How Often Should You Change Your Pillows? More Often Than You Think!

By
Romeo Vitelli
Romeo Vitelli
Expert Writer
Received his doctorate in Psychology in 1987, spent fifteen years as a staff psychologist in Millbrook Correctional Centre. In 2003 went into full-time private practice. read more
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Reviewed By
Medical Advisory Team
Medical Advisory Team
Includes well-known professionals, who together provide decades of sleep medicine experience that enables Talk About Sleep to fulfill its mission of creating access to high- read more
Last updated: September 11, 2023
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Do you remember the last time you bought new pillows? You are probably due for some. Look at your pillow. Does it have an inviting feel for you to place your head on, begging for you to find a good night’s sleep on it? If you are finding more harm than good when you are relaxing into a peaceful rest, it’s time to say goodbye to your pillows and upgrade to something that will make you want to sleep. Now that you’ve realized you need new pillows, the next question is how often should you change your pillows?

Why should you change your pillows?

A huge reason why you should change your pillows are the germs they carry. Think about what is going on the pillow itself every time you lay down. Do you wear makeup? How about hair products? All of these things are going on your pillows. This can even make you sick depending on the type of aftereffect that is left on. If your pillow is making you hot, cooling pillow is the best one to keep your temperature at a comfortable level.

Many people wash their pillows and think that they are safe. While this does wash away a lot of the germs, you cannot simply just wash away things that leave a stain. If you see a residue on your pillow, there is still a residue of germs, too.

Another reason why you need to buy new pillows are the allergens they carry and hold in and on themselves. Did you know dust mites are one of the main reasons why people have issues with allergies and flair ups of other things such as asthma? Dust mites love to eat at the dead skin that we have falling off of us each night. Where do you think that dead skins go? Directly onto your pillow. It is gross to think about but it is a pretty good incentive to buy a new pillow or a whole batch of them.

Signs your pillows need to be replaced

How Often Should You Change Your Pillows? More Often Than You Think!So, we know that your pillow needs replaced because of all the germs but what should you look out for to know what a pillow looks like that needs thrown out? Firstly, if you see any stains that will not disappear after a round in the washing machine, that means it is stuck with the germs we talked about earlier. Plus, how gross is it to think about laying your head on a huge germ fest?

Here are some other signs:

  • It has a lot of lumps that are consistent no matter what you do. A thin pillow is good for people who don’t like to have their necks higher up.
  • You are finding that your neck is stiff every morning
  • Your mornings are filled with headaches as soon as you wake up
  • Your pillow doesn’t have any fluff to it. You feel like you are not elevated at all. Instead, you are laying level to your mattress, or it seems like it.
  • Your allergies are running while as you hit snooze. It could be that you are allergic to the dust mites and built-up germs on your old pillow. Get a hypoallergenic pillow that reduces allergens and dust mites.

Think about what your pillow looks like when it is folded or moved in other shapes. Does it come back to its original form? It should and if it doesn’t bring the life back into itself, it is not giving your head, neck, or back the support that it needs.

How often should you replace pillows?

A standard thinking of how often you should be replacing your pillows Trusted Source How Often Should You Replace Your Pillows - Amerisleep Pillows don’t last a lifetime, so how often should you replace your pillows? That really depends. Our post offers tips for maintaining and replacing pillows. amerisleep.com is every one to two years. This is not an encompassed amount of time for every pillow. For example, if you have severe allergies, you don’t want the same pillow for more than a year, possibly sooner than that. This is because the allergens would affect you different than someone who is unbothered by them. Here are some examples of which pillows need to be thrown out when:

  • Latex – 2 to 4 year
  • Bamboo – 2 to 3 years
  • Feather – 18 months to 3 years
  • Foam – 1 to 3 years
  • Polyester – 6 months to 3 years
  • Down Pillows – 2 years

To make sure you get the most out of your pillow, you need to have a pillow covering for it.

This puts a barrier between you and the pillow and might decrease the many germs and stains that you be releasing onto it. Memory foam pillows are great because they hold their shape well and keep you cool.

What can you do with your old pillows?

So, now that you are ready to toss those old pillows out, what are you supposed to with the old pillows? Don’t donate them to a thrift shop for someone else to use. You don’t want someone else to have to lay on your germs, do you? There are better options that can be beneficial for you around the house.

After a thorough cleaning, you can reuse your old pillows in various ways. Instead of buying a new couch, you can fix the broken parts such as a old, ripped up cushion. A pillow makes a great replacement for a cushion. Use a couch cover to make it still look fashionable. The cushions don’t just have to be for a couch. They be used to sit on. Pillows make excellent floor pads. Hey, it’s better than sitting on the floor.

If you have pets, your dog or cat would appreciate to have one of your old pillows as their new bed. You can save money on a dog bed and make your own with a pillow. They will dirty it up anyway. You would be covering it with some other fabric, so there is no need to worry about them being exposed to the same allergens you were.

Final Thoughts

Getting a good night’s sleep is so important in this day and age. In order to tackle the day, you need a good rest. Having a good pillow can make or break whether happens. If you are not supported, you need to buy a pillow that will do the job. Cleanliness with your pillows is a matter of the collection of germs and will determine how often should you change your pillows to maintain that cleanliness every day.

References

1.
How Often Should You Replace Your Pillows - Amerisleep
Pillows don’t last a lifetime, so how often should you replace your pillows? That really depends. Our post offers tips for maintaining and replacing pillows.
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