Throw pillows are a wonderful accent item, they personalize your space and enhance decor; but just like the rest of your fabric accessories throw pillows will gather dust and dirt and need to be cleaned on a regular basis. There are several methods available for laundering your pillows depending on what type of throw pillow you have.

Laundry Care Recommendations and Symbols

First things first, If your throw pillow still has tags attached to it, the tags can tell you just about everything you need to know. Tags often provide either written instructions for how the manufacturer recommends the fabric should be washed and dried, or a series of symbols that illustrate the same instructions.

Embellished Pillows and Specialty Fibers

If your throw pillow does not posses a tag with washing instructions use your judgement and examine the fabric. Most fabrics can be washed at home but the following should be brought to a dry cleaner:

Silk : Often Identified by smooth and shiny appearance - silk is very flexible fiber if you aren’t sure if your pillowcase is silk try removing it from the pillow form and threading/ pulling it through a wedding ring, if it goes through without much difficulty you are likely dealing with silk. Another way to determine if a material is silk is by rubbing it - silk will noticeably warm in your hands as you rub.

Velvet: Velvet is easily identifiable because of its short dense pile which gives it its signature feel. running your hand either with or against the nap will slightly alter the color of the velvet and feel soft and supple to the touch.

Taffeta: Taffeta is a type of silk with a smooth lustrous finish with a slight crosswise rib and a characteristic rustle when moving. Often taffeta is woven to be iridescent.

Embellished and beaded pillows are becoming more and more trendy; these pillows are gorgeous but can be tricky to wash. Depending on the fabric spot cleaning gently with a damp white towel may be your best bet -- make sure you test this in an inconspicuous area first. If spot cleaning does not work Dry cleaning will be your best bet.

Stain Treatments

If your pillow has a stain but does not need a complete wash you have several options for getting out any imperfection. All options should be tested in a small unobtrusive place when possible, before being obviously applied.

As previously mentioned, try blotting the spot gently with a damp white towel, if the stain is particularly stubborn try using a tiny bit of mild soap dissolved in warm water and blot -- make sure to remove any soap residue with a separate damp towel.

To remove sticky stains such as food from a pillow try freezing it and then gently picking off the frozen bits.

Grease stains are harder to treat but you can manage it, first sprinkle the grease stain with either baby or baking powder, you need something that will absorb the grease. Let the powder sit and absorb for at least half an hour and then brush gently away with a soft bristled brush. You can apply the same method using dawn dish detergent - let the dawn sit on the stain for at least half an hour and then wash or blot away with warm water.

You can always pretreat a stain with any of the numerous stain fighters available before washing the entire pillow, just make sure that any excess residue gets rinsed out in the wash.

Pillow Inserts & Pillowcases

A removable pillow and separate pillowcase are most likely the easiest type of decorative pillows to clean, depending of course on the material of your pillow. Before beginning make sure to double check whether or not your pillow is washable; this method works best for fiber-filled pillows or down / down alternative pillows.

1. Remove the pillow from the pillowcase.
2. Place the pillow and pillow case in the washer and set the washer to a gentle warm water cycle for 8-10 minutes
3. Run the pillow and pillow case through your washer's rinse and spin cycle,You want to make sure that all of the detergent is washed out of the pillow -- so you may need to run it through the rinse and spin more than once, depending on your washer.
4. Once you are sure your pillows are detergent free you can machine dry them. You will want to dry your pillow on a low heat gentle setting for between 1- 3 hours or until the stuffing is dry. Taking the pillow out every 30 minutes to fluff the filling will keep your pillows fluffy and help redistribute the stuffing so they will dry faster. Your pillow cover should be air dried unless otherwise specified.

Foam Pillows

Foam pillows require a bit more hands on work but are still easily cleaned. Unless otherwise stated on your pillow, the pillow cover can be machine washed following the washing instructions above.

1. To wash your foam pillow first fill your sink with warm water and a small amount of laundry detergent.
2. Immerse your pillow in the water pushing down and squeezing so your pillow absorbs the water like a sponge.
3. Once your pillow has absorbed some of the soapy water, drain your sink and fill again with clean water. You will want to submerge and squeeze your foam pillow the same way as before to remove the detergent. This process should be repeated 2 or 3 times to ensure all of the detergent is removed.
4. To dry your pillow, squeeze it between two towels to remove as much moisture as you can and then allow it to air dry for 24 to 48 hours occasionally changing the position of the pillow. Do not attempt to dry your foam pillow in a dryer as there is a risk of combustion!

Following these easy cleaning instructions should help you keep all your throw pillows clean and looking great but if for any reason you need to replace your throw pillows or are just looking for some new ones to liven up your space, Linen Store has a great selection of beautiful faux silk pillows to consider!