Wash down and down-alternative body pillows in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with powdered detergent and cold or warm water, then dry on low heat with tennis balls. Hand wash memory foam or latex pillows in a tub with mild detergent and air dry. Clean every 4 to 6 months, or monthly without a pillow cover.
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Key Takeaways
- Importance of Cleaning Body Pillows: Body pillows can accumulate body oils, dust, dandruff, and germs over time, leading to breathing issues and sleep disruptions. Regular cleaning, every 4 to 6 months, or monthly if used without a pillow cover, is essential to maintain a hygienic sleep environment.
- Washing Guidelines: For downy feather or down alternative pillows, machine wash on a gentle cycle, using powdered laundry detergent. Avoid hot water, and use a second rinse cycle. Dry on a low heat setting with tennis balls or wool dryer balls to maintain fluffiness. For memory foam or latex, hand wash in a tub with mild detergent and let air dry after rinsing.
- Spot Cleaning: For small stains, spot cleaning with a mild detergent and a damp cloth can effectively remove stains. Rinse the area thoroughly and dry the pillow either in the sun or with a fan.
Body pillows create a relaxing and inviting sleep space. Their extra-long length allows sleepers to curl themselves around these soft pillows for added support and comfort. Body pillows are especially helpful for pregnant women and side sleepers since they can alleviate pressure on the spine, hips, and back.
Say Goodnight To Neck Pain With A Better Pillow
If you use your body pillow every night, it will become dirty quite quickly. With constant use, body oils, dandruff, dust, and germs can build up on the pillow—causing breathing issues and sleep disruptions. Even with a high-quality pillowcase, debris can make its way into the layers of the body pillow.
Cleaning frequency doesn’t just remove visible buildup. No, it actually shifts which bacteria are living in your bedding. A 2025 Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. View source study Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. View source of household bed dust found that both dusting frequency and mattress vacuuming frequency were significantly linked to changes in bed dust bacterial diversity.
In other words, how often bedding gets cleaned measurably changes the microbial community living in it, not just how it looks or smells. That’s the real reason a body pillow needs a full wash on a schedule, rather than an occasional wipe-down or a fresh pillowcase alone.
Therefore, your body pillow will need a good cleaning every 4 to 6 months to ensure this build-up doesn’t interrupt your sleep. If you don’t use a pillow cover, it will need to be cleaned once a month.
Due to its extra-large size, you may be wondering how best to wash your body pillow at home. The process may be easier than you think. To help you along the way, we have provided washing instructions for the most common pillow types.
Body Pillow Washing Guidelines
The materials used in your body pillow, whether down, memory foam, or cotton, will determine the best way to go about washing it. If these materials are not washed correctly, it could damage the pillow beyond repair.
Before washing your body pillow, be sure to read the care instructions on the pillow’s tag. This tag will let you know what materials make up the pillow’s case and filling, and how best to launder them.
If you’ve removed the tag and are uncertain how to go about washing the pillow, our detailed instructions can help. To make the process as easy as possible, we break down the washing instructions based on the most common pillow materials.
Washing Down, Feather, or Down Alternative Body Pillows
If your body pillow is filled with down and feather fibers or a down alternative such as polyester, it can easily be cleaned in a washing machine. Spot cleaning only goes so far, after all.
A 2020 review Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. View source of pathogen survival on textiles found that some bacteria can survive at room temperature on fabric for weeks, with the longest survival times observed on polyester — one of the most common pillow fill and cover materials.
Most of that research comes from hospital textiles like linens and lab coats rather than home bedding specifically, but it illustrates a general point about fabric hygiene: surface-level cleaning doesn’t reach contamination that’s settled deeper into the fibers, which is why a full wash on the recommended schedule matters more than spot treatment alone.
If you have a top-load washing machine with an agitator in the center, be sure your body pillow fits comfortably inside. Most body pillows measure 54 inches long. At this length, the pillow should sit vertically and curve around the agitator.
If you have a front-load washing machine, you can fold the pillow in half and place it in the machine. You can also curve the body pillow around the drum of the washer.
