Laundry question

[mediocre]

Yep. I'm a single guy and quite frankly I never paid much attention when Mom was teaching me laundry skills. I can do regular laundry but I don't know about this.

I have a pillow made from an tshirt my Mother used to wear. My sister made them for the whole family after my Mom passed away. It means a lot to me and I don't want to ruin it.

That said, my hairballs (cats) don't know how sentimental this pillow is to me. One of them, they won't admit which one, put kitty puke on the front of it. It was sometime during the night and it dried by the time I noticed it. I cleaned most of it off but there is still some residual stain that won't come out. Can I throw this in the washer and let it air dry? If that won't work, what will?

After the pillow is clean I will be lining the two hairballs up and interrogating them with an aim to making them confess the culprit. Waterboarding be a bit much? I think one of them might break once pounce is brought out but I'm not 100% on that.



Thanks in advance.

 

[Rob1514]

Yep. I'm a single guy and quite frankly I never paid much attention when Mom was teaching me laundry skills. I can do regular laundry but I don't know about this.

I have a pillow made from an tshirt my Mother used to wear. My sister made them for the whole family after my Mom passed away. It means a lot to me and I don't want to ruin it.

That said, my hairballs (cats) don't know how sentimental this pillow is to me. One of them, they won't admit which one, put kitty puke on the front of it. It was sometime during the night and it dried by the time I noticed it. I cleaned most of it off but there is still some residual stain that won't come out. Can I throw this in the washer and let it air dry? If that won't work, what will?

After the pillow is clean I will be lining the two hairballs up and interrogating them with an aim to making them confess the culprit. Waterboarding be a bit much? I think one of them might break once pounce is brought out but I'm not 100% on that.



Thanks in advance.

If it means that much to you, then spend a little money and have it cleaned professionally.

 

[mediocre]

If it means that much to you, then spend a little money and have it cleaned professionally.

Sure, take the easy way out. LOL. Thought about that. Asked here first.

 

[o_so_wet]

If it means that much to you, then spend a little money and have it cleaned professionally.

mmhmm...*nods*

 

[fire_breeze]

Yep. I'm a single guy and quite frankly I never paid much attention when Mom was teaching me laundry skills. I can do regular laundry but I don't know about this.

I have a pillow made from an tshirt my Mother used to wear. My sister made them for the whole family after my Mom passed away. It means a lot to me and I don't want to ruin it.

That said, my hairballs (cats) don't know how sentimental this pillow is to me. One of them, they won't admit which one, put kitty puke on the front of it. It was sometime during the night and it dried by the time I noticed it. I cleaned most of it off but there is still some residual stain that won't come out. Can I throw this in the washer and let it air dry? If that won't work, what will?

After the pillow is clean I will be lining the two hairballs up and interrogating them with an aim to making them confess the culprit. Waterboarding be a bit much? I think one of them might break once pounce is brought out but I'm not 100% on that.



Thanks in advance.

Because the material of the pillowcase is a cotton (presumably), and was originally a Tshirt, which are (usually) made to withstand a beating in the wash, you could turn the pillowcase inside out, and wash it on the gentlest setting in cold water with mild detergent and lay it flat to dry.

Although, you may wish to get washed professionally, to be on the safe side. Just make sure you mention its sentimental value.

And good luck with the interrogation. If you did get a response from your kitties, let me know. My cat is mum on admitting that she chewed my books.

 

[LucyH]

Yeah, I'm with fire_breeze on this one. I wouldn't worry about the t-shirt material. It's the stuffing material that might or might not do well in the washer.

If you decide to try washing it and the stuffing comes out all lumpy and weird, it should be possible to repair the pillow by snipping a seam, opening it up a little, replacing the stuffing, and sewing it back up.

 

[YankeeGirl74]

Yeah, I'm with fire_breeze on this one. I wouldn't worry about the t-shirt material. It's the stuffing material that might or might not do well in the washer.

If you decide to try washing it and the stuffing comes out all lumpy and weird, it should be possible to repair the pillow by snipping a seam, opening it up a little, replacing the stuffing, and sewing it back up.

Exactly. Depending what it is stuffed with, you might get a rather lumpy pillow back after a spin the washer. Can you spot clean it with a combo of some stain remover and warm water? Maybe spot check it first, though since it tshirt material, it should clean up without a problem. Then I'd use a little Febreeze on it as well.

As for the hairballs.....I've been there...they NEVER give up who did what. Damn things! Good luck!

 

[SweetErika]

I'd suggest having it cleaned professionally as well. If you do, let the cleaner know it's sentimental and your cat vomited on it so they can use an enzymatic cleaner.

If you DO clean it yourself, I'd advise treating it with an enzymatic cleaner first. I bought one in the carpet cleaning section of Walmart that's called Kids & Pets recently, and it works really well (I've used it on the kidlet's barf and poop thus far, as well as fresh Sharpie marks, and it got everything out). Then wash it in COLD water with a mild detergent like Woolite or ECOS, and dry it on low/gentle or let it airdry and maybe fluff it in the dryer for a few minutes after. If you have a fine mesh delicates bag, you could put it in that for extra protection as well.

Now if you have to go buy stuff to clean this pillow, it may very well be cheaper to just have it done professionally! However, considering you have pets, the enzyme cleaner is something you should keep on hand anyway, and it's only a few bucks. Plus, that Kids & Pets one I mentioned removes a ton of other stains from carpet, upholstery and clothing, so it's a good multitasking product.

Here's the product/site: http://kidsnpetsbrand.com/products.htm

 

[Dribble]

why not just use Woolite and hand wash it? Let it air dry.

 

[SweetErika]

why not just use Woolite and hand wash it? Let it air dry.

That basic idea could work if it's just the pillowcase and the OP is sure nothing soaked into the pillow itself. However, without treating the stain with an enzyme cleaner first, there could be a residual stain and/or odor. And if it's the entire pillow, as the OP suggested, hand washing and air drying could lead to a mold or mildew issue because pillows get seriously waterlogged when they're wet, are hard to wring out, and typically need a good spin to dry properly. At least that's been my experience with stains like this and washing pillows.

 

[Lynn33]

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