I’m a cleaning pro, if your pillows look orange, it’s time to do a deep clean… there’s something really gross happening
A PROFESSIONAL cleaner has shared her step-by-step process to clean pillows after revealing sweat, dirt and oil can get trapped in them over time.
Taking to her social media account, Chantel Mila first questioned viewers: “Is this trapped inside your pillows?” as she shared a clip of a bathtub filled by dirty water.
She then revealed the state of her pillows, which appeared to have orange stains on them.
“If your pillows look like this, it may be time to strip them,” she said.
Chantel then shared the process she uses to clean her pillows, explaining that she first fills a bathtub up with hot water.
She then adds a quarter of a cup of natural laundry powder and a quarter of a cup of miracle stain remover into the water.
The cleaning whizz then puts the pillows into the mixture, soaking it all the way through.
“This process helps clean deep into the pillow fibres and removes sweat, dirt and oils that washing machines alone can’t clean” she shared.
Once the pillows have soaked, she puts them into the washing machine without adding any detergent and simply puts on a delicate cycle.
“Then pop into the dryer with two to three dryer balls and reveal your whitened pillows,” she added.
She panned the camera over her pillows, showing off the fact that the orange stains had completely disappeared.
In the caption, TikTok user @mama_mila_ added: “when was the last time you deep cleaned your pillows?
“Pillows trap so much sweat, dirt and oils so stripping them once a year helps to deep clean all that build up. So gross but so satisfying,” followed by a black heart emoji.
People were quick to comment as one person wrote: “Yes its so good to do.”
Another shared: “Ooo will be doing this in the future. We just got (much needed) new pillows”.
While a third suggested: “You can get pillow protectors”.
According to Good Housekeeping, you should be washing your pillow cases at least every two weeks.
You can procrastinate washing your actual pillows for up to six months, but if you don’t even remember the last time you did a deep clean of them then it’s definitely time.
Much like Chantel explained, sweat, dirt and oil can seep through the case and into the pillow itself.
But your skin also sheds thousands of dead skin cells, which “attract dust mites”.
While these are not harmful to people alone, they “do produce droppings that contain allergens.”
They added: “Letting these buildup can trigger anything from asthma and rhinitis to itchy eyes”.
How often do you wash your pillows?