Hi L....
I have a special needs son who has ALWAYS made big messes. Puke, pee, food, poop, blood.....you name it, he did it (and still does sometimes. So does his little sister and little brother). I used to just buy new pillows all the time, but that gets EXPENSIVE.
I found that it just depends on the type of pillow you have. If it is a feather pillow, DON'T WASH IT. If you do, your washer may end up looking like you washed shedding chickens!
Now I have (actually pretty inexpensive -- from Walmart) foam based pillows, and they can be washed in a regular washer. I wash them in cold for the stains, in the gentle cycle, and use color safe bleach along with the detergent, and then rinse with Downy or some good smelling softener. You can also dry them....but here's a hint. I dry them (and sometimes wash them, too) with the kids' washable tennis shoes. Then when they are in the dryer, the shoe beats the heck out the pillow, keeps it fluffy, and keeps it from getting all out of shape. Tennis balls (you can get a can for "laundry use" in the sporting goods department at WM really cheap!) also work.
So far, that has worked pretty good!
Good Luck!
S. E.