Hi all,
I have a problem and maybe you could help me with some answers. I bought a pillow from IKEA recently and when I got home I noticed it smelled funky...I tried using it for a few nights but the smell kept bothering me. The pillow is stuffed with feathers and they stink of barn feathers or something...it's unwashed barn feathers mixed with moth balls...it's bad! And I decided to wash it, but before that I tried Febreze (sprayed all over it) and it didn't do much. Did you have the same problem and if so, how did you solve it?
Many thanks for eventual helpful replies!

Leave it near an open window or on a balcony for a couple of days and see if the smell dissipates. Might just be the packing you can smell.

Alternatively, take it back to the shop. Maybe it got damp during storage and you could ask for a refund. Might be in doubt now if it smells of Febreze, though.

Don't wash it, the pillow could turn into a mess, rather bring it to a dry cleaner and sprayin' it with stuff will make a weird mixture of smells at the end don't you think?

Not had smelly problems with pillows, but from time to time i wash all our pillows in the washing machine, and they are fine.

Do you put them in the dryer afterwards?

I don't have a dryer or tumbler and those feather pillows seem to end up having clusters of feathers stuck together.
I can hang them out to dry and shake'em up as much as I want the pillows aren't the same anymore and very uncomfortable too.

Yes we put them in the tumble dryer, and they come out ok.

You can't wash feather pillows in a washing machine. One possibility is to tumble dry the pillow with a tennis ball (apparently stops the feathers clumping). You could add a clothes freshener sheet, and maybe it will come out smelling, if not of roses, at least better?

Maybe i have special ones because i can wash mine.

You can wash them in the machine IF you tumble dry them after with a tennis ball. Otherwise why dry them?
Using Febreeze or any kind of heavy chemicals is a bit risky on something you are going to bury your eyes, mouth etc. in afterwards.
I'd rather the natural barn animal smell probably!
Try airing it for a day, but dampish feather duvet and pillows always smell to me.

Me too. But mine are painstakingly crafted through profuse night sweats and slobber. For some reason my wife won't use my pillows nor let me use hers (though I sneak and use them sometimes!).

My sister in law had the same problem with a pillow she bought from IKEA.
She has tried just about everything. Nothing helped get that smell completly away.

Hope you have better luck!!

Seems Mrs Sutter is right, you can wash them in a washing machine http://www.ehow.com/how_2121657_wash...r-pillows.html

Thankyou Mr Richdog

yep washing is fine,
its the drying which is the problem ... no tumble dryer no fluffy feathers!

IKEA will change it if you complain strongly.

I am not sure if it has been mentioned, but IKEA sells wonderful pillow protecting covers, that go between the pillow and the case. It works even for the fauliest and weirdest smells one can possibly imagine, just wash it and put it on, no need to wash the pillow.

If you do need to wash a down pillow, gut it, wash the cover, fill again, sew it up. I would never place a pillow at dry cleaner's, since it does not seem they figured out here yet how to use toxic free drycleaning stuff and honestly, dry cleaning residues is one of the most dangerous pathogenic stuff you can find at home (together with beauties like febreez - sorry about this one - air fresheners, toilet fresheners, essential oil burning lamps, aerosols). So, to spend many hours every night inhaling some chemicals, yum.

Just buy a new cheap Ikea pillow, and protect them with that layer you just simply zip on. Makes more laundry but keeps the pillow nice and fresh.

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Oops, I stand corrected! I might go and wash mine now...

Too late... washed it already...and the smell did not go away...but the tag on the pillow said it can be washed and that is why I did it. Honestly, I think I might have ruined it, now it's outside and I don't think I'm taking it inside EVER...

Hmm never thought of that...thanks for suggesting this to me!

Great idea, I will look for that special cover! Btw I thought about gutting it and washing the covers only AFTER I washed the whole pillow...my inner voice said "too late stupid!"
Thanks so much for the ideas!