How Often Should I Replace my Pillows and Duvet?

We have all heard the basics of keeping the bedroom clean; change pillow covers every week, bed sheets once every week or two weeks, and duvet covers every two to three weeks. These are things that you might never have been taught but know anyway because of how integral they are to living a comfortable life. But what most people forget about are the things under the covers. 

Many people go years and years with the same pillows, mattresses, and duvets, changing the covers but never realizing that the cover doesn’t protect the inside from wear and tear. The fillings need to be replaced too! Making sure your entire bed is clean and taken care of is essential to creating a healthy sleep environment. And knowing the time to replace your pillows and duvet is critical for a good night’s sleep.

Healthy Sleep Environment

A healthy sleep environment is one where you’re not only comfortable in different sleeping positions but also feel safe. Every day, your body sheds off dead skin cells and hair, and body oil and replaces it with more. Since you use your pillows and duvets every day, they collect all of the impurities and over time, attract dust mites. Besides the fact that having microscopic bugs snacking on your skin every time you’re in bed is insanely unsettling, if you’re someone with allergies, they can make life worse, creating a not so healthy and not so comfortable sleep environment. 

This isn’t something that happens overnight, though. Like everything else, pillows and duvets have a lifespan. All you need to know is how often to replace these bedding items. Changing your duvets and pillows on time will go a long way toward making your sleep environment healthy and comfortable. 

How Long Do Pillows Last 

Generally, it would be best if you replace your pillows every two years. This timeframe applies to regular pillows. If you have other types of pillow like a memory foam pillow or a set of feather pillows, their lifespan will vary. 

An easy way to figure out when to change pillows is to fold them in half. If they stay that way, they’ve lost the ability to support. That means it's a good time for changing pillows. If they bounce back open, they still have some life left in them and can be used for longer. 

If you keep using a pillow after it has lived out its best months, it might end up affecting your quality of sleep and overall health. An old pillow can’t support your head and neck the same way as a newer one. Old pillows can cause headaches, backaches, and muscular pain. These physical symptoms indicate that you must replace pillows.

How Long Do Duvets Last

Unlike pillows, duvets don’t have to support your body weight as they lie on top of you. This means their lifespan isn’t even in the same ballpark as pillows. Duvets can last longer. Typically, a good quality duvet would last you anywhere from 15 to 25 years! This timeframe is really long, and most people have duvets that are so old that they don’t even remember when they bought them, which makes it pretty hard to figure out when you have them replaced.

To avoid having to go and look through your purchasing history for the past decade or two, you can try a few simple tricks to determine if you need to replace your duvets. If a duvet used to be fluffy but now looks limp and flat, it’s a sign you need to replace the item. Other indications you must ch your duvet include loosening of the filling, bits of the filling leaking out, and the duvet literally falling apart. 

How to Maintain Your Pillows and Duvets

The general lifespans that we’ve mentioned above are the averages. Chances are your pillows or duvets won’t actually end up lasting that long, unless you care for them and undertake essential upkeep tasks.

• Pillows: An easy way to make pillows last longer is to use a pillow protector. That would go on between your pillow and your pillow cover, protecting the pillow inside. 

It also makes sense to check if your pillows are machine washable. If they are, throw them in the wash, two at a time with a liquid detergent with hot water. Then run another cycle with only water and dry on low heat or lay them out to dry.

If your pillows aren’t machine washable, get them dry cleaned instead. 

• Duvets: A duvet doesn’t need regular washing, but many people end up washing them every two or three months. Ideally, you should wash it every four years or so. Shake it every morning to redistribute the fluff, and it won’t go limp too quickly. 

Most duvets are machine washable. Keep your washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle, and use a tiny amount of liquid detergent. Run it through the tumble dryer and let it dry 2/3rds of the way. Take it out and hang it for it to dry completely. If your machine isn’t big enough, you can take the duvets to a laundromat or have a professional wash it for you.

Conclusion

Although taking care of pillows and duvets is often overlooked, they’re vital components of a healthy and comfortable sleep environment. Use the tips given in this article to determine when you should replace your duvet and pillows.