hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815 
|
Post by hopehope on May 23, 2010 23:41:36 GMT -5
ok, some design genius created throw pillows without an opening -- so when the fabric , inevitably, gets marked, stained, dirtied --
how do you clean it?
have a large light green one -- it might even be silk? and I like it a lot, depend on it -- but -- I don't know, eye cream? whatever -- how am I going to get it done?
is there a standard method I just have never clued into?
|
|
|
|
Post by notsomessyshell on May 24, 2010 1:47:46 GMT -5
How about the home dry cleaning stuff, dryel? It comes with a spot treatment and then put the entire thing in the dryer to refresh it.
|
|
|
|
Post by lizzie on May 24, 2010 5:55:17 GMT -5
if you choose to put them in the washer, on a delicate cycle, putting them inside pillowcases (rubber band or safety pin the tops closed) will help to protect them.
|
|
|
|
Post by jkai3 on May 24, 2010 8:08:13 GMT -5
Dear One, this is going to sound nuts... but use cheap foam shaving cream. Yup, it works on most fabrics & carpets without leaving a soapy residue that will attract dirt later. I always have a can handy & sponges for my carpets,(Pet dodoos, vomit, spills from DC's, etc.) never has failed yet on most items. Have used it on couch cushions & throw pillows, curtains, my own clothes as well. Hope this helps Dear One!  Jkai3  |
|
|
|
Post by mellowyellow on May 24, 2010 10:00:57 GMT -5
Depends how much work you want to do.
You are a sewer, so this won't be too much, I think.
Find the spot where they have done the final sewing.
1. As you know, all the pillow will have been sewn and then flipped inside out.
But at the end, they had to leave a small part open to be able to put in the stuffing.
Find that spot, pick out the stitches, remove the inside of the pillow and wash just the cover.
2. It's a pain if the stuffing is just bits and bobs, and not a complete pillow. In that case, you may choose to give a throrough spray of your pillow, massaging it so it damp, but not wet on the inside. Then take it to get dried in a clothes dryer.
3. Throw it in a tub or sink or washing machine and just take the risk to wash it all. The only fear is to make sure that it all dries throughly inside. I did this method with my inherited feather pillows. Even though they say never to do this with feather. I did. These pillows were beautiful, but grossly stained with urine. So I tried. I had nothing to lose. I soaked them three times in a large rubbermaid bin. Letting all the stuff sit with bleach and water. For several days. I put the lid on the top to keep the fumes inside. And I would squish them every once in a while. I did this three times, and then threw them into the wash a couple times. And they came out beautifully. Then I let them drip for many hours over the tub and then outside. And lastly, I threw them in the dryer to fully dry. They were perfect. And are soft and smell like dryer sheets and fresh air. It worked well, even though it never should have been done like that.
|
|
|
|
Post by sidestep on May 24, 2010 10:08:15 GMT -5
My mother hunted around until she found a drycleaner to clean them. While they claimed they were not responsible for any damage that may occur, they came out beautifully.
|
|
|
|
Post by eagle on May 24, 2010 22:41:28 GMT -5
jkai, thank you for the shaving cream tip. I will surely try that sometime in the future.
|
|
hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
|
Post by hopehope on May 24, 2010 23:20:56 GMT -5
"You are a sewer." sure you don't want to, um, rephrase that?  ah! sew- er. not, you know, the other thing. thank you for the suggestions, I was flummoxed. will look at the edges, and do some or all of the above. maybe not dry cleaning, cause of $$. I used to have the dryel, but I have a feeling cg trashed it. it was in the bathroom, which he went at as though with a backhoe. ps, mellow, i think (standing here in the store, far from throw pillows of any description) it's an actual pillow, not bits and bobs. the other thing is the maybe silk factor. all I know about silk is that you should wash it with something that has protein in it. so I usually use shampoo. greasy-looking stain, though. more suggestions are breathlessly anticipated...  ps genius on that shaving cream thing... |
|
|
|
Post by mouseanne on May 25, 2010 13:53:52 GMT -5
If you do take it apart, and it is "bits n bobs" make an inner pillow before you sew it back up?
|
|
|
|
Post by Fivecat on May 25, 2010 17:35:06 GMT -5
If you take it apart, put a zipper in for easy access in the future. Fivecat
|
|
|
|
Post by moggyfan on May 25, 2010 21:33:11 GMT -5
I'd toss it into a washer on gentle cycle & run it through the dryer a few times. If it works, great; if not, at least you haven't invested a ton of time or money.
How much time do you really want to devote to this, picking out the stitching and somehow cleaning the exterior and then trying to resew it and still maybe not have it work very well?
|
|
hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
|
Post by hopehope on May 25, 2010 21:49:57 GMT -5
actually, mog-- not very much time at all. it's -- tada!! -- done. used mellow's suggestion, just before bed-- was able to open it, wash with shampoo, hang to dry -- try -- (quite badly, I assure you) to iron it today -- and put it back on. and rearranged it in the throw pillow row.  tutte bene!! highly imperfect -- wrinkly a bit, not perfectly mark free-- but-- I feel quite houseproud and satisfied. thank you for the great suggestions-- including the latest ones-- as I have quite a few throw pillows, and my fave one is "bits and bobs". |
|
|
|
Post by notsomessyshell on May 26, 2010 1:09:48 GMT -5
Yay for you Hope. I have never thought of using shampoo. You are brilliant my dear.
|
|
|
|
Post by mellowyellow on May 26, 2010 21:45:56 GMT -5
Sower?
Of words... desseminating ideas?
Glad it worked out imperfectly. The best way.
My nicest BF was perfect... and so... I dumped him, unable to deal with perfection. Definitely the right choice.
|
|
hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
|
Post by hopehope on May 26, 2010 21:54:57 GMT -5
"forget your perfect offering there is a crack in everything... that's how the light gets in"
|
|
