Do I need to wash pillows?

[tiredpooky]

It must be many years....
If so how often?
Does it really matter?

tumble drier kills dust mites, lice, bedbugs etc just from the heat, even without washing (also kills moth eggs)

and shakes dust out as well

(useful too for non-washable soft toys)

When I dispose of a pillow, I firstly take off any protective covers and wash them and either reuse them or put them in rags recycling. I then cut the final cover off the pillow, the one that the filling is inside, and wash that and put it in rags recycling. So it only leaves a bit of filling which is kind of like crumpled cotton wool pleats.

never wash them (unless its the ones on the dogs bed) i replade them every so often but keep the ok ones for when visitors are here (ie shoved in the loft for ages) and the not so ok ones do for the dogs bed
i will only throw them out when they are really bad

chips- so you wash them for the dog but not for guests?

I am sure the dogs' pillows get much dirtier.

Though some guests may use the pillows for romantic purposes.

chips- so you wash them for the dog but not for guests?

pretty much what piglet says the dogs pillows get dirty and smellier a lot more than the ones i keep for guests which do get a airiing before they are used and every now and again and to be honest the pillows do get replaced about every 18 months anyway (so my current pillows will go for guests and the guest ones just now go to the dogs)

also i find washing the dogs ones in the machine cos hes lying on them most of the day and night then it doesnt matter if they are lumpy or not whereas i wouldnt expect a guest to use lumpy pillows