I don’t throw away old pillows, but use them wisely in everyday life: I share my life hacks

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Today, everyone sleeps on pillows, but over the years they can wear out and become unusable. In such a situation, you need to go to the store and buy a new one. Well, most people simply throw away the old pillow. But you don’t need to do this, because an old pillow can come in handy in life.

Of course, this may sound quite strange, but it is still better to think about leaving the old pillow. As it turns out, experienced people who love a variety of life hacks can easily come up with several ways to use old pillows to make their life easier.

Combining fillers

If two pillows have become unsightly, they can be combined into one. To do this, you need to choose the one with the best fabric and add the contents from the second pillow to it. And she will be like new again.

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If desired, using a filler from two products, you can make a completely new pillow. And again there will be fabric left that can be used.

Feather compost

Most gardeners know exactly what compost is, since they themselves use it to fertilize their garden. In fact, it is humus from various plants, remains of vegetables and fruits. But few people know that the feathers used to stuff pillows can also be excellent compost.

It’s enough just to scatter them over a separate area of the garden for the sake of experiment and dig them up with soil. It is best to do this in the fall so that the feathers have time to lie in the ground long enough. You will be surprised, but next year's harvest will pleasantly surprise you.

Rest on the go

A pillow that is too flat for regular rest will come in handy on a long journey. It won't take up much space and is ideal for car headrests.

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How to clean down pillows at home

If you don’t trust dry cleaners, you can always do the work yourself, without extra money.

How to clean feather pillows? First you need to determine which birds' feathers and down the products are stuffed with. If it is a chicken feather, then it would be better to go to a dry cleaner, focusing the employees’ attention on the fact that it needs to be dry cleaned, without using steam. Otherwise, the feathers may simply crumble into fibers.

But if the feather is a goose or duck, feel free to get to work yourself. You can clean the filling of feather pillows by hand or machine washing.

Handwash

Pillows made from goose or duck feathers can be cleaned using laundry soap and ammonia.
To clean your pillow effectively, you first need to decide what kind of detergent you will use.

This can be laundry soap with ammonia (half a piece of soap is grated, dissolved in one bucket of water and two teaspoons of ammonia are added there).

If you don’t want to bother with preparing such a solution, use a detergent for washing woolen fabrics. The work must be performed in the following sequence:

Spread the pillow and immerse the filling, distributed in bags, in parts into the prepared solution. This must be done carefully, tying the bags tightly, otherwise the light fluff will scatter throughout the room.
After all the fluff is immersed in the liquid, “stir” it a little with your hands and leave to soak for 4-6 hours.
Then remove the filler from the cleaning solution and rinse with clean water. It is better to do this with a shower. If you want to add scent to your feathers, you can treat them with fabric softener before the final rinse.
To dry the feather stuffing, lay it out on a flat surface in a well-ventilated area and cover the top with gauze. The feather will take a long time to dry, usually taking several days.
Sew the dried clean fluff into a new bedspread.

Remember that you need to wait until the feather is completely dry, and only then lay it out on the pillowcases. Otherwise, excess moisture will ruin the filler, and it will be impossible to correct the situation.

Knee protection

The housewife often has to do work around the house or in the garden when she needs to lean on her knees. For example, this is weeding beds. In order not to injure or stain your knees, you can place old pillows under them.

Of course, after constant contact with damp earth, the pillows will not last long, but then they can be put into action using any other method.

Old pillows: why can't you throw them away?

As already mentioned, they need to be changed at least once every 5 years. It was believed that negative energy was concentrated in them, and its clots could affect a person’s health and mood. Moreover, they darken the aura of the home.

But, as we already said, you can’t throw them away! After all, it is in them that your thoughts, memories, and energy are stored. This means that someone else can spoil you.

Helping the homeless and others in need

Old, unwanted pillows can be given to the homeless. These people will certainly find them useful.

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This method is suitable mainly for residents of large cities. But even in small towns you can find people who won’t mind taking someone’s old things, including pillows, for free.

