How to clean a buckwheat pillow

One of the best reasons buckwheat pillows are worth the investment is because they don’t have to be replaced as often as normal pillows. In fact, they can last 10 to 20 years! But here’s the catch: You need to take good care of them in order to see it last for what may seem like forever.

Besides, we’re only human, and pillows are susceptible to dirt and stains (coffee in bed, anyone?) and will be need to be cleaned every few months to stay fresh and clean. Nobody wants to sleep on dirty bedding.

Continue reading to learn how to exactly clean your buckwheat pillow, since it’s a bit different than other types of pillows.

Cleaning your case

In order to ensure your pillow stays clean, the first thing you should definitely do is use a pillowcase. Even though many buckwheat pillows use soft and durable cotton for their inner case, it’s important to have an extra layer of protection.

Okay, now onto the actual cleaning!

Step 1: Never, ever put the entire pillow in the washing machine or you most likely will have to replace your entire pillow. If the hulls get soaked, they will become brittle and break after drying, losing their ability to mold to the shape of your head.

Step 2: Stand your pillow vertically and upright so the zipper is easily accessible up top. Give your pillow a nice shake so all the hulls drop towards the bottom of the case with gravity.

Step 3: Open up the zipper and carefully remove the hulls. Use a scoop, or carefully pour them out in something sturdy, like a paper grocery bag. The hulls tend to stick to the case, so make sure you get them all!

Step 4: The case itself can be washed in a washing machine. Make sure to use cold water and run it in a normal cycle. You can also hand-wash the inner casing in cold water. Either way, use mild laundry detergent.

Step 5: Remove the case from the washing machine and hang it to air dry. If you place it in the dryer, the case could shrink or lose some of its durability.

What about the buckwheat?

You may be wondering about the hulls themselves. They typically are not as vulnerable to stains and scents like the pillowcase, so more often than not you simply need to pour the hulls back into the cleaned case.

Yet, in case you spill liquid on the pillow and the buckwheat gets wet, you can lay the buckwheat hulls out to dry. Just make sure to remove them from the pillow case immediately; if the hulls get soaked, they may have to be thrown out. So be very careful not to get them soiled! We suggest pouring the wet buckwheat hulls into a large container and placing them near a sunny window. Stir the hulls around periodically so all of the hulls get a piece of the sun.

After a few years, the hulls will slowly begin to breakdown and you may begin to realize they don’t do as good a job at molding to the contours of your head. If your pillow seems to be losing some of its oomph, you can buy replacement hulls online.

There you have it! It might seem like a few extra steps to ensure your pillow stays clean, but we promise it’ll be worth it. With proper care, you won’t have to replace your buckwheat pillow for a very long time.

Laura Schwecherl

Laura is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience reporting and covering topics in the health, fitness, and wellness space. She is also a marketing consultant, where she works with impact-oriented startups to build marketing and editorial strategies. Outside of work, you can find her reading Murakami novels, writing amateur poetry, or trail running in her hometown, Boulder, Colorado.