If you are lucky enough to own a
down pillow then you understand that over time the pillow may lose some of its firmness. It is important that the density of a
bed pillow match your sleeping habits. If your pillow is experiencing a softening it is likely time to fluff your bed pillow.
There are a few factors which can cause a
down pillow to lose its firmness including:
- Compression (From Head & Shoulder Weight)
- Moisture Ambient & Close Proximity Body Moisture
- Down Degradation Small Cluster Fill Powers to High End Fill Powers
- Pillow Care Repeated Washings
Compression Of Pillows
The average human head weights approximately 8 to 9 pounds. This combined with your shoulders and upper torso weight can hurt the
down filling with repeated compression. While down as a filling material is very soft and airy it is also very durable and stories of pillows older than 50 years being in good order can be found.
Down clusters the main ingredient of a down pillow are in fact very durable and can withstand repeated usage.
Moisture In Bed
Down filling itself measured in low
fill power to high fill power are equally affected by moisture. Moisture in the case of a pillow comes from normal night time perspiration. Your body naturally cools itself by sweating and this is a normal process at night. What happens over time is that moisture from your close contact as well as ambient room humidity can affect how fluffy the down can be. Adding cooling fabrics and or fabric protectors are a great way to minimize the effects of moisture in pillows. Consequently lower moisture helps reduce dust mites and pillow bacteria.
Down Degradation
Down clusters themselves look like tiny dots with thousands of silky plumes coming from the center. Down clusters very much like feathers are a very stable material that withstands hundreds of repeated pushes and rubs that occur in sleep under the pillowcase fabric. Generally
higher fill power down clusters from Europe are larger and more stable then lower fill powers common in ducks and geese harvested in Asia. A 700 fill power down cluster will outlive a 550 fill power down cluster by a wide margin.
Pillow Care
Most consumers cling to their favorite bed pillows far longer than is healthy based on research about dust mites and bacteria. These can impact your allergies which in turn can impact your breathing and hence your
sleep patterns. While most down pillows are machine washable and dryable it is advised that pillows only be washed once a year for most consumers. In place we advise using a quality pillow protector and the protector itself is washed monthly for a clean sleeping environment. Those consumers that do wash their pillows risk harming the pillow not from washing but from improper drying. A down pillow can be washed but special care is needed for how to dry the pillow. Generally unless a pillow has silk or rayon fabric it can be dried for 2-3 high heat cycles post washing it.
How To Fluff Down Pillows
Regardless of the issue causing your
down pillow to become softer then you like there are a few things you can do for proper care. The easiest thing you can do is place the pillow in a dryer for a cycle. The heat and mechanical fluffing will keep the down arid and hence loftier. This trick also works to help pre-fluff a down pillow newly bought in a store up to a down pillow reaching 10 years in age. The drying trick can be done monthly and will yield a very nice
fluffy pillow that will have lower bacteria counts.
In addition to a good dryer fluffing we recommend using moisture regulating pillow protector fabric starting with Cotton and going up to Tencel Lyocell materials.
