How old is your pillow? The one you’re laying your head down on every night as you drift off to sleep?
I’m asking because I’ve been listening to the Bill Bryson book At Home: A Short History of Private Life and came across something I think you should know.
Actually, the whole book is full of fascinating tidbits.
I’m learning so much about everyday common things in our home {how they got their name, how they were invented etc.} that I am literally having to hit the pause button so I can tell the HH something like every 3 minutes.
It’s crazy!!!
Anyway, back to the pillow. How old is your pillow? Do you remember when you bought it?
Well let’s just say, it might be time for a new one. Read this:
“Your pillow alone may be home to 40 million bed mites. (To them your head is just one large oily bon-bon).
And don’t think a clean pillow-case will make a difference… Indeed, if your pillow is six years old–which is apparently about the average age for a pillow–it has been estimated that one-tenth of its weight will be made up of sloughed skin, living mites, dead mites and mite dung.”
Imagine that!
10% of your pillow’s weight is bonafide COOTIES!!!! OH MY WORD!
Maybe it’s time for a new pillow? Ya. I think it might be. 🙂
That’s it. That’s all I’ve got for today.
Carry on.
~Mavis
P.S. We buy new pillows about every 18 months {sooner, if one of us has been sick}. I’ve always thought it was a little wasteful, but after reading about the cooties, I don’t feel so bad anymore. How about YOU? How old are the pillows you’re sleeping on?
Jess says
I believe this 1000%! Makes me want to replace every single one in the house.. again!
Brianna says
I replace all of the pillows about once a year. I take a sharpie and write the date I buy them on the tag so I know. It is not a cheap endeavor with 3 kids, but we are an allergy family and it is important. I probably spend $400 each time for about 12 pillows, 2 per person and a few others. If we have houseguests, I always buy pillows before they show and throw them after they leave. If we travel and take a pillow, it gets tossed when we get home.
Dawn says
Dating them is a great idea. Thanks!
Jess says
Love it! I made my husband write his name on his pillows b/c he kept accusing me of mixing them up when I did bedding change. Totally worked in my favor. He has a nest of them due to shoulder issues and any bad night he likes to “accuse” me of messing them up.. I told him to number them in order of where he places them so HE stops forgetting and having bad nights…. ( I also told him to contact the ortho for eval and possible surgery but that is another battle all together)
Lana says
Get dust mite encasements to protect you! We write the date on the tag when we get new ones so we know exactly how old they are and replace them every year.
KC says
I also use anti-dust-mite covers – the good cotton kind – and it helps a lot with allergies. We wash them regularly but don’t throw them out until they’re actually sad; usually at least 10 years of use. Our pillows eventually get flat/crumpled/sad anyway, but it’s a lot more years of life out of them, and they’re never loaded down with dead skin and dust mites and all!
Jen F. says
I’m curious if the dust mites et al are able to be successfully removed by washing? I bought My Pillows after sleeping on them at an airbnb. They are easily washed, one of the things I love about them. I have never had a pillow before that I could successfully wash and use again. Will be looking into finding this book, Mavis. Thanks for the recommendation.
eliz says
The internet says dust mites need 50% humidity to survive.
Guess we’re okay here in sw MT then.
Dawn says
Hmmm, mine are just about 18 months old. I do wash them once a month and use a dust mite proof cover. I also sleep in a hair bonnet so I wonder if that helps. Of course, it won’t do much about the skin cells that come off my face. I am so picky about my pillows that when I finally find one I love I have a hard time letting it go but now I’m feeling a bit ick about them.
Mavis Butterfield says
I have had ZERO luck washing pillows and having them feel the same as when I bought them. What brand pillows are you using? Where did you buy them and do you remember how much they were each?
Dawn says
The pillows are Sealy and they are a combination of down and down alternative. I got them at Kohls and they were a buy one get one 50% off but I’m pretty sure the price was $39.99 before the sale. I throw them in the dryer with a bunch of wool dryer balls and a dry towel.
I did just look at the Kohls website and I am not seeing them there now.
