The Dirty Secrets Of Your Pillows
Have you ever wondered why your pillows go flat so quickly? When you wash your bed linens and remove your pillowcase are your pillows starting to turn yellow? Some of the ‘Secrets’ may surprise you and why not just any pillow protector will do.
#1 COMPRESSION
It is impossible to avoid compression. After all, you are sleeping on your pillow, and that means you are compressing it. But it is important to understand how feather pillows and down pillows respond to compression or being compressed, over time. In fact, even 650, 750 and 850 fill power down clusters respond differently over time when compressed. The larger the down cluster the higher the quality and more resilient it will be to compression. Larger down clusters will remain supportive and resilient longer than a 750 fill power or 650 fill power down cluster. They will respond more favorably to being fluffed either by hand or fluffed using the dryer. When it comes to compression products, items that you sleep 'on' like; pillows, feather beds or down mattress toppers the higher the fill power the more durable it is and the longer it will last.
Down Compression: The higher the fill power the higher the quality and the higher the quality the longer it will last. Larger 850 fill power down clusters are just more durable and resilient than smaller 650 fill power down clusters ones. It’s almost that simple. Higher quality and larger down clusters will allow your down pillows or down mattress topper to last longer assuming you take the proper care to keep the next two (2) enemies of feather and down, moisture and oil, from reaching those down clusters or feathers. When it comes to fill power bigger is better. Because down pillows last longer than feather pillows many use this as the primary reason down pillows are better than feather pillows.
Feather Compression: Feathers do not have a 'fill power' rating. Small feathers are typically better for bedding while larger down clusters are better when comparing down. Larger down clusters are better. However, feathers have a much greater challenge than their down cluster counterpart at remaining supportive over time. Feathers have a spine and filaments that radiate from that spine that can and do break under compression. Over time the feather quills break and crack reducing the support and longevity of your feather pillow. Over the course of many years more and more of the feathers break during the compression of sleep. As the feathers break and crack you will find a greater chance you will be 'poked' by a feather making its way through the fabric or ticking used to contain those feathers.
#2 - MOISTURE
Moisture is everywhere: We are not talking about the moisture and humidity outside because you probably don't sleep outside. But the level of humidity inside your house; the temperature you keep your thermostat at while you sleep, moisture from your hair and perspiration while you sleep, can have a significant impact on the longevity of your luxury down bedding. Regardless of the temperature, It's not really something we think about it in terms of its impact on our down bedding or our sleep environment but its impact is very real.
Moisture and humidity can destroy down causing it to lose its loft and its ability to insulate properly. Your pillows will go 'flat' more quickly or lose their loft and be less supportive impacting your pillows usefulness. Now you can see why we recommend occasionally throwing your pillows in the dryer. Drying them on a regular basis allow your pillows to 'fully dry' and regain most of their original loft and support. We are NOT saying dry your pillows every day but our experience has been that if you can get your pillows 'fully dry' on a regular basis you can extend the life of your pillows.
Hair: if you typically take your bath in the evening and don’t completely dry your hair the moisture in your hair can shorten the life of your pillow. Not completely drying your hair before you go to sleep will significantly impact the life of your pillow and cause your pillow to yellow prematurely. Your pillow will go flat and lose its resilience the more your pillow is exposed to moisture from your hair.
Perspiration: There are many reasons why you weightless in the morning than you do in the evening and it's not because your body has had a chance to digest dinner from last night. One of those reasons is that you perspire while you sleep. The average person can lose as much as 1 liter of water overnight and that 'water' has to go somewhere and it's usually into your down comforter, feather bed or pillows or combination. Do NOT underestimate the impact a duvet cover and your flat sheet can and will have on the amount of additional, and potentially unwanted warmth, they can add to your bedding environment.
#3 - OIL AND LOTIONS
Oils And Lotions: The oils from your skin are another enemy that is difficult to overcome but can definitely be managed. Those same oils are also responsible in large part for the yellowing you may see on the 'shells' or 'ticking' of your down pillows, feather beds and down comforters over time. The oils from your skin take years to actually impart any yellowing but the oils from lotions applied after an evening bath do the real damage to the cotton used to make the down shells. Bathing habits are understandably difficult to change but the lotions and perfumes that are applied sooner rather than later will reach the luxury down feathers and goose down clusters inside the cotton shells.
THE SOLUTION
We have designed a protective pillow casing that is both simple and cost-effective that can help reduce the impact of moisture and the oils from your skin on your luxury pillow. It may seem relatively common at first glance but it is designed to have the least impact on your pillow ‘firmness’ while helping manage both the moisture and oils from your skin while you sleep. We don’t want you sleeping on an unprotected pillow and this is one of our most popular items and they don’t stay in stock for long. Grab one of these protective pillow casings today for free and just pay for the shipping.
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Thank you for your interest in our 3 Dirty Secrets about your Down Pillow. These 3 Secrets and one our pillow protectors help extend the life of your pillow.
David Smith - Down & Feather Co. President & CEO