I’ve been meaning to write this newsletter for a long time—years! But I recently revived a longtime client’s pillows, which finally gave me the opportunity to share my tips on how to care for your handwoven textiles.
September (with Ethiopian New Year and the fall equinox) always feels like a natural time to pause and refresh. So I hope you find this useful!
To jump right to it, below is a summary of how to care for your pillows:
Cotton pillows + textiles (most of our collections!)
Synthetic pillows
-
Hand wash or dry clean
-
Iron as needed
For occasional pilling
And if you’re interested in the details and some real-life examples, read on!
Pillows before washing!
A longtime client came into the studio this spring looking to replace her pillows, which she mentioned were looking a little tired. I asked her to bring them in so I could see how they were wearing.
She had purchased a set of our
Coordinate Pillows in Dusk around six years ago. When I saw them, it was evident that they really just needed a wash, so I offered to freshen them up for her.
Our fabrics are hand-dyed and handwoven with handspun cotton, but they’re quite durable.
Tools of the trade (you only need a Gleener though, on the right)!Tools of the trade (you only need a Gleener though, on the right)!
I took the covers home and washed them on a delicate cycle with a gentle detergent—I like Seventh Generation or Tide Free & Gentle. Right out of the wash, they looked great.
One pillow had a little pilling, likely where her small dog gets cozy! For pilling, my hands-down favorite tool is the Gleener fabric shaver. I find it much more effective than electric shavers and gentler than sweater stones.
Once I restuffed the pillows, they looked fresh and revived (first photo). She was so surprised by the transformation!
Pillows from my home, which I've had for 6/8 years!
My own pillows
This inspired me to refresh some of my own pillows. I’ve had many of them for over ten years.
The ones in our upstate home somehow get more wear and tear, even though we’re not there as often. Perhaps we spend more time lounging when we are. I started with those.
Pillows before
My pillows after
I washed my Bale Pillow in Mist, Bertu Mini and Mombasa Melange. A note: my husband likes to sleep on the Mombasa :/ That means lots of friction, plus oils from skin and hair. But I brought that one back to life too!
Our cotton textiles are prewashed, so washing them won't change the appearance. The key is keeping temperatures low, which is why I recommend washing and drying on a delicate setting.
High heat while the fabric is sopping wet can be hard on the fibers and color, so avoid high-temperature drying.
Ironing is another story. Once dry, our cotton textiles can be ironed at a high temperature. I use the linen setting, steam and sometimes a light spray of water to get them crisp. In fact, that’s how I prep our textiles in the studio.
My Hela pillow (synthetic) washed and dried in delicate, plus a little Gleener
Our synthetic textiles (the ones with super bright colors) need a little more care. I recommend hand washing or dry cleaning them. That said, in the name of research, I put my own Hela Citrus through the delicate cycle—and it came out great (photo above).
Synthetic fabrics can also be more prone to pilling, so the Gleener comes in handy here too.
And that's all! It's pretty simple, just a quick wash and some Gleening and our pillows will last years.
If you have any care questions about one of your Bolé Road pieces, simply email us!
I’m happy to help!
Hana
