Drop What You're Doing & Go Wash Your Pillows Immediately

Washing pillows may not be the most glamorous of household chores, but it's something we should all probably be doing more often.

"If you think about the life of a pillow (and I would rather not), it does absorb sweat, dust, dust mites, hair oil...I could go on, but I won't," says Christina Strutt, a former Vogue Living editor who has written about nontoxic cleaning in her book A Guide to Natural Housekeeping and lifestyle website Cabbages & Roses. Sloughed skin cells and bacteria from saliva are two more nasties that could be added to the list, and Marilee Nelson, the co-founder of nontoxic cleaning line Branch Basics says that exposure to them could disrupt sleep and exacerbate allergies.

Here's a primer on how to wash your pillows so they're a portal to sweet dreams, not allergy-induced nightmares.

As is the case with bedsheets, you should be washing your pillowcases once a week. You can get away with washing your actual pillows every three to six months, Nelson says, as long as you have a dust mite barrier protector under your pillowcases to keep out mites, bedbugs, and all the other critters you don't want anywhere near your head. Make sure your barrier has a zipper and stays fully closed, always.

First things first, you should check the pillow's tag to see if it has any special care instructions. (Organic cotton and latex pillows, for example, are finicky when it comes to washing.) If your pillow is machine washable, here's Nelson's formula for a deep clean:

If you don't have a laundry machine at your disposal, you can go through a similar process in the bathtub. Fill your tub with water and add your detergent and vinegar (Strutt also likes to throw in a scoop of baking soda for its deodorizing properties), massage your pillows underwater for a few minutes, and then wring them out to dry. You can run fresh water over them to make sure all the soap is out, and then place them flat outside to dry. It's super important that they are totally dry before you bring them back into bed, or else they could get moldy.

In between washings, you can give your pillows a quick refresh by putting them in the dryer on low heat with your dryer balls. (Pro tip: Adding a few drops of essential oils to your dryer balls will make your pillows smell like heaven.) You can also just put your pillow out in the sun—but not if it's latex. "Never put raw latex in the direct sun," cautions Nelson. "It will yellow and disintegrate quickly and will exacerbate the latex smell." If your latex pillow is covered in a cotton or wool pillowcase, though, it should be OK.

"Typically pillows should be replaced every one to two years depending on the material," Nelson says, adding that you should write the date of purchase on your pillow's tag so you remember when the time has come to replace it. Lumps and lingering odors are signs that it's time for a new one—as are stiff necks, headaches, and sneezes upon waking. This is the longest Nelson recommends keeping every type of pillow:

If you're in the market for a new pillow, here are a few high-rated, organic options to check out: