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.
Yes, not having a dryer is not the end of the world. There are quite a number of smart alternatives to dry pillows, read on for more!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ALTERNATIVES TO DRYER
All right, let us now get into the various alternatives to dry a pillow without the dryer. The basic idea here is – Find an alternate source of heat and air to dry the pillow faster.
WASHING MACHINE SPIN DRY
If you have a washer-dryer combo, there won’t be any headaches… 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”.
SUN & AIR
- As in the above introduction, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
GOOD ENOUGH “ALTERNATIVE DRYING” ONLY
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
- Remove Odor From Pillow Without Washing – The Daily Bed
- How to Wash and Dry All of Your Pillows – Early Bird
- How To Fluff A Pillow (By Hand & In The Dryer) – The Sleep Shop