The Fiji Times

Get that dose of sunshine for your beddings

- By RUSIATE VUNIREWA

THE bright summer days bring with them the opportunit­y to revitalize your wool and cotton bedding, naturally. Heat, bright sunlight and the fresh summer breeze all have the ability to naturally deodorize, disinfect and bleach natural fibres, restoring and bringing back their splendour.

After weeks or months of long use, it can feel wonderful to treat your bedding to a beautiful dose of sunshine.

Resthouse (resthouses­leep.com) shares steps on how we can sun pillows and beddings at home.

Sunning the pillows is not a new concept For generation­s, people have hung their bedding outside for a revitalizi­ng measure of nature's best cleaner and deodorizer, the sun! Walk down any street in Europe on a warm sunny day, and you'll see puffy pillows and quilts piled on windowsill­s catching the morning rays.

Families everywhere brighten and refresh their pillows, sheets, comforters, and blankets by draping them over shrubs and bushes, across the grass, or on clotheslin­es.

Nothing compares to the delicious fragrance of bedding aired under the sun.

Want to give it a try? Follow the steps below to take part in this natural cleaning process.

The following steps will help you sun your pillows:

On a bright sunny day, remove your pillowcase­s and take your wool or down-filled pillows and beddings outside.

Place them on a clothes-drying rack or peg them to a clotheslin­e with clothespin­s.

You want to be sure that air can flow through as they bask in the sun. Then, leave them out for a few hours.

After two hours, flip your beddings over and fluff them up. If you've used clothespin­s, unpin your pillows, fluff them up, rotate them, and pin them up again along the opposite seam. Leave them outside for a few more hours.

Sunlight on your bedding is beneficial but be careful not to leave your things out in the bright sun for too long. Ultraviole­t rays can fade colours and break down the structure of natural fibres.

When the sunbath is finished, take your pillows, bed sheets and blankets indoors. It's that easy!

Sunning is very good for your pillows. Pillows are often the least washed item on your bed.

After all, they are bulky, and not all pillow fillings take kindly to soap and water.

Pillows stuffed with organic wool, down, memory foam or polyfill, are not inherently washable, but they love a good sunbath. And they need one.

It's essential to wash your pillowcase­s and covers frequently. Laundering weekly removes oils, hair, dead skin, sweat, and dust.

A clean pillowcase also protects your natural fibre pillow. The pillow itself, however, will benefit from a lengthy airing outside in the sun a few times a year.

How does sunlight kill germs on beddings?

The sun's ultraviole­t rays kill dust mites, mildew, and allergens. In addition, odours and dampness from perspirati­on are absorbed by sunlight - it can even lighten stains.

Just a few hours beneath the hot sun and your beddings will feel and smell as fresh as if they'd been laundered - all without the use of harsh chemicals.

Sunning your bedding is well worth the effort.

The sweet fragrance of summer and the hot sunshine permeate the natural fibres of your bed linens.

When you settle down to rest in your sundrenche­d bedding, the result is pure pleasure.

 ?? Picture:MEDICALNEW­STODAY.COM ?? Sleep is enjoyed more when the beddings have been out in the sun.
Picture:MEDICALNEW­STODAY.COM Sleep is enjoyed more when the beddings have been out in the sun.
 ?? Pictures: 123RF.COM ?? Just a few hours beneath the hot sun and your beddings will feel and smell as fresh as if they’d been laundered - all without the use of harsh chemicals.
Pictures: 123RF.COM Just a few hours beneath the hot sun and your beddings will feel and smell as fresh as if they’d been laundered - all without the use of harsh chemicals.
 ?? Pictures: 999KTDY.COM ?? The sun’s ultraviole­t rays kill dust mites, mildew, and allergens on blankets when its exposed to the sun.
Pictures: 999KTDY.COM The sun’s ultraviole­t rays kill dust mites, mildew, and allergens on blankets when its exposed to the sun.

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