Buckwheat Hulls Fill

Whole buckwheat pillows cannot be put into the washing machine.

Soaking buckwheat hulls with water will ruin them, so buckwheat pillows should not be put directly into the washing machine.  However, the cotton pillow cover can be washed and the buckwheat hulls can be set in the sun to dry.

1. Gather your materials. Namely, your buckwheat pillow, a clean pillowcase to hold the buckwheat hulls in and a tie to keep the buckwheat from spilling out of the pillowcase.
2. Lay the buckwheat pillow on a flat surface with the zippered end inside the open end of the pillowcase. Make sure the pillowcase is totally tucked under the buckwheat pillow.
3. Carefully unzip the zipper on the end of the buckwheat pillow.
4. Pull the pillowcase all the way around the buckwheat pillow.  Buckwheat hulls will fall out of the pillow and start to fill up the bottom of the pillowcase.  Completely empty the pillow cover into the pillowcase.  Turning the pillow cover inside out will help to get all the buckwheat hulls out of the pillow corners.
5. Tie up the pillowcase to keep the buckwheat hulls from escaping while you wash the pillow cover.
6. Once the pillow cover is clean and completely dry the same process can be used to get the buckwheat hulls back in the pillow.

What about cleaning the buckwheat hulls inside your pillow?

If the buckwheat hulls are completely soaked – say, for example, you spilled your morning coffee all over your pillow – the hulls should be replaced with new ones.  Saturating the hulls with any kind of liquid may cause them to lose their supportive, three-dimensional shape.  Furthermore, cleaning coffee, or any other liquid from them is impossible and may lead to mold growth.

However, if the buckwheat hulls in your pillow are just damp, due to a spot of spilled water or a humid environment, they can be thoroughly dried out and rejuvenated in the sun.