Do Pillow Protectors Protect?

[GillianF]

Silly question alert!

In this very hot weather I am finding that white cotton 'under' pillowcases and the pillows themselves are becoming very yellow stained with sweat, greasy hair etc.

Would pillow protectors protect the pillows from this staining? I hesitate to soak and wash pillows on a changeover in case I can't get them dry enough to go back on beds but I'd be horrified if a guest stripped a pillow and saw the marks.

[kg1]

Yes is the short answer. Our pillow covers do get the yellow stains but the pillows stay clean. I change ours every 2 weeks in the summer so buy 2 for each pillow. I use M&S ones, they wash well.

[FelicityA]

Yes. i find that pillow protectors do really protect. I go for a good quality one so they are quite well padded but even my older, thinner ones prevent the pillows from getting stained. I wash them very frequently, often on every changeover (people do seem to dribble a lot....).

[Joanna]

Yes to the thicker quilted ones, but not the thin cotton zip up ones that are just like having a second pillow case.

[Mouse]

The zipped ones from The White Co are quite good as the material used is good quality and thick enough to prevent staining. They're also easier to get the pillowcase on than the quilted ones, which I tried and gave up on.

They can be bleached when stained.....and last quite well.

I buy them when they're on offer.

Mouse
x

[gardenboy]

I buy protectors from a guy at the market. The zipped padded ones they are only 4e each so I have a few spare to facilitate rotation. I just replaced my pillows with aldi ones, 12e each and v comfortable.

A stained pillow would put me right off, I ask the guests to strip the beds on departure so they would notice.

[Casscat]

Protectors do protect. I bulk buy the disposable ones.

[PW in Polemi]

Silly question alert! Not a silly question at all!

In this very hot weather I am finding that white cotton 'under' pillowcases and the pillows themselves are becoming very yellow stained with sweat, greasy hair etc. Try washing the sheets and pillowslips on a hot wash, 60C minimum, spray with de-greaser before putting in the machine, and put half a cup of bicarbonate of soda in the drum with the laundry, and your usual detergent in the drawer. Whites become whiter - but of course, some whites are whiter than others anyway, even from new! I work on the "sides to middle" test - if the middle is yellow/gray compared to the sides, it needs degreasing, a really hot wash and plenty of bicarb.

Would pillow protectors protect the pillows from this staining? Yes. I hesitate to soak and wash pillows on a changeover in case I can't get them dry enough to go back on beds but I'd be horrified if a guest stripped a pillow and saw the marks.Surely you have spare pillows so you can ring the changes? What if somebody threw up all over the bed, including the pillows, on a same-day changeover? When setting up, I omitted to buy pillow protectors, so use the 2 pillowslip system, as I have done at home for decades, but I can also buy pillows (reasonable ones) from the manufacturer's shop here in Cyprus, for less than 10 euro each, so I wash or replace them as necessary. To me, pillows are like tea towels and car tyres - something that has to be replaced on a fairly regular basis!

[Marks]

Primark quilted ones. Cheap as chips and protect well. Easy to wash at 40C and come up a treat.

[kg1]

Protectors do protect. I bulk buy the disposable ones.

Didn't know you could get disposables, where do you get them please.

[GillianF]

That would seem to answer the question then. I do pre-soak, wash in bicarbonate and/or bleach and can get the pillow cases clean enough but pillows are a different matter. I don't really want to put them regularly through such a process given that we have just invested in some quite good/expensive ones.

I take the point about spares, replacing etc. but I'd much rather prevent them getting stained in the first place.

I have just started using 'Out of Eden' for bed linen - anyone know if their pillow protectors are any good as an alternative to The White Co mentined here - I'm not familiar with them, yet. (I'm in France).

[COYS]

Ikea. Envelope fitting so really easy fit & relatively inexpensive to change each year if necessary.

[Annew]

Casscat - where do you get the disposable ones? Sounds like a good idea to me

[Martha]

We get ours from IKEA. It's one of those things when, once you've thought about it, you can't believe you didn't use before!

[Sanchisimo]

Yes. Have a bunch of spares and carry out a forensic inspection (along with the mattress protectors) every changeover. Holiday drinking = dribbling.