Wow, sounds like quite a chemical experiment you performed in your bathtub! Thanks for sharing. I have essentially melted a kitchen dishwashing sponge while attempting to sterlize it in bleach, in the microwave. We use these kinds of household chemicals all the time without fully realizing we're performing chemistry "experiments" just like back in chemistry lab. I'm assuming you used plain old chlorine bleach...don't remember specifics, but offgassing from the chlorine bleach combining with certain other chemicals can be quite toxic. Glad you didn't experience that!

I tried washing a fibrefill pillow in my clothes washer. It came out completely lumpy, ruined. Now I just buy new pillows as needed. They're not expensive, sometimes I see them for $5 each.

georgieporgie,

I don't recall any fumes. But I still panicked. The water turned red so quickly, I thought I had slashed my hand or a finger. Didn't realize until a few seconds later that it must have been the bleach. And yes, it was plain 'ol Clorox.

Jannie might have the right idea. Just replace the pillows every 2 to 4 years. In the case of latex foam, that can get a little pricey. About $30 to $40 each is the cheapest I've seen them.

Very interesting. Did the pillows turn red too or just the water? Hope the pillows are OK. They really are expensive. I've never even considered washing them. And I've used them for several years before replacing them.

When we were stationed at Ft. Dix in NJ many years ago, every time I added bleach to the water it turned shocking orange. But those whites came out brighter than new. I was washing diapers at the time and whenever I came home for a visit, the diapers washed here (and even the new ones I bought here) were never as white as the ones I'd brought washed in that orange water! Must have been something in the water. Wish I knew what it was. Sandy

Everytime I use liquid detergent & bleach, there is a reaction in the washer. It turns an orangy color.

Besides blankets, sheets, towels, bed and couch covers, you should also keep your pillows clean. Dirty pillows can harbour allergens, making you prone to various allergies. Clean your pillows once at least every 6 months. Over a period of time, your pillow starts collecting lot of sloughed skin, mold and mildew, fungus, dust mites and dust feces. Here we offer the effective methods and tips to keep your pillows clean for a long time.

Hand-washing, machine-washing, or dry-cleaning are the various methods to clean cotton and down pillows. For hand-washing, clean with a mild detergent in lieu of soap to avoid any residues from being deposited on the pillows. Use warm water for washing. Its temperature should not exceed 40c. Rinse thoroughly in cold water all the while squeezing the pillow to clear out any residues.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pillow cleaning tips

Do not understand the red color, but you should never use chlorine on latex. There is a chemical reaction that will cause the latex to beciome brittle, and crumble. It is possible that your pillow had clay added to latex, but usually the additives are grey clay, not red. (They add clay to extend the latex, and bring the cost down).
Several other points.
Never wash a feather or down pillow. While the material is washable, it degrades with heat or sunlight. The material is too dense to effectively air dry, and mildew will result. As for the polyester pillow that "lumped" it was no doubt a non siliconized fiber. (very cheap) When drying a polyester pillow, the more heat the better. The heat actually restores the fiber to their original thickness. Dry with a tennis shoe in the dryer.
As for those old latex pillows, the sole US manufacturer of latex pillows had their factory blow up several years ago in Shelton CT. No one else makes them in the US because the molds cost almost 1 million to make. The only supplier left around is Dunlop in England. Due to prohibitive freight costs, it is rare to find in the US. finally never allow a latex pillow near any heat or ignition point. They catch on fire quickly,

Hi Pat - you wrote "Due to prohibitive freight costs, it is rare to find in the US." We have Lanoodle pillows which are made in the USA too from latex made by cozypure.com If you like latex pillows these are great.