?</p>
<p>No. I once washed a pillow and it came out lumpy. I just use pillow liners. I am very particular about the pillows I sleep on. I have to take them (I sleep with two) with me when I travel. It’s very hard for me to find pillows I like, so throwing them out is not an option. </p>
<p>^^^^Bad back and neck here. I sleep with 4 pillows. If I don’t have the pillow between my knees and one behind my back, I can’t sleep. </p>
<p>First world problems, I guess. </p>
<p>
That’s a good idea. I know we had a heck of a time getting the mattress into the washing machine.</p>
<p>We tend to discard our pillows when they crumble into dust.</p>
<p>Pretty sure nobody ever died from not washing pillows or cleaning out their purse. That would cut down significantly on the population… Got more to worry about than germs at the bottom of my purse–haven’t seen the bottom of my purse in weeks…
And as for the protective layer of dirt on my car…</p>
<p>Down sticks to everything!
When we first got Emeralddog, we forgot to close the bedroom door and he went right through the comforter trying to get a toy.
When the feathers started flying, he must have went wild, because we came home to a snowstorm.
They don’t vacuum up well.</p>
<p>Lol, EK! If you had filmed it, it would have become a YouTube hit! 
</p>
<p>That seems to be an article about preventing E.Coli contamination rather than about keeping things clean, with the exception of the idea that hair should only be washed every other day, which amuses me because of its unspoken assumptions. (I know women who literally never put shampoo on their hair, and I sometimes wash mine twice in a day because it gets disgustingly dusty when I practice dog sports in filthy barns.)</p>
<p>I wash my pillows–it actually refluffs them after they get all flattened out. I washed the mattress cover regularly, but not the mattress (because it has a cover). I hose the screens and I wash the windows. I pressure wash the concrete patios every few years, too. I had the roof cleaned last year. I wax the furniture with beeswax. I wash the floors when I wash the dogs, which I also do about once a week (and in fact, I have a raised dog bath with hot and cold water and I’ve trained the dogs to get in it when I tell them to). </p>
<p>My friends think I’m an obsessive clean freak. It’s quite possibly true.</p>
<p>Even I, however, would not meet the standards of whomever wrote that article. </p>
<p>Have never washed pillows. We sleep on contour foam pillows. Don’t think they’d do well in the washer. I do wash sheets and pillowcases once a week. I don’t wash jeans or bras after just one wear unless really dirty.</p>
<p>I wash the down comforter and pillows, Wash the wool mattress pad and the regular mattress pad. I hang the bedding out to dry. The pillows go through the dryer and then get put in the sun for a day. Recently had the feather/down topper professionally washed. We put the mattress out into the sun to ‘bake’ several times a year. There is something gross about all the sweat, dead skin and gunk collecting in the layers of bedding. </p>
<p>Now we are seriously looking at a latex bed. Won’t be able to haul that mattress into the sun…and UV rays are not good for latex. The plan is to get a cotton/wool topper that can be removed and laundered.</p>
<p>Just last night I slept on a latex pillow for the first time, not sure how I’ll wash this.</p>
<p>Bras…um…wear them about 10 days a year so they get washed each time.</p>
<p>Cars…oh my…we live in the dust country. It’s about 2 days from car wash to dust layer…so…they get washed when the inside gets gross.</p>
<p>As for the jeans…it’s a judgment call. I’ve worn them for considerably more than 4 days.</p>
<p>I didn’t realize quite how slack my standards are!! Oops.</p>
<p>If you are worried about your foam pillows shredding in the wash( although I havent had any problem so far), you might try at least airring them out in the sun.
Suns rays are antibacterial.
You could also use more than one pillowcase/liner.
<a href=“How to Clean Pillows - Washing Down and Feather Bed Pillows”>http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning-organizing/clean-bed-pillows</a>
The new machines without agitators are more gentle on bulky bedding.</p>
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<p>DH loves his power washer. He washes the patio at least once a month. I can think of a hundred things I would rather do, but he loves that thing.</p>
<p>Our philosophy with jeans has been to wear them until they are able to walk to the washer by themselves.</p>
<p>I’m so glad to see this thread! I have a whole basket of pillows that look kind of gross but I haven’t dared wash them. I may put them in the sun first (so sunny and not humid this week!) and then see about washing them. Would it be better at the laundromat where there’s more room in the washer and dryer?</p>
<p>jeannemar, if the pillows are similar, I would start with one in your regular washer/dryer (down pillows do better in front loading washers) and see how it survives the cleansing. Good luck!</p>
<p>I remember in The Tightwad Gazette she said to take several very large stitches through the pillow to keep everything in place and keep it from getting lumpy. She also said she had been given the pillows used and was washing them because her kid had gotten sick on them. Yuck. Just buy new ones.</p>
<p>No. Never even considered washing pillows. I did once read that some people occasionally run them through the dryer if worried about mites. </p>
<p>I was going to mention setting them out in sunshine, but others already have. If it is sunny both the pillows and comforter get spread out on the lawn while linens are in wash. Probably wouldn’t work for those with allergies.</p>