Cleaning queen reveals how often your should be washing your pillows – but fans warn against a ‘dangerous’ combination of two household staples
- Cleaning guru said pillows should be washed twice yearly
- She uses a combination of household cleaning products
- Many warned against mixing vinegar and hydrogen peroxide
A ‘home hacks queen’ has revealed how to wash bed pillows and how often you should be cleaning them.
Carolina McCauley said pillows need to be washed ‘at least twice a year to prevent nasty bacteria’.
The Perth mum uses a combination of baking soda, gentle detergent, hydrogen peroxide and eucalyptus oil with the pillows in the washing machine so they come out fresh and germ-free.
She also uses a few drop of vinegar and dryer balls so the pillows don’t become misshapen and warns home cleaners to always check the labels before putting them in the washing machine.
However, many pointed out people should be very cautious when mixing vinegar and hydrogen peroxide as it could have ‘dangerous’ consequences.
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Self-described ‘home hacks queen’ Carolina McCauley (pictured) has shared her method for cleaning bedroom pillows
Before and after: The Perth mum said pillows need to be washed ‘at least twice a year to prevent nasty bacteria’
How to clean your bedroom pillows
- Always check labels
- Take care not to overcrowd the washing machine
- Add 1/2 cup baking soda to the drum
- Use a gentle detergent and and 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
- Add half cup of vinegar instead of softener and a few drops of eucalyptus oil to kill dust mites
- Add dryer balls to keep the shape
The cleaning guru said to check the pillows’ labels before washing them and to not overcrowd the machine in a video posted to Instagram.
She places two pillows in the drum with half a cup of baking soda.
Carolina then puts gentle laundry liquid and a quarter of a cup of hydrogen peroxide in the detergent drawer.
Instead of fabric softener, she uses half a cup of vinegar and a few drops of eucalyptus oil to ‘kill dust mites’.
She also adds dryer balls in the drum so the pillows keep their shape.
Carolina’s handy clip racked up almost a million views and commenters admitted they don’t wash their own pillows often enough while others shared their own cleaning hacks.
‘Time to take care of my yellow pillow,’ one viewer wrote.
‘Eucalyptus oil rids dust mites?! What! I’ve been struggling the past year to rid them as my daughter is allergic,’ a second replied.
‘Lavender oil is also antibacterial and antiseptic, and it smells better than eucalyptus, helping people to calm, relax and sleep,’ another suggested.
Others warned against mixing vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and said to make sure your machine will dispense them at different times so they don’t combine.
‘Hmm but isn’t mixing vinegar and hydrogen peroxide toxic?’ one woman asked.
Carolina uses a combination of baking soda, gentle detergent, hydrogen peroxide and eucalyptus oil with the pillows in the washing machine so they come out fresh and germ free
‘In this method you don’t mix the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide because it’s used in separate compartments of the washing machine,’ Carolina responded.
Another mum wondered how to put the pillows on a dry cycle without them losing shape and how to wash them if the label says to hand-wash only.
‘I use a hand wash or gentle cycle on my machine and dry them on an eco or moderate drying setting,’ Carolina advised.
Carolina has gained a following of more than five million on TikTok and Instagram for sharing helpful cleaning and organisation hacks and tips.
Previously the cleaning guru shared her simple trick for cutting your tumble drying time in half, and all you need is a towel.
Carolina reveals how adding a clean, dry towel to the beginning of your tumble drying load can reduce drying time.
Mixing hydrogen peroxide and vinegar: What the are dangers?
What happens when you mix acetic acid (vinegar) and hydrogen peroxide together? The result is called peracetic acid.
Peracetic acid was first recognised as a disinfectant by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1985.
Peracetic acid is used as a disinfectant in food industries and medical industries. It is also used for water purification. It works best at colder temperatures. Peracetic acid can be used to deactivate various microorganisms, spores, and viruses.
If it could be used in food and medical industries, why can’t you use it at home? The thing is – peracetic acid is more corrosive and toxic, especially in high concentrations. It also emits dangerous fumes. Peracetic acid can harm your skin, nose, throat, and lungs if you are not careful.
Because of this, peracetic acid is best used by experts and is not really recommended for household uses.
You should never mix the two liquids together in one bottle. The mixture turns into peracetic acid – an unstable one with questionable potency, and this could be dangerous.
The right way to use the disinfectant powers of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar is to use them as a cleaning ‘tag team’ like they are partners. You do not have to mix them together.
Source: BulkPeroxide.com
In a previous clip, Carolina reveals how adding a clean, dry towel to the beginning of your tumble drying load can reduce drying time by 30 per cent
‘If you’re tired of waiting for clothes to dry, try this super fast drying hack,’ Carolina posted on Instagram.
‘If you add a clean, dry towel at the beginning of your drying cycle, then start the dryer, the towel helps to absorb moisture.’
Carolina added that you should remove the towel after 15 minutes, and this will cut your drying time by 30 per cent.
Thousands who saw the simple trick were impressed and said they’d definitely give it a go at home.
‘Wow, where have I been,’ one woman wrote.
‘Great tip – this will save me so much time,’ another added.
Others shared their own laundry shortcuts including how to get wrinkles out of clothes:
‘If your clean clothes are wrinkled because you didn’t hang them up or fold yet, you can toss into the dryer with a clean damp washcloth or hand towel and tumble dry to steam out the wrinkles,’ one woman wrote.
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