Your kapok is coming to you unfluffed. You do not have to fluff it, but if you are using it for a pillow, you will find your pillow rather lumpy without taking the time to pull apart the fibers.
Depending on your distraction level, it will take about half an hour per lb. of fill to fluff. Our technique is simple though rather humorous looking:
- Sit down. Make sure you are wearing a shirt you won’t mind throwing down the laundry after your fluffing because it will get covered in kapok, in particular your sleeves.
- Place the bag your fiber arrived in on your lap, perhaps even on a chair in front of you.
- Pull the bag up to your chin and put your arms inside the bag. I like to tuck the bag securely under my arms so floating fibers do not sneak out.
- Take a clump in one hand and pull loose bits off of it with the other hand. Make a channel down the side of the bag to shove all the fluffed kapok in.
- Occasionally you may find debris in the kapok, a seed pod, a stick, sometimes a string from packaging. I separate these out and add them to a pocket I make out of the bag sitting up by my neck, discarding them when I am ready for a break.
- Fill the pillow slowly or the fibers will become airborne and you’ll have some dusting to do. I usually fill with the zipper half open and then close it more as I get to the top. Pack the fill in tightly.
- When fully stuffed, pound that pillow from all sides. The thumping will even out the lumps and smooth the whole pillow.
- Save your extra fill. As the fill is compressed, over time the fibers will break into smaller strips. The fill will take up less room in the pillow, giving the feel of flattening. We have supplied you with extra fill to reserve for later when you need some more height in the pillow.
- Sleep comfortably.
Caution: Do NOT touch your eyes after touching the fill! If you look on your fingertips after touching it there will be tiny fibers clinging to them. You can imagine the itch if they were to get in your eye.
Happy DIYing.