Pillows - Any words of wisdom?

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Kay Nein

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Since taking over our Inn, I've grumbled about the quality of the pillows. Basically, they are all just VERY old. So, they all need to be replaced IMO.
How do you decide what firmness to buy? Do you have a particular go-to brand?
I always liked when hotels had two different pillows - one hard & one soft. I would think that's the best arrangement to satisfy everyone. However, our beds also have pillow shams. So, that would be 6 pillows per bed. That's alot! Right now, there's just 4 pillows - 1 decorative and 1 to be used per person.
Thank you,
Dena
 
We have 2 soft and two firm on each bed. Each has a zippered pillow cover. We had shams, but decided it was just too much. You really don't need them if you do it right. We do have one decorative pillow.
Guests have thanked us for having the two kinds of pillows. We use hypo-alergenic and usually go mid-priced. They are replaced when needed.
 
We don't want people sleeping on the shams, so what we do is we put old pillows in the shams, but not one, usually two. So it is hard and uncomfortable to use. We find that people take them off the bed that way.
We buy new pillows in firm and keep old flat pillows for tummy sleepers who like almost flat pillows. All my pillows are hypo-allergetic. But they really never last as long as they "warrantied" to last. And the cost of shipping them back under "warranty" is often more expensive than simply replacing them.
Pillows do last longer if washed and kept in a pillow protector. It's body sweat that matts down the filling. But even washing them is no guarantee of longevity. Oh and you must dry them with tennis balls or dryer balls in the dryer to fluff them up. And of course, have a machine large enough to handle them.
For REALLY flat pillows, IKEA has new very flat pillows. My sister in-law swears by them. We bought them specifically for her.
We have bough some pillows at Costco with mixed results. The ObusForme ones have lasted longer than most.
 
We use two feather (which go flat) and two fiber on each bed, plus one in a sham as decoration. I use the shammed pillows instead of decorative pillows because you can wash the sham covers. We also have two spares in the armoires.
I don't think four pillows is too much on the bed if you don't want people to sleep or sit on your shams. It's why I often take my own pillow - I know I like it, plus if there's only one per person on the bed, that's not enough for me. I almost always read in bed and then I put one between my knees to support my lower back when I sleep.
 
We have two firm and two soft on each bed, and 2 memory foam in the trunk at the foot of the bed which are used about 15% of the time.
RIki
 
I have feather/down pullows in 2 rooms (2 on each bed) and 2 fiber-fill in my feather-free room. However, I have 2 fiber-fill pillows in the dresser of each room and tell guests where the extra pillows are when showing them the rooms. I buy FIRM in all pillows since over time they soften some. I do not like to deal with decorative/shams and have no place to put them when not on the beds (where is the guest to put them? on the dresser? the chairs? the floor?) so I do not use them. That is why we are all different. There is very little "just for show" in my rooms.
 
All our beds had shams & decorative pillows for pretty, which we removed at turndown. 4 other pillows on the bed - 2 firm & 2 soft non-allergenic. Then, I had 2 feather pillows in the room closet. So, 6 usable pillows per each