How long does a pillow last? How to tell when the support is gone

When is a pillow “worn out”?

The usual advice – “replace it every two years” – dates from a time when pillows were made of feathers or fiber and really did go flat within that time. For a shaped foam pillow, the question is a different one: does it still have the height and shape it was designed for?

Stiftung Warentest, Germany's consumer testing foundation, measures exactly that in its neck pillow test: the firmness before and after an endurance test with a stamp that simulates thousands of nights. A pillow that is noticeably softer afterward will also have noticeably less height after two years at your place. Age is only a proxy for this measurement – and a poor one, because different materials age differently.

How long do the materials last?

These ranges are based on experience, not standards. What counts is the test.

How do you check whether your pillow still holds its height?

Three checks, five minutes in total:

1. The hand test. Press your flat hand firmly into the center for five seconds, then let go. An elastic foam or latex fully springs back within a few seconds. If a visible dent remains for longer than half a minute, the material is worn out. With viscoelastic foam, a slow return is normal; a permanent dent is not.
2. The height comparison. Measure the height at the center of the pillow, without any load, in the evening after fluffing it up. Compare it with the height at the edge or with the manufacturer's specification. Two centimeters of difference between center and edge on a pillow that was even when new are two centimeters your neck is missing.
3. The morning test. When you wake up, look at the pillow before you touch it. A pillow that holds its shape looks the same in the morning as it did in the evening. A worn-out one has a head cradle that isn't part of its design.

A fourth sign is indirect: if you suddenly find yourself folding a pillow that fit for years in half, or putting your hand under it, it's not your neck that has changed – the pillow has gotten flatter.

What about hygiene – dust mites, sweat, skin flakes?

Every night, a pillow absorbs sweat and skin flakes; dust mites feed on the latter. That's one reason why older pillows can make allergies worse. But most of it ends up in the cover and the pillowcase, not in the core – especially with closed foam or latex, which mites have difficulty penetrating.

That sets the order of care: wash the pillowcase weekly with your bed linen. Wash the inner cover, if removable, every one to three months at the temperature stated on the label. Air the core regularly – unwrapped, in the open air, but not in direct sunlight, which ages foam and latex. For allergy sufferers, covers that can be washed at 60 °C are the effective lever; the core itself doesn't need to be replaced for that.

Can you wash foam pillows?

The core doesn't go in the machine. Viscoelastic foam, cold-cure foam and latex absorb water, dry very slowly and can tear, grow mold or lose their structure in the process. What works:

• Dab stains on the core locally with a damp cloth and a little mild detergent – don't rub, don't soak.
• Then let it dry flat in a well-ventilated spot, without a radiator or hair dryer, until the core is completely dry – this can take a day.
• Wash all covers according to the label; only air the core.

Down and fiber pillows are usually machine-washable, but lose some fill power with every wash. Natural fillings such as spelt must not get wet.

How do you care for the hana pillow?

You can take the cover off and wash it; the temperature is on the label. Don’t wash the blue foam core: it doesn’t go in the washing machine and shouldn’t get wet. Any regular 50 × 70 cm pillowcase fits over it. Because the core is a high-density foam, it keeps its shape for years. More answers are in our FAQ.