Peg says
This grosses me out! What pillows does everyone buy and where? No Costco here so that’s not an option.
Sue says
I won’t say how old our pillows are — I’ll just say that it must be the bed mites that make them so comfy to sleep on…
Mrs. M says
Mrs. M says
Lol! That’s great!
heatherruark says
I wash and machine dry my pillows every 2 weeks, I am also REALLY picky about pillows, and the ones I use have been discontinued a few times, leaving me looking for replacements for a long time. Is there some reason I shouldn’t be washing them? I fluff them back out to redistribute the filling while they are still warm and it seems to keep them in good shape.
Mavis Butterfield says
What brand pillows are you using? Where did you buy them and do you remember how much they were each?
Lana says
Next time you are going to discard some old ones just cut them open and look at the inside. We did one time and found that the middle doesn’t get dry and was all black. I am guessing mold. That is likely worse than dust mites.
Carol says
Yikes! I’m ordering four new pillows this afternoon! I like Casper pillows because you can take out some of the filling to accommodate the firmness you prefer. This post was both enlightening and a little creepy.
Susan says
My husband (and his late brother) has a feather pillow he’s used since he was a kid (he’s 62). It’s completely flat and he uses 2 additional (flat) pillows on top of it which seems completely useless to me. He refuses to get rid of it. It’s disgusting. I’ll have to share this with him and see if it makes any difference on his willingness to throw it out.
Julie says
It was rerecommended by my allergist that I freeze my pillows (and cases) as that is a way to kill the mites that affect my allergies, whereas simple washing won’t. At first that seemed odd, but is seeming to work.
Michele says
Same as process for used books and old paper files…seal them in freezer bag, put in freezer 24-48 hrs to kill mites.
Sue in SoCal says
I just replaced our pillows last week and the last ones were about a year old or less. From Costco. They don’t seem to last long but maybe after reading your post Mavis that might be a good thing. I used to have down pillows and loved them but they’re too pricey now and I tend to hang on to them too long it seems.
Really like the dating idea on the tag.
Jody says
I never thought to mark the tags when they are replaced-great idea!
I have a couple of “my pillows” and others from Target I believe. The my pillows are the only ones I have had success with washing them on a regular basis.
Jules says
I always wake up with a stuffy nose and now I know why …those darn dust mites. Time for new pillows for sure!! It and been a few years . I dislike pillow shopping bc I can rarely find one I like
sandy says
Does washing them not rid the mite issue ? eeeeehhhhhhhwwwwww
Sue S. says
LOL
Anne R. says
I use the Beckham Hotel Collection on Amazon. Very comfy and good price point.
Sue S. says
OMG we needed this tidbit. Who thinks about this? I don’t know how old my pillows are but they going to be given the heave-ho. I use one of those for side sleepers and it was hard to find. Got it from the chiropracter. And I thought we were sneezing from dry air.
Lynda Rees Kling says
I have down pillows and will NOT. Be tossing them!
Tracy says
January 1 is my time to change any smoke detection batteries, CO2 detectors’ batteries, and the batteries on the 18 windows that have burglar alarm sensors. I check the strength of the battery in my garage opener, too. It is also the date I replace allllll the pillows in my house and wash the dust mite proof covers that go on each one. Using the first of the year as the trigger means I never have to date anything or keep track of anything.
Chris says
Growing up, my family had really good down pillows, like from “the old country.” Every year, my mom would take them to a company that would clean the down and make new ticking covers. It was such an old school way to maintain good quality pillows. They lasted forever. Now we just seem to buy and throw away so much. Now I have MyPillow that I wash once a year. But I also hang them out on the laundry line for the sun to work it’s magic.
Sue says
I use a pillow protector case and a pillowcase that gets changed 2x/week. I can’t stand foam so it’s down for me.
I am very glad to learn about the freezing method for mite control; thank you, Julie.
I do air both sides of my pillows every day (great excuse for not making the bed first thing).
It’s so hard to contemplate throwing out a down pillow that make for perfect rest.
I’m with you, Sue–must be those plump little mites that provide the incredible comfort. LOL!!!!