What you need to know before cleaning feather pillows: tips, my experience

The right pillow is an important part of healthy sleep. Therefore, in order to get a good night's sleep, you need to carefully choose this bedding, paying special attention to its filling. It can be very different, from synthetic fiber to natural feathers and down, which do not lose their leading positions.

Despite the variety of fillings, feather pillows take pride of place in popularity of use. After all, feather is an environmentally friendly , highly absorbent material that easily takes the desired shape, conducive to a good rest. But this durable filler also has its disadvantages that arise as a result of long-term use:

• clumps into a ball;
• the pillow acquires an unpleasant odor;
• As a result of pollution, dust mites appear in feathers, causing diseases such as allergies.

Tips for cleaning feather pillows

The life of a modern person is a series of urgent matters. How to find time and think about the things that surround us throughout life. Pillows and blankets are something we come into contact with every day. Sometimes we don’t even know how old our inherited pillows are. We use them with pleasure, without wondering why they became heavy and wet.

Let's remember what our mothers and grandmothers did on a hot summer day. They took out the pillows, ripped open the pillowcases, and poured down and feathers into boxes and troughs. They dried the feather in the sun and breeze, then collected it in a clean bedcloth and sewed it up; believe me, they did this not for the sake of boredom.

We wash and change outerwear that we have been using for a couple of years, and not every day. And we use the things with which we restore strength and relieve fatigue for decades, without wasting time on maintenance. You must understand that changing the pillowcase does not solve this problem.

To properly care for your bedding, you need to know what's inside it. The filler determines how long things can be used and how to increase their service life.

Pillows are divided into: down, down-feather and feather. In the first and last ones it is clear what is inside. The percentage of down and feathers in down and feathers can be different, it depends on the manufacturer’s production conditions, and the price depends on the percentage of filler content.

No one will sell a down pillow for the price of a feather one, but the opposite happens. Here you need to understand that the weight of a down product, depending on the size, can be five hundred grams and up to one kilogram, while a feather product weighs one and a half kilograms to two and a half. All pillows whose weight is within intermediate values ​​are called down and feather pillows.

Most often they contain down and feathers from waterfowl: geese, ducks, but often in the economy version, products made from chicken feathers. Chicken feather pillows are hard, heavy and require special treatment.

Where to clean feather pillows

It is best to turn to professionals who will clean, disinfect the contents, and change the diaper. In the cities of our country there are salons for cleaning pillows and blankets. They carry out dry cleaning of down and feathers without the use of water or chemicals.

Cleaning is carried out in special installations. Several types of devices have been invented, but the principle of operation is the same. The pillow is ripped apart and the filler is loaded in parts into the receiving hopper of the installation. Already at this stage, the contents are cleaned of dust and lint.

Fine-structured debris and protein dust are collected in dust bags. Each portion of the feather mixture is dried with jets of air heated to 60 degrees. At the same time it is disinfected by ultraviolet radiation of a bactericidal lamp.

In addition to dust, the so-called straw, which is formed as a result of many years of using the pillow, is removed. This occurs when the feather fan wears off, leaving stems or awns that look like straw and are removed along with the foreign debris.

There are a lot of things you can find in our pillows - these are old coins, nails, buttons, pins, and you can’t even count sticks and matches, there are even cigarette butts.

Before each new load, heavy debris that collects at the bottom is removed from the cleaning chamber. The cleaned down and feathers are gradually stuffed into a new pillowcase; when it is filled to the required density, the process ends. The stuffing hole is then sewn shut using a sewing machine.

What feathers look like after cleaning. As a result, we get, if not new, then much better condition filler. It looks fluffy, dry and without lumps. After such cleaning, down and feathers enter the new product, retaining their properties.

A logical question arises: what will our favorite pillow be? After all, it sometimes loses up to a third of its volume. To do this, we take not two, but three pieces to the dry cleaner, so that at the end we get two full ones. Or make pillows of a smaller volume: 50x70 or 60x60.

Sometimes dry cleaners offer to supplement the product with a new filler that they have in stock, then the cost of the work will increase sharply. As a rule, we are thrifty people; there will definitely be a couple of little thoughts lying forlornly on the mezzanine or in the closet that will still serve us.

Cleaning and restoration of pillows

In the salons I met, payment is made based on results. They brought 5 pillows of different sizes for cleaning, but they ended up with two 70x70, so you pay for two. Payment depends on the size of the finished product. You can order an exotic option - a cushion for the head or legs. Every whim for your money.

The dry cleaner will offer a choice of nappers, but you can use your own new napper if the salon does not have the size or color you need. When using the customer's filler, the cost of work is slightly lower. Just before doing this, be sure to look at the seam of the bedstead. The seam line should be in increments of 2 mm, if more, the line will not retain the fluff, and over time the pillow will begin to lose its contents.

