It is true. I don’t know how I do it, but I go through pillows more than any one person should. In fact, I Googled it. According to those who apparently know, you should be able to get two-three years out of a synthetic pillow (more for down), but in my bed I don’t think I even make it a year before the pillow bites the dust. And I don’t think the dip in my mattress where I sleep is normal since my husband (who is bigger) has a smaller dip than I do!
I don’t think I am an unreasonable pillow user. I like a modest pillow, a little fluffy and a little firm. Not so soft my head floats to the bottom, but not so firm as to cause a crick in my neck. I buy reasonably priced pillows. Nothing fancy, after all I have never seen one that lasts, but I try to go with name brands on sale. But they just don’t last.
Of course, I have no idea what type of mattress we have. It is comfy and pillow top, and we bought it when we moved into the house 5 1/2 years ago. I am sure it is not a fancy mattress like a ComforPedic mattress or Simmons Beautyrest Black, but it does the job. Except now I have a dent… (Which part of me wants to blame on pregnancy (2 1/2 years ago), maybe the extra belly weight combined with terrible night sweats killed it. I don’t know, but even that doesn’t answer my 2x a year pillow replacement.)
Do I secrete some strange pillow/mattress killing oil? Or do I abuse pillows by sleeping mainly on the corners? I choose synthetic vs down because of allergies, and for the same reason have a special dust mite cover on my pillows and still… they go kaput. I thought perhaps the special cover would help, but alas… the same results as not having a cover. (Although I have noticed my allergies might be a bit better with the cover…)
So I have killed another pillow, and I back on the hunt for a replacement. To me the worst part about replacing the pillow is the waste of throwing away an old pillow… It makes me sad. I did read a suggestion about making old pillows into dog beds to donate to a local dog shelter, so I might look into that.
What about you, how long do your pillows last? And do you have any suggestions of what to do with old pillows?
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Michele says
Every 6 months or so I take our pillows and run them through the wash machine in hot water then I put the in the dryer. They puff back up really well. I haven’t bought a pillow in years!
jen says
Really, the whole thing? I am totally trying this over the weekend!
Jessica says
Glad to know I’m NOT alone. I spend a small fortune on pillows. The last ones I purchased were rather expensive from Ralph Lauren, yet they still “died” after just a few months. My latest ones are el cheapos from Wal-Mart so we’ll see what kind of life they have.
I have never put mine in the washer/dryer, but will try that as well.
Jill says
My husband and I are pillow killers too! I found some nice memory foam ones here at Sams Club about 3 years ago and they are still working (kinda) — actually I washed them and that seemed to make them not bounce back as much…I too wish I could find a pillow that would last us – my husband gets HORRIBLE sleep because of it.
christina says
Yep I put ours in the washer with lots of detergent and hot water too. Maybe every couple of months and still replace them every year ish. My husband shaves his head so his needs to be washed all the time – ya know oils and such. We have memory foam ones and regular and some feather ones, I use different ones at different times that seems to help my neck and back the best.