“Why does my pillow smell?”. We think this is the most common question bothering the household keepers. Your doubt will be clear right now if you kick in our post and keep reading till the end.
Table of Contents
Why Does My Pillow Smell? – Four Main Causes
#1. Natural Pillow Smells
There might be some cases when you purchase pillows from an online retailer, and those pillows keep a distinct smell. The reason behind this smell is certain selective types of materials used for manufacturing pillows. The fabrics carrying an odor from the factory might overpower the inherent scents of pillows, leading to the idea of why your pillow smells.
You can apply some standard methods to get these unwanted scents to fade away, like spraying clean air neutralizing odor remover evenly over the pillows. Do some sprays if you feel the distinct scents of the fabric used at the factory. Then you will see how the method helps your pillows get back to the neutral smell that sets you at ease while sleeping.
#2. You Sweat While Sleeping
Sweating is a common situation while you sleep, and gradually, this sweat will soak through the pillows, explaining why your pillow smells musty. Some people drool when sleeping, but basically, everybody sweats even a little bit while they are sleeping. Remember that saliva, sweat, and hair are three factors making your pillow dirty if you keep using it.
It is quite normal that your pillow gets dirtier over time if you regularly use it but not wash or alter another new pillow now and then. However, it does not mean that you accept the smelling situation. Rather, we are helping you clarify the reason why your pillow starts to smell.
Most people notice their pillow getting smelly attributed to sweating and then looking for several workable methods to improve the situation. There are some possible reasons for your sweating. It might be due to your recent sickness that makes you sweatier than usual. Or the reason could be the hot weather in your areas lately causing you to sweat more than normal. Subsequently, your pillow gets damp with sweat and starts to smell unpleasantly.
Maybe you have known that the smell of each person’s sweat is rather distinct. Therefore, you can easily recognize if your pillow gives off the smell of sweat. Gratefully, you have various ways to fix this problem, and the most common way is washing the pillow thoroughly. Keep flipping through the end of this paper, and you can learn more about applicable methods of washing the pillow properly.
#3. Spilled Drink or Scattered Food
Someone spilling drinks or scattered food on the pillow might be another potential reason for your pillow getting stinky. These days, eating or drinking in bed are rather common among lots of people. You might have been watching Netflix and having snacks spilled carelessly on the pillow, leading to its inevitable smelly odors.
You randomly spill milk on the pillow, and it is not strange that you can sense the odorous smells around the bed while you are dreaming. Hence, it would be best if you cleaned up that mess right away. Otherwise, the spills are getting worse and ending up inducing lingering stink issues or leaving stubborn stains.
Therefore, we highly recommend you do avoid drinking or eating anything while you are in bed. But it is not a big deal in case you can handle things well. Keep in mind that always cares if you have a small party in bed at night time.
In case you do happen to have food spilled on the pillow, shower and dry your mess immediately. Also, you should place your pillowcases and sheets in the washing machine at that moment. So you do not confront any spilling-related problems. You can also go the route of changing new pillowcases and sheets right away if this bedding stuff is available at your house.
#4. Pet Smells
You are raising cats and dogs in your residence, and you allow them to sleep with you in bed. Meanwhile, pet smells can significantly cause your pillow to be smelly. Letting these pets hop up on your bed and sit on your pillows is the last major reason explaining the odorous smells we want to mention in this post.
Your pillow will start to have a lingering dog smell if you allow your dog to sit on the pillow for a while. We reckon that you will be the first one to confess that dogs are not the most pleasant-smelling creatures in the world. For this reason, you should not let your pets jump on your bed.
Right after you have known the truth that pet smells are the guilty party of your pillow’s stench issues, clean the pillow thoroughly. If the pet odors seem not to go away, you might need to rectify the problem by redressing a new pillowcase.
How Do I Stop My Pillow From Smelling?
#1. Use A Machine Without An Agitator To Wash Pillows Only
Due to the filler included in pillows, such as down feathers, foam, and polyester, the pillow can not resist the combativeness of a washer’s agitator.
If you continue letting the agitator displace and beat the filler within pillows, you certainly confront the tough problem of rearranging the filler to its original shape. Therefore, use a machine without an agitator to wash your pillows only.
#2. Wash At Least Two Pillows At The Time
You can notice that your front-loader sometimes gets into trouble balancing loads of the clothes. This situation inevitably causes the machine not to clean stuff well.
Hence, it would be best if you washed more than one pillow. You even can throw up to four pillows into the washer if its capacity can bear the load input.
#3. Avoid Using Fabric Softener; Instead, Use Either Bleach Or Detergent
Fabric softener might create a pleasant – smelling mask on your pillows, but in reality, the product does not eliminate bad odors of your pillows.
So we recommend you use a certain kind of detergent daily used by you instead of opting for fabric softeners to stop your pillows from smelling. Besides, bleach is another ideal option you can go for to put in the washing machine.
#4. Dry Your Pillows Under The Sun
After washing your pillows as directed earlier, let them lie under the sunlight or any spot where the sun is glowing the brightest.
Do not forget to turn your pillows upside down so that the pillows can receive the maximum amount of sunshine. Besides, ensure your pillows are dry in the middle to avoid mildewing. Place the pillows back in the dryer if you feel they are not dry enough.
#5. Keep Your Pillow Smelling Fresh
You should provide your pillows with an additional layer of protection by using pillow protectors, which help keep your pillows smelling fresh as well.
But remember to change the pillow protector at the same time you change a new sheet. By applying this key method, you can have a cozy relaxation with your pillows.
Moreover, you should fold a set of pillow protectors neatly for immediate use later on. Following our method strictly will help save your searching time.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, our post has helped you clarify your question: “Why does my pillow smell?”. If you have any workable suggestions to deal with this issue, drop a comment in the box below. We appreciate your contribution.
