6 Alternate Ways To Dry Pillows Without a Dryer

By / Cleaning

So you have a pillow that is fresh out of the washing machine? But something rather unexpected happens… The dryer breaks down, and you are stuck with a dripping wet pillow. Or maybe you don’t have access to a dryer and wonder if it is possible to dry a pillow without using one.

To dry a pillow without using a dryer:

  • Let the pillow spin dry in the washing machine.
  • Then, put the pillow under the sun and let nature do its work.
  • If the weather is bad, other possible sources of heat are – Hair dryer, radiator, and iron.
  • We can also use baking soda to soak up excessive moisture. Simply vacuum the baking soda after it has caked.

Yes, not having a dryer is not the end of the world. There are quite a number of smart alternatives to dry your pillows, read on!

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ALTERNATIVES TO DRY A PILLOW

All right, let us now get into the various ways to dry a pillow without the dryer. The basic idea here is – Find an alternate source of heat to dry the pillow faster.

 

QUICK SLIDES

Ways To Dry A Pillow Without A Dryer

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1) WASHING MACHINE SPIN DRY

If you have a washer-dryer combo, there won’t be as much headache… But I guess that is most likely not the case. So if your washing machine has a (slow) spin-dry mode, go ahead and use it on the pillow. It is not able to fully dry the pillow, but it can at least get to the point of “not soaking wet”.

 

2) SUN & AIR

  • Just put the pillow in a sunny well-ventilated spot and let nature do its magic.
  • It is OK to let pillows dry indoors too, just make sure that the area is well-ventilated. Also, use an “indoor drying” detergent to wash the pillow.
  • Letting the pillow dry naturally can take hours – Depending on the sun, material, and thickness of the pillow. So plan ahead, you won’t want to wash the pillow on a rainy day, or when there is little sunlight left to properly dry the pillow.
  • Do remember to flip the pillow every hour or so. Since there is no way to do the “tennis ball in dryer” trick to fluff up the pillow, you will have to do it manually.

 

 

3) HAIRDRYER

While we are still on the topic of heat and wind, a common electrical alternative is the household hairdryer. Yep, hairdryers work great in a pinch, when nature is not cooperating. While it does not have the power of a dryer, it does help to get the pillow to “somewhat dry”. At least you can leave it to air overnight and it will not stink the next day.

 

 

4) RADIATOR

For you guys who are living the cold countries, you may have something called a “radiator” in your house… The gadget that keeps the room warm. While a radiator cannot fully replace dryers, the heat will definitely help to dry the pillow a lot faster than leaving it in a cold dark spot. The same old rule applies though, remember to manually flip and fluff the pillow.

 

 

5) IRON & TOWEL

Here is another common electrical alternative, just iron the pillow. But before you try to do that, here’s a small bit of common sense – Ironing a synthetic pillow is going to destroy it. That is, cotton pillows can take the heat without any problems. But memory foam, polyester, and nylon will most likely melt.

So do this at your own risk. A simple trick that can possibly help to avoid this disaster is to turn the iron to the lowest heat setting. Wrap the pillow in a towel and iron it.

 

6) BAKING SODA

Need a safer drying method without using heat? Then just sprinkle some baking soda on the pillow, it is also well-known as an “alternative deodorizer”.

  • Let the baking soda sit for a while, and it will cake from absorbing all the moisture.
  • Vacuum the baking soda off, flip to the other side of the pillow and repeat the same – Apply baking soda and vacuum off.
  • Repeat this as many times as you like, until the pillow is “dry enough”.

 

 

EXTRAS & TIPS

Now that we have gone through the dryer alternatives, here are a couple more extra points and tips.

 

FULLY DRY THE PILLOW BEFORE YOU USE

A quick point to make here, most of the above alternative drying methods are “good enough” only. Always make sure that the pillow is “bone dry” before you use it, or it will stink up very quickly.

You may want to combine the usage of multiple drying methods to do so. For example, spin-dry the pillow first, then apply baking soda to further dry/deodorize it. Finally, let the pillow air dry on a laundry rack.

 

HOW TO MANUALLY FLUFF THE PILLOW

It’s really not a big deal, just give the pillow a “light massage”. Make sure that lumps are not forming inside the pillow, separating the fillings will help it to dry faster too.

 

 

CONSIDER DRY CLEANING THE PILLOW

If your pillow is not too dirty, there is always the option to dry clean it. No need to deal with a wet pillow, no need to agonize over how to dry it properly.

 

THE END

Thank you for reading, and we have come to the end of this short guide. I hope it has helped to answer your doubts. Good luck and have better nights of sleep!

 

LINKS & REFERENCES