What is the difference between a down and feather pillow?
Great question and there is a misconception that these two pillows are the same, but they are not and here are differences.
Down comes from the softer grouping of feathers that make up the undercoating of the bird. These are the feather that are closest to the body of the bird and trap heat.
Now you can see why down is so effect in keeping us warm with down blankets and jackets.
These down feathers are light and fluffy by design to trap air making them perfect for pillows, comforters and clothing due to their insulating factors.
Feathers Pillows are filed with the feathers that comes from the wing and back of bird. These feathers are heavy and much flatter than the fluffy down because they are used for flight.
They also tend to lose their shape easier and no good for retaining heat.
Can You Clean Feather Pillows?
Yes you can and it is the same process we recommend for down pillows. Please follow this link to the top of the page with instructions on how to wash down pillows.
Also we recommend using the cleaner listed on this page as well as they are awesome at getting rid of those odors that older down and feather pillows can gather.
How To Dry A Down Pillow?
You have a couple of choices when it comes to drying a down pillow. The first method is to wrap on in dry towels and absorb as much as the water as possible.
The next step is to hang to dry which depending on the relative humidity of the area in which you leave can take a while unless you live in the desert.
The best option is to put in the dry with dryer balls and set to a very low heat setting.
Check the dryer every 30 minutes until it feels dry.
It won’t hurt to turn the dryer to air only with no heat after you think it is good and dry and run for an hour to ensure all moisture is removed.
How To Deodorize Feather Pillows?
Feather and down pillows can hold odors. The best way to avoid this is to establish a regular pillow washing frequency and follow the instruction in this article on how to wash down pillows.
Experts recommend every 3 months for pillows and 3 weeks for pillow cases.
By washing the pillow on a regular basis you will keep things from starting to grow in your pillow.
Now if you haven’t washed in a long time don’t worry follow the instructions above and I would recommend the Le Blanc Down Cleaner listed in this article.
It does the best job of removing deep down odors from down pillow, coats, jackets, and comforters.
After the initial cleaning set a reminder in your smart phone to wash your pillow case every 3 weeks, having spares will make this easier.
Also, set a reminder in your phone to wash your pillow every 3 months, or even more if you desire.