To ensure a thorough washing, you do not want your body pillow to be too confined. If this happens, water and soap will not be able to reach each part of the pillow. If you feel that your machine is too small for the pillow, it may be best to take it to a laundromat and wash it in an industrial-sized machine.
Once you have the pillow inside the machine, add powdered laundry detergent to the machine. Liquid detergent is often difficult to rinse out and can cause down and feather fibers to clump together.
Next, start the machine on a gentle wash cycle with warm or cold water. Be sure to avoid hot water if possible, as it can cause filling to deteriorate and fall apart. To ensure all the soap is rinsed from the pillow, select a second rinse cycle. If your machine doesn’t have this option, you can manually create a second rinse by stopping the machine and resetting it.
Once the pillow is washed, you can transfer it to your dryer and select a low heat setting. To keep the pillow fluffy and speed up the drying process, place two clean tennis balls or wool dryer balls in with the pillow.
If your down pillow has a higher percentage of feathers than down, the drying process may be longer than for a load of clothing. Before placing your pillow in a clean pillowcase, be sure it is completely dry.
Cotton pillows are no longer as popular as those filled with polyester fibers. However, if your body pillow is filled with cotton or a cotton-poly blend, it can also be machine washed using the instructions above.
Washing Memory or Latex Foam Body Pillows
If your body pillow is made of memory foam or latex, the clean process is a little different. Memory foam pillows must be cleaned properly to ensure that mold and mildew do not form in the pillow.
Latex pillows are antibacterial and better resist mold and mildew. However, they too can become damaged if machine washed. Therefore, it is best to hand wash these foam pillows. When hand washing a large pillow, it will not fit in a sink or bucket, so it’s best to use a tub.
Fill the tub with cold or warm water and a mild detergent. Immerse the pillow into the water and begin to gently squeeze the soapy water through the pillow to remove dirt. Then, repeat this process with clean water. Before filling the tub with fresh water, be sure to rinse out all traces of soap.
Once the pillow is clean, gently squeeze out the excess water without twisting or pulling the pillow. Then, you can place it in the sun to dry. The heat from the sun will eliminate any trace of bacteria from the pillow.
You can also use an indoor fan to dry the pillow. Though if you sleep with a fan on, you may want to use another fan to avoid outside allergens finding their way back to the bedroom.
Spot Cleaning
If your body pillow has a small stain, you can do a quick spot clean of the area. To do this, use a mild detergent and a damp, clean cloth. Submerge the cloth in soapy water and gently rub the stain from the pillow.
Once the spot is removed, rinse the soap from the area using another damp, clean cloth with no soap. If the spot is particularly severe, you may need to repeat this process two to three times. To dry, you can place the pillow in the sun or in the dryer depending on its material.
Why Pillows Turn Yellow And How to Fix It
Yellowing is one of the most common signs of an overdue pillow wash. The discoloration comes from a buildup of sweat, body oils, drool, and dead skin cells that soak into the fabric over time, especially around the areas that touch your face and neck most. It’s more noticeable on light-colored pillowcases and pillows, but it happens to some degree with regular use regardless of color.
The good news is that yellowing is usually reversible with the right wash. To brighten a yellowed pillow, mix 1 cup of dry dishwashing detergent, 1 cup of dry laundry detergent, 1 cup of bleach, and a half cup of Borax with warm water directly in your washing machine.
Let the mixture combine for a few minutes before adding your pillows, washing no more than two at a time so the solution can reach the fabric evenly. Run a full wash cycle, and use the double rinse option if your machine has one, to make sure all the detergent and bleach are rinsed out.
Dry on low heat with two clean tennis balls or wool dryer balls to help the pillow regain its shape.
To prevent yellowing from building up again quickly, wash your pillow on a regular schedule and use a breathable pillow protector underneath your pillowcase. This adds a barrier between the pillow and the oils and sweat that cause discoloration in the first place.