For example, flying feathers when changing pillowcases really irritate me. There is a sewing machine at home, sew the napkin yourself again with the desired seam. And if not, or don’t want to, ask the operator in the salon about this service, it’s inexpensive, and you’ll save your nerves.

Nests in salons meet this requirement, since the owners cooperate with trusted suppliers who monitor the quality of the fabric and seams.

The company tries to do the work in front of the client. But, if a person brought 10 pieces, then the order will be ready by the end of the working day or the next. If you have time and desire, watch the process. I want to say that this action is fascinating: you see what you slept on, how much dust and debris your favorite pillow kept, even if you clean it every year. If you don’t have time, then leave your things and pick them up later.

You can choose any size and density of padding. For example, make two small ones from a 70x70 pillow, or vice versa, using only your filler. Perhaps you like it softer or harder, whichever you order, that’s what they’ll make.

You won’t be able to clean the pillow this way at home; at best, just dump the contents into a new pillowcase along with the dust and lint. In this case, no matter how careful you are, fluff and feathers will fly around the apartment. Then things and furniture will be covered in fluff for a long time.

Is the pillow washable?

We want to sleep on a clean bed. We don’t always understand how to do it correctly; we try to clean it ourselves at home or, worst of all, wash the pillow. And while waterfowl feathers can be wetted, chicken feathers must not be wetted.

And there are many products made from chicken feathers, since this is the most budget option. It is dangerous to wash and steam them, because chicken feathers absorb water and completely lose their properties, over time they begin to rot and smell bad.

Inept attempts to wash a pillow lead to the fact that the feathers from the water turn into dust 2-3 times faster. In addition, the washed feather is not as fluffy as before washing, as if it had stuck together, even if it was well dried.

The bedside table deserves a separate discussion. After prolonged use, it turns into a piece of dirty rag, which you don’t mind throwing away, but sometimes we want to preserve it and wash it. If the cover is made of canvas, then washing is not a problem.

But modern teak cannot be washed; the special impregnation that prevents fluff from coming out disappears after washing. Down and feathers begin to easily penetrate the fabric, like through a sieve. If you decide to wash the pillows yourself, which is not recommended, immediately change the pillowcase.

Benefits of dry cleaning

1. Our down products studio is equipped with modern equipment for cleaning pillows 2. Each pillow is cleaned separately, without mixing with other feathers 3. You can personally observe and control the entire process 4. Dust is removed to a high degree, in addition to dust, low-quality feathers are removed 5. Down and the feathers are dried with a warm, powerful air stream 6. After air treatment, the filler becomes softer and more fluffy 7. Feathers and down are disinfected with ultraviolet light from a bactericidal lamp 8. The replacement napkins are made of modern natural, down-proof fabrics 9. You can order a new, more comfortable one , the size of your pillow and adjust the density of its filling. Moreover, you can choose the number of pillows you receive - for example, make two small ones from one large one.

Caring for feather pillows

Pillows, blankets and feather beds, like everything else in this world, inevitably age. The speed of this process depends on the environment in which they are located and how they are cared for. How to keep bedding with natural filling fresh and youthful, what needs to be done for this.

Let's start with the situation that you sweat a lot at night, then in the morning do not forget to put the pillow on a warm radiator or take it out to the balcony in the sun. Down and feather products are a hygroscopic material, so sweat is absorbed, and if not dried, the process of decay will begin.

Next, after sleep, fluff up your pillow and shake the blanket. This will help the bedding to be saturated with air, they will become soft and light. Our beds also need to be ventilated. After shaking, leave the bed unmade for a while and open the window. It is important that the room is not humid or damp. At high humidity, natural filler will absorb excess moisture and become heavy.

Sometimes on a sunny day in the summer, take the blanket out onto the balcony or veranda and let it hang in the breeze. The filler, no matter what, will dry, ventilate and be saturated with the smell of herbs and flowers.

If you do not use items for a long period of time, place them in a fabric cover. The cover should be of such a size as to ensure loose packaging of the product. It is impossible to store bedding in plastic bags, air exchange is necessary, and the air humidity in the storage area should not be higher than 65%.

Features of down

The modern bedding market offers a wide range of fillings for featherbeds, mattresses and pillows. Nevertheless, the pen is still very popular. Numerous studies have proven that this is the most durable and warm filler; it is not for nothing that it is found in the edges of waterfowl and warms them even in severe frost. At the same time, down does not interfere with the free release of moisture, providing support for an optimal microclimate during sleep. And, of course, the down pillow is distinguished by its impressive volume and relatively low weight. In addition, it quickly restores its shape after compression.

How to clean a feather pillow at home

In order for products made from down and feathers to serve for a long time without harm to health, it is necessary to periodically clean them; it is recommended to do this once a year. Our well-being and activity during the day depend on how we rested at night. After all, we spend one third of our lives sleeping.