Mistakes housewives make when washing pillows

Before you wash your feather pillow in the washing machine, it doesn’t hurt to learn the main mistakes.

Here they are:

The more foam is released, the better the dirt will be washed off. This is an incorrect judgment, since this causes the down and feathers to stick together. Add detergent a little at a time.
1 rinse procedure. Natural down products absorb detergent very well, which cannot be removed with one rinse. The procedure must be repeated at least 3 times.
Heat. As was written earlier, this negatively affects the quality of the fluff.
Too much air conditioning. A nice smell is good, but it's almost impossible to get all the conditioner out of your pillow.

Two in one

If the pillows have become flat, but otherwise have not lost their original appearance, they can be used in twos. All you need to do is place one pillow on top of another, and you can sleep with the same comfort as before.

You can also place these two combined pillows in one fabric, and you will get a new great thing. This option is suitable for creative people and needlewomen.

Why do pillows need to be changed?

Many people don't like to part with their favorite things, especially pillows. And in vain, since long-term use can lead to illness.

Important! After only 3 years, even the highest quality down product should be replaced.

Avoid sleeping with dust mites

This is due to the fact that the contents of the product become an excellent breeding ground for various microorganisms, namely dust mites. The insect feeds on microscopic skin debris that you leave on your pillow. One or more dust mites cannot cause any harm. But over time they multiply, their number exceeds tens of thousands.

Now think about it, have you ever gotten up with a runny nose or very tired, although there were no prerequisites for such a condition? It's all about the dust mite, or more precisely, in the reaction to its waste products.

Removing these insects is an almost impossible task. Even if you remove absolutely all the mites, after a week they may reappear in the old product. Therefore, it is recommended to change the pillow every 5-7 years.

What if the filler is different?

What about synthetic things that ticks simply cannot live in?

Yes, these insects cannot reproduce there, nor can they breed. But it’s worth remembering that over time, the synthetic filler simply gets lost and becomes unusable. The same goes for silk or bamboo.

So, doctors insist on changing pillows. But it’s not just doctors who are talking about these products. There are many signs that convey people's experience and attitude.

Comfort for pets

You can give old pillows to your pets. If your pet has a house or a special place to sleep, it will be much more comfortable for him to rest there on something soft. He doesn’t need bedding that is too thick, old and flat is enough, and the owner won’t have to spend money on decorating his beloved animal’s sleeping place.

Pillow feathers can also be used in cages instead of regular filler. They are suitable for bird cages, hamsters and guinea pigs. When the litter becomes dirty, it can be thrown away or composted, and for the owner this will mean at least a small saving. It is also important that this will not cause any harm to your pet: feathers are a natural and safe material.

How much does it cost to dry clean a feather pillow?

In specialized dry cleaners and laundries, you can be offered two types of washing - dry and wet.

Wet washing is carried out using organic detergents. The feather is removed from the pillow, placed in a reservoir and treated with a special solution. Thanks to this, all bacteria, microorganisms and foreign odors are destroyed in the filler. The feather is then washed and dried.
Dry cleaning (also called air cleaning) involves treating the filler with air or hot steam, as well as UV radiation. The feather is blown through, which restores the volume of the product and removes dust and debris. At the same time, ultraviolet treatment is carried out - this allows you to destroy all bacteria. After cleaning, new napkins are filled with cleaned feathers.

It is preferable to dry clean chicken feather pillows.
The cost of dry cleaning services directly depends on the size of the pillow. The larger it is, the higher the price will be. On average, the price varies between 400–500 rubles. Plus, you will have to throw away the old napkin, and you will additionally pay for a new cover.

Thermal insulation

Old pillows can be saved in case insulation is needed. For example, they can better insulate the attic of a house, and then the main rooms will lose less heat.

So, you don’t have to throw away old pillows; you can give them a second life and even save money with their help. There are at least 12 ways to do this:

compost;
combine fillers;
connect whole pillows;
use as draft protection or thermal insulation;
protect furniture when moving and fragile items when shipping;
rest on the way;
protect your knees;
give to those in need;
put on rags;
create comfort for your pet.