More Cleaning Guides for Bedding
For mattresses:
- How to Get Stains Off and Clean a Mattress
- How to Freshen and Deodorize a Mattress
- How to Clean Vomit from a Mattress
- How to Remove Urine Stains and Smell From a Mattress
- How to Remove Blood Stains on Your Mattress
- How to Remove Makeup Stains from Mattresses
- How to Get Poop Stains out of a Mattress
- How to Remove Rust Stains on a Mattress
- How to Get Sweat Stains Out of a Mattress
- How to Dry a Wet Mattress After Water Damage
- How to Get Lint Balls off a Mattress
- How to Fix a Ripped Mattress
- How to Clean a Dusty Mattress
- How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in a Mattress
- How to Spot Mold on Mattress
For pillows:
For sheets:
- How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?
- How to Make Sheets White with Household Items
- Can You Wash Sheets with Clothes and Other Items?
- How to Make Sheets Softer
- How to Get Blood Out of Sheets
- How to Iron Sheets
For blankets, quilt, comforters, etc:
- How to Clean a Comforter
- How Long Does It Take to Dry Clean a Comforter?
- How to Wash a Quilt
- How to Wash a Duvet at Home
- How to Clean an Electric Blanket
- How to Clean a Weighted Blanket
- How To Wash a Crochet Blanket
For other bedding items:
- How To Clean a Memory Foam Mattress Topper
- How Often Should You Wash Your Mattress Protector?
- How to Get Pet Hair Out of Bedding
- How to Clean an Upholstered Bed Frame
FAQs
How do you wash pillows that cannot be washed?
If your pillow’s care instruction advises against washing, you can freshen up the pillow at home using your dryer. Place the pillow on a low heat setting and let it run for about 10 minutes.
This process will remove dust and dirt from the pillow. You also can place the pillow in the sun for about 20 minutes per side. The warm sun will kill bacteria and viruses.
Can you put a body pillow in the washing machine?
Most body pillows can be machine washed. However, before you do so, it is best first to check the washing instructions. Some pillows need to be washed with cold water only. Also, it is best to dry the pillow on a low heat setting. If your home washer and dryer are not large enough to accommodate the size of your body pillow, you may need to take it to a laundromat and wash it in an industrial-sized washing machine.
Can you put pillows in the dryer to kill bed bugs?
If you suspect your pillow has become infested with bed bugs or dust mites, you can place it in the dryer on high heat for 20 to 30 minutes. This temperature will kill bed bugs at any stage. However, if you have a pillow that cannot tolerate the extra high heat, you may want to consider getting rid of the pillow if it is infested with bed bugs.
What do you wash pillows with?
When washing a pillow, it is best to use a mild powder or soap explicitly made for cleaning delicate items. Liquid detergent can often leave behind a residue and cause the filling to clump together. If opting for liquid soap, be sure to select a second rinse cycle.
How can I disinfect a body pillow?
For down, feather, or memory foam and latex pillows, wash according to the material-specific instructions above using warm water and mild detergent.
If your pillow can’t be washed, place it in the dryer on low heat for about 10 minutes, or set it in direct sunlight for about 20 minutes per side. Both heat and sun exposure help reduce bacteria on the pillow’s surface.
How do you get the yellow out of pillows?
Yellowing is caused by a buildup of sweat, body oils, and dirt over time. To remove it, wash the pillow in a warm-water solution of dry dishwashing detergent, dry laundry detergent, bleach, and Borax, then dry on low heat with tennis balls or dryer balls to restore fluffiness. See the section above for full measurements and steps.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have found what you need to wash your favorite body pillow at home. To keep germs and allergens from building up, it’s best to wash your body pillow regularly. With a clean, healthy, sleep space, you will be more likely to sleep soundly and wake up feeling refreshed.
About the author
Mitchell Tollsen is a graduate student and a freelance writer who’s contributed to the Early Bird blog for three years. Mitchell’s always been fascinated by the science of sleep and the restorative processes our bodies undergo when at rest. The self-titled “Sleep Expert” is always looking for ways to improve his shut-eye, and throughout the years has implemented numerous lifestyle changes and tried dozens of sleep-promoting gadgets to determine the best ways to truly get better rest.
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