How to clean feather pillows at home. This cannot be fully done using home technology. The most powerful vacuum cleaner and expensive washing machine are not able to remove debris and accumulated dusty fluff.

And it turns out to be a paradox: in the evening, to get a good night’s sleep, we ventilate the room, and then for eight hours we breathe in the excrement of dust mites, burying our face in a dirty pillow. Ticks settle where there is dust: in blankets, mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpets and the like, and feed on dead particles of human skin.

The size of these creatures is 0.1 - 0.5 mm, they live everywhere. The ideal environment for them is a room with a temperature of 18-25 degrees, they also like high humidity, you can guess why we dry the pillows. The mites themselves do not cause harm, but their excrement, which contains the P1 antigen, causes allergies.

To get rid of mites, you need to prevent the formation of dust deposits. It is impossible to see ticks with the naked eye, and this is good. It would be terrible to see billions of swarming organisms around you, but on the other hand it would be bad. We don’t see ticks, and the illusion is created that they are not there.

These simple rules will help you care for things with natural fillers. Over the course of a year, this will not take much time, just a few extra movements when you wake up. But you can and should plan one day to go to the salon for cleaning.

Of course, you can throw away the pillow after a year. And we are sure that in the store you will buy a new one much cleaner than the old one, if we talk about inexpensive products. Buying down one every year is not enough money, it is not a fact that it will be clean, today a high price is not a guarantee of high quality.

It happens that a pillow was inherited from a grandmother or mother. Each feather was lovingly sorted by caring hands. Through this thing love is transmitted to you, how can you throw it away.

There is another option - buy a pillow with a synthetic filler or with buckwheat husk. I want to disappoint you, it collects no less dust than a down one. How to protect yourself and your loved ones from unnecessary problems, everyone decides for themselves.

Price list for the restoration of down and feather products with replacement of the bedspread

conclusions

Where and how to clean feather pillows: at home or in a dry cleaner, it’s up to you. We discussed in detail why to clean down and feather products and how often to do it. We want to keep our loved ones healthy, why put it in danger.

I once decided for myself that I want to sleep on clean pillows, so once a year I take my loved ones to the salon, they are cleaned in my presence and the pillowcase is changed. On a clean bed we spend another year of life with a clear conscience.

Whether you clean feather pillows at home, trust the professionals, or leave them as is—only you decide. She gave her arguments in the note. If you found this information useful, leave comments and share it with your friends on social networks.

What is this?

So, dry cleaning of feather pillows is a modern technique, a unique technology that allows you to return the product to its original appearance, rid it of dust, dirt, and unpleasant old odors in the shortest possible time. The procedure requires the use of unique equipment without water and chemicals. Thus, the fastest, safest and most effective method of eliminating contamination today is dry cleaning of feather pillows. Reviews from modern housewives have become the best confirmation of this.

List of documents for a mobile restoration station

First, you will need to register as any organizational form, for example: LLC, individual entrepreneur, closed joint stock company.

You must also obtain permission to engage in traveling trading activities. It must be obtained from the Consumer Market Administration in the area where you are registered for tax purposes and in which you want to provide your services.

To open your own business (cleaning pillows and restoring them) in the Consumer Market Department, you need the following documents to agree on the list of services:

• a book of complaints and suggestions (all pages must be numbered and sealed with the seal of the enterprise);
• audit trail (must be laced, numbered, sealed with the seal of the enterprise or individual entrepreneur);
• a lease agreement for the premises or, if it belongs to you, then documents evidencing ownership of the premises;
• permission from the sanitary-epidemiological station;
• permission to operate the state fire service;
• at the MU “Center for servicing citizens and legal entities based on the “One Window” principle”, you must obtain a certificate of registration of the consumer service facility;
• a list of services offered by your company;
• contract for cleaning and garbage removal (a copy is possible);
• certificate of registration of LLC, individual entrepreneur (a copy is possible);
• if you decide to install a cash register, you must have a card confirming its registration with the tax service (a copy is possible);
• in the absence of a cash register, there must be numbered forms and checks, form BO-3.

Each organization has its own requirements, you can decide where you will go first. The manufacturer himself sends documents to the sanitary and epidemiological service when sending the cargo.

Which equipment is better to choose?

When choosing equipment that will be used to clean or restore pillows, it is best to pay attention to equipment that not only has a warranty card, but is also tested before sale.

The coupon for purchasing machines includes a one-year warranty, repair and replacement of all small parts, electrical components and housing, professional installation, and technical support. The technician must arrive within 24 hours after the breakdown. And also many companies offer not only the visit of their master, but also the delivery of parts, if there is such a need.

On average, the safe service life is approximately 3 years. And since the design is simple and there are no complications in it, you can carry out basic repair work yourself without a specialist.