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When it comes to washing our linens, there is one item that doesn't seem to get enough love: Your pillow.
Many of us only focus on washing our pillowcases along with our bedsheets, but the following clip may make you start taking care of your pillow cushions.
In a viral video, TikToker @pwincesslexx, a.k.a. Lexi, showed her process of washing two of her husband's pillows that haven't seen a washing machine for five years.
That's a long time, considering cleaning experts recommend us washing our pillows at least twice a year.
After being stripped of their pillowcases, the state of the neglected pillows in the video was immediately evident based on their brown hue.
@pwincesslexx Stripping my husbands favorite pillows after 5 years🤢 #fyp #foryoupage #pillowchallenge #cleantok #gross #strip
Lexi threw in the browned pillows into a bathtub, turned on the faucet, and made a detergent cocktail consisting of Downey Odor Defense detergent pellets and Oxy Clean stain remover powder.
She tracked the progress of the soaking every couple of hours, but it wasn't until the 14th hour when the pillows started fully revealing their whiteness.
By the 24th hour, the white pillows were barely recognizable from their formerly filthy state, and the water they were soaking in had turned into a murky, black stew of filth.
The visible grime lining the base of the tub after the water had been drained was especially delightful to see. Not.
Over 36.6 million users watched Lexi's clip since posting, and it gained 4.1 million likes.
People commented with their wisecracks.
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
While others chimed in with their unsolicited suggestions.
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
In response to all the comments judging her for not buying new pillows or cleaning them more often, she posted a second clip showing the pillows looking good as new.
"Well, they're clean now," she said in the clip, adding, "So argue with your mama, ho."
@pwincesslexx Part 2 of pillow stripping, final results #fyp #foryoupage #pillowchallenge #cleantok #satisfyingvideo
Details on the pillows unseen before made quite an impression.
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
@pwincesslexx/TikTok
For the people who kept hounding Lexi and telling her to buy her husband new pillows, many commenters argued replacing them was not an option since they were his "favorite" pillows.
According to Best Life, experts say that people don't wash their pillows enough.
Natalie Barret, a cleaning supervisor and expert at Nifty Cleaning Services, recommends people wash their bed pillows at least every three to six months.
Said the cleaning expert:
"If you sweat more during the night, have more sensitive skin, or have allergies, you should wash your pillows more often—about every three months or more, if you feel the need."
And for those who think washing the pillow itself is unnecessary when the covers can be tossed in the washer, Alex Savy—a certified sleep science coach and founder of SleepingOcean—explained why you should reconsider improving your linen-cleaning regimen.
"Pillows are perfect hosts for debris, dead skin cells, sweat, moisture, skin oils, and so on," said Savy.
"If you leave all of that stuff be, it may attract dust mites. And sharing your sleeping space with those guys can cause allergies, itchy or watery eyes, skin rashes, and even increased risk of asthma."
So, what's on your laundry list for today?