Professional Organizer, liberating you from the shackles of clutter and chaos for peace of mind
and productivity because, when your home works your life works. And my linen cupboard works a
lot better than it did a week ago because I did a massive declutter and organize of it this week.
It’s been driving me mad. It was rammed too full and I was starting to realize I didn't
know everything that was in it anymore. And I pulled it all out and I decluttered and organized.
I didn't just do that: I also INVENTORIED it. I actually made a list of what's in there,
in its sets, and actually ALL my bed linen and all my towels etc. So things like the bed linen that's
on my bed is included in the inventory and I wrote on the inventory where everything is.
So now not only is the cupboard no longer rammed and I know what's in it,
but I’ve kind of got a list of everything. It's brilliant. I’m really, really pleased with myself.
And in the process, I decided to get rid of some pillows and I thought I would talk today about
getting rid of pillows because, if there is one thing I am asked about how to get rid of - how
you can recycle it or how to pass it on - a lot, it is pillows. Now I’m going to say up front that,
unfortunately, I don't have very good news for you. The thing that people say most commonly when
somebody asks how to get rid of pillows is, “Can you donate them to an animal shelter?”
In my experience, the answer to that is, “No”. The animal shelters do not want them,
probably for the reason I’m about to talk about and maybe also for hygiene reasons.
Even if they've been washed, maybe they can't be sure that they're hygienic enough.
If you're very craft-minded, and you've got a polyester pillow, once you've washed it obviously,
you could reuse the filling. You could make it into a, you know, you could use it as a
cushion stuffing or you could make it into a draught excluder. Or you could use the pillow itself as
your own dog bed, if you've got a dog. I haven't. Obviously once you've washed it. But as I say,
none of that applies to me and I did know that you cannot put pillows into textile recycling.
So for the purpose of this post - this video - I did a little bit of extra research to try and
understand that and the reason - as I understand it - the reason is because they're treated with
flame-retardant/fire-retardant chemicals and that makes them non-recyclable. I believe they're
toxic. I don't know exactly what problem they cause but that's the reason why you can't put
them in the textile recycling. So I thought I was going to be really clever and I thought, “I know
what I’ll do: I’ll take them apart and at least I can recycle the covers”. So I can get rid of this
polyester filling: unfortunately that's going to have to go in the bin but at least I could put
the polyester cover in the textile recycling. And actually this one has got a cotton cover,
so I’ll use the cotton cover as a moisture mat in my worm composter. So I started taking it
apart as you can see and then I started thinking. “Well hang on a second! If the polyester filling
can't go in the recycling because of the flame retardant materials, is the cover covered in
flame retardant materials too?” And I ended up researching: going right into all the British
Standards and regulations for bedding and sofas etc. And yes, I’m pretty sure that
the covers - the integral covers: I’m not talking about pillowcases. I’m talking about the sewn on,
integral cover that comes with your pillow - is also treated with fire retardant chemicals
which means, if THIS can't go in the recycling because it's got flame retardant chemicals on it,
I presume THIS can't go in the recycling because it's got flame retardant chemicals on it.
And I also don't like the idea of putting something that's regarded as toxic,
because it's got flame retardant materials on it, into my worm composter in case it kills the worms.
So I’m also not going to use this cotton cover in my worm composter. I am going to put
the whole lot - all three – whole, every single bit of them, into the bin. And I’m afraid that
is all I can recommend that you do. Like I say, unless you're a craft-minded person and you want
to reuse the filling once you've washed it. But I’ve tried offering them on local giveaway groups
and (quelle surprise) nobody wanted them so I absolutely do not know of a good way to dispose
of pillows or duvets other than to put them - well it's not a “good” way - but as far as I’m aware,
all you can do is put them into the bin: landfill or incineration. If you know something better,
please do tell me in the comments so that I can share it with people that follow me.
But I don't know a better solution than that. Sad but true. So after that bit of bad news,
please do give me a Like! Haha. And I will see you in the next YouTube Live. Bye for now.