Caring For Your Pillow
You can spend anything from a few dollars to a big chunk of cash on a pillow, but either way, it’s important to take care of it. If you spent a lot, of course you want to help your investment last as long as possible. But more importantly, taking care of your pillow also helps to keep it healthier for you when you’re asleep.
When It’s New
First up, consider using a pillow protector. They’re relatively inexpensive and easy to purchase. They’re much easier to wash than a pillow, so can help keep your pillow fresh and clean. It also helps absorb moisture and oils, which keeps your pillow from getting stained.
Every Day
As part of making the bed, give your pillow a shake and a fluff. Apart from being fun, it helps to kill dust mites and keeps it clean and fresh. You can use this to justify a regular pillow fight.
Every Week
As a minimum, you should definitely wash or change your pillowcase every week. Think about it – you spend a lot of time asleep, and throughout that time your pillowcase is absorbing sweat, dead skin cells and dust. The longer you take to clean the pillowcase, the higher the chance all of those things will work their way through to the pillow itself.
The bigger the gap between washes, the more residue will build up. Pillow protectors should also be washed regularly for the same reason. Having a regular washing regime is good for everyone, and particularly for anyone suffering from allergies or asthma.
Regularly
If at all possible, you should also wash your pillows on a regular basis. Some can be placed in the washing machine, which makes life easier. Otherwise you may need to hand wash your pillows. Advice varies, but machine washable pillows such as many polyester pillows can be washed weekly. Others should be washed every 3 to 6 months.
You should also do a regular check of the condition of your pillows, and replace them when required. As discussed in previous blog posts, that can be anywhere from 6 months to 5 or more years. Take the time to care for your pillow, and it will repay you by lasting longer and helping to keep you healthy.