How often should you change your pillow?

You sleep on your pillow, night after night for hours, so how often should you replace your pillow?

A pillows lifespan is variable depending on the quality and make of your pillow. The plain old-style polyester pillow should be replaced every six months whereas foam memory or latex can last between 18 to 36 months.

However, when you think about it, each night it is absorbing body oil, dead skin cells and hair creating the perfect environment for dust mites to breed. 

There are some things that you can do to help prolong the life of your pillow and keep it allergy free. These include:

 

  1. Washing in hot water every 6 months (check specific washing instructions)
  2. Use a protectant case in between the pillow and pillowcase
  3. Use a silk pillowcase as silk has hypoallergenic properties like a natural resistance to dust mites, mould, and fungus in addition to many other allergens. Silk also does not pick up as much pore-clogging bacteria as cotton does

Whilst washing and protectant cases will help with allergens they won’t help your pillow stay supportive. All pillows, no matter how much fluffing you do, will lose their shape and support eventually. Down and natural feather pillows are more durable than those with polyester filling and may last a little longer. 

It’s time to go shopping if your pillow is lumpy, needs constant fluffing or if you fold it in half and it stays that way you need a new pillow.