Cleaning Flood-Spoiled Pillows and Mattresses

Mattresses

  1. A good innerspring mattress should be sent to a commercial renovating company. Renovation is too difficult to do at home. Ask about the cost of the work. It may be less expensive to buy a good reconditioned or new mattress.

  2. If a mattress must be used temporarily, scrape off surface dirt and expose mattress to sunlight to dry as much as possible. Cover mattress with a rubber or plastic sheet or mattress cover before using it.

  3. If you decide to keep a flood-soiled mattress, it should be sterilized. This must be done at a sterilizing plant such as a mattress company or a state hospital. Ask your local public health department or county Extension agent for information on mattress sterilizing plants in your area. Have mattresses as dry as possible before taking them to a sterilizing plant. Use crop drying fans or household fans to speed up the drying process.

Feather Pillows

  1. For feather pillows, if ticking is in good condition and does not contain red or yellow stains, wash feather and ticking together. Brush off surface dirt. Wash in machine or by hand in warm (not hot) suds 15 to 20 minutes. Use a disinfectant, following product directions for use. If using an automatic washer, wash no more than two pillows at one time. If washing by hand, rinse at least three times in clear warm water. Spin off water or squeeze out as much water as possible. Do not put pillows through a wringer. Dry in an automatic dryer at moderate heat setting. Put several bath towels in the dryer with the pillow to speed up drying. Allow about 2 hours. Or dry pillows in a warm room on a sweater drying rack with a fan on them. Shake and turn pillows occasionally to fluff feathers and hasten drying. Or hang pillows on a clothesline by two corners. Change position end to end and shake occasionally to fluff feathers and speed drying.

  2. If ticking is not in good condition or is stained with red or yellow mud, wash feathers and ticking separately. Find or make a bag of light weight, firmly woven fabric such as muslin. The bag should be two to three times larger than the ticking. Open one edge of the ticking. Pin the open edges of the ticking and the bag together. Shake feathers from ticking into bag. Sew seam in bag to close it. Wash and dry the bag of feathers, following directions for washing feathers and ticking together. Wash the ticking, using a disinfectant in the first wash. Follow product directions for use. Repeat washing until stains have been removed. Difficult red and yellow stains may need to be bleached or treated with rust
  3. remover. Avoid drying the ticking with heat until all stains have been removed. Transfer clean feathers to clean ticking, using the same method as for emptying the ticking. Sew seam in ticking to close it. Feathers will slide into the ticking more easily if ticking has been starched and ironed.

  4. If pillows have been badly soaked with flood water, it may not be possible to remove all objectionable odors.

Polyester Fiberfill Pillows

  1. Brush off surface dirt.

  2. Wash in machine on gentle cycle or by hand in warm (not hot) suds, using a disinfectant. Follow product directions for use. If washing by hand, flush water through the pillow by compressing it. Do not wring or twist. Repeat if all stains are not removed.

  3. If washing by hand, rinse three times in clear, warm water.

  4. Spin off water or press out as much water as possible by hand.

  5. Follow directions for drying given for feather pillows.

Foam Rubber or Urethane Pillows

  1. Brush off surface dirt.

  2. Follow manufacturer's directions if available. Otherwise, wash in machine on gentle cycle or by hand in warm (not hot) suds, using a disinfectant. Follow product directions for use. If washing by hand, use a bathtub or large sink. Wash by pushing down on the pillow, releasing and pushing down again. Rinse the same way. Do not wring or twist.

  3. Rinse well with lukewarm water.

  4. Gently squeeze or spin out excess water. Blot with towels.

  5. Dry away from heat or sunlight. Pillows may be tumbled in an automatic dryer on "air only" setting. Do not use heat. Or air dry on a flat surface, turning regularly. Pillows may dry very slowly in the air.