What do you do with pillows that 'went wrong' in the washing machine?

[kinkytoes]

You know what I mean - the filling has gone all over the place inside. Do you bother unstitching to arrange it or just chuck?

Have you tried tumble drying with something that will knock it about, like clean trainers? That usually un-clumps fillings.

i think i slept on it in denial for a while then chucked it out

Cry. Then push them right down in the outside bin.

Put them in the dog's bed.

Bin it.

I have never successfully washed a pillow, they always come out like a sack of potatoes.

Oh I want to cry! I've done it to two after a toddler vomiting incident. I don't have a tumble dryer. I wonder if I put them on too fast a spin. Oh well, thanks everyone. At least I'm not alone in my pain!

I have tried to wash numerous pillows, cheap ones. expensive ones, ones with various types of fillings etc and it never works! I always end up throwing them away. I have to throw away my DH's pillows after 6 weeks as, despite trying every pillow protector known to man, my DH just sweats through them and they become disgusting - bleurgh. It's a regular monthly expense for me

Yep. Throw them out, buy new ones. Dp sweats all into his too actually. And annoyingly insists on duck down ones, so not cheap ones.
I am mildly allergic to feathers (they bung my nose up) so I have cheap pillows, but mine stay clean!

For kids you can get away with pretty cheap ones I think.

If the pillow says 'washable' then it means 'not washable'

I've washed many pillows but only a couple have been usable after, generally they go in the bin but if you put a tennis ball in the tumble drier you may get some to survive. I think it depends on the filling.

I have never had a successful outcome with washing pillows, I always try, then chuck the clean lumpy ones away. The dog rescue didn't even want them.

What lostinabool said
I've never successfully washed a pillow. Not sure if it's relevant but I don't have a tumble dryer.
I buy cheapish pillows and use pillow protectors and hope nobody voms

Jersey, the dog rescue rejected them? that's harsh!

Maryz I also feel better with all these answers. Some of them have given me a right giggle too!

I'm pretty sure I've done it successfully in the past though... Maybe just depends on the pillow

Jeremy not Jersey. Stupid phone. Jeremy is a word you know

Ahem.

I've found if you unpick (or cut off) part of the seam you can often rearrange the filling again.

I think they said that the dogs shred them rather than them being fussed about the lumps.
It feels so wasteful though doesn't it?

Ive always washed down ones successfully but synthetic ones do go clumpy. My dogs never mind them though.

Last time I did this, I realised it was a lost cause and just went and bought new ones.
I stupidly left ruined pillows on the side, which idiot dog stole....not for comfort, but to shred over the kitchen he made his own winter wonderland added insult to my injury having to clean it all up before I could even bin them!

Unpick one end so you can get in and rearrange the filling then sew up again. This only works with cheap synthetic pillows though.

I've had about a 50/50 success rate with washing pillows. I think the quilted pillow protectors are probably the answer but they cost a fair amount and with twelve pillows to protect I'm too cheap to shell out for them.

I've only ever lost two pillows to washing. There's a trick to it. You need to wash as many as you can fit in the drum all at once so there's no wiggle room for them, and roll them up so it looks like a big white Swiss roll.

As long as they are tight enough they should be fine. I must have done dozens of washes like this now and it honestly works! I reckon at least four pillows per wash though (six in our current, massive machine!(

Bin them.