Okay, here’s my blog post about drying pillows without tennis balls, written from my personal experience:
So, the other day I washed my favorite fluffy pillows. After the wash cycle, I was stuck with two soaking wet lumps. Normally, I’d toss them in the dryer with a couple of tennis balls to help fluff them up and prevent clumping. But guess what? I was fresh out of tennis balls. Panic? Not really! I figured there had to be a way around this, and I was determined to find it.
The Experiment Begins
First, I squeezed out as much excess water as I possibly could by hand. I mean, I really wrestled those pillows. Then, I fluffed them up manually, trying to separate any clumps that had already formed.
Next, I grabbed a couple of clean, dry bath towels. Big, fluffy ones. My thinking was that these could act like the tennis balls, providing some gentle agitation and absorbing some of the moisture.
- I rolled one pillow up inside a towel, kind of like a burrito.
- I did the same with the second pillow and another towel.
I tossed both towel-wrapped pillows into the dryer.I set the dryer to a low heat setting.I know high heat can damage some pillow fillings, so I opted for the gentler cycle.
I also decided to check on them frequently. Every 20 minutes or so, I paused the dryer, took the pillows out, unrolled them from the towels, and fluffed them by hand again. This was probably the most crucial step, as it helped to redistribute the filling and prevent any major clumping.
The Results?
It took a bit longer than usual, probably an extra hour compared to using tennis balls. But honestly, the results were pretty great! The pillows came out fluffy, mostly dry, and without any major clumps. They definitely weren’t perfectly even, but a little extra manual fluffing after they were dry took care of that.
So, if you find yourself in a tennis-ball-less situation, don’t worry! The towel trick, combined with frequent fluffing, definitely works. Just be patient, use a low heat setting, and be prepared to put in a little extra manual labor. The fluffy, dry pillows are worth it!