Surely someone can come up with a few more unusual life hacks for using old pillows.

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Pillow toys

If you are fond of sewing, then under no circumstances should you throw away pillows. After all, you can choose beautiful fabrics and sew a unique toy for your child. Of course, just a piece of fabric will not look so beautiful, but if you stuff a toy with feathers, you will end up with a real toy that looks great. It will be very comfortable for her to play, and most importantly, it will be made with love.

In fact, there are a lot of options for using old pillows. everything is limited only by your own imagination.

AlinaAuthor of the article

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Comments (31)

Galina December 1, 2022 at 10:32 am
Quilted jacket size 44
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Galina Pozdnyakovich December 1, 2022 at 10:35 am
Quilted jacket blue color size 44
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Lin December 2, 2022 at 10:35 pm
Why, yes why... yes, because it won’t cost a damn to buy new ones))))))))))))))))))))))
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Sparrow 3 Dec 2022 at 01:43 pm
Old Soviet feather pillows were made dense, of high quality, the head lay firmly on it, without sagging over time. You could also roll the edge of the pillow into a hard ball and place it under your neck, it’s very comfortable, your neck doesn’t get tired. Nowadays it is not easy to find a pillow of the same type.
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Anastasia December 6, 2022 at 8:20 am
I sewed 4 pillows from goose down 60 by 40 and there is still some down left, I can offer.
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Ekaterina Gereg December 15, 2022 at 4:42 am
How much do your pillows cost? I also want goose feathers.
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Svetlana January 12, 2022 at 9:28 am
The price of down? And where are you?
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Venus December 9, 2022 at 03:42 pm
Back in Soviet times, I bought Chinese (at that time they produced factory goods very well, of high quality), pillows made of swan's down, over time I updated the pillowcases on them, I had the feathers cleaned, but I still can’t get rid of the smell. I’ll have to throw it away then them, although they are still fluffy, soft and do not need to be beaten. It’s a pity.....
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Maria December 16, 2022 at 6:14 pm
Back in the nineties, I started talking to small wholesalers at the market about the quality of Chinese goods. And he says that, along with this consumer goods, China produces goods of such quality that he cannot even approach that product for himself, let alone trade. I think they still produce such goods now, but...prices!!!
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I wash down pillows in the washing machine, spin them well and dry them, fluffing them occasionally. I do it in the summer in hot weather. 11 Dec 2019 at 6:55
I wash it in the washing machine, wring it out well and dry it, fluffing it periodically. I wash it in summer in hot weather.
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Sergey December 11, 2022 at 8:27 am
good hostess.
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Anna December 11, 2022 at 2:53 pm
I dry the pillow well in the sun, alternately on each side. I pour out the entire contents of the pillow into a clean barrel at my dacha that holds 200 liters. I take the handle from the shovel and begin to mix the feather and fluff until clean fluff rises to the top and all the debris settles to the bottom. Half an hour and the pillows are new. Naturally, new bedsteads are needed; old ones should not be washed, as they will let fluff through. This is what my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother did.
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Read also: A small insect is a big problem. How to get rid of fleas in an apartment?
I can’t log in on Dec 24, 2022 at 11:04 pm
Anna, in your great-grandmother’s time there simply weren’t 200 liter barrels...
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Galina December 12, 2022 at 0:33
I tried washing the feather bed with household soap. The smell from the feather bed was terrible.
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Evgeniya December 13, 2022 at 04:48 pm
The smell appears when it is not dried properly! It is necessary to dry thoroughly and quickly, without leaving the pillow wet for a long time (2 days, for example).
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in and 18 Dec 2022 at 8:35
I was born in 1965, I got all my feather pillows from my GRANDMOTHER - (gasp) contact a professional chemical cleaner and not a surrogate. They go through every feather there (it takes a long time and loses in size), but it’s very high quality - it’s interesting what poultry farms do with feathers
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Anastasia G. December 21, 2022 at 2:23 am
You can also make a pillow from the filling of old down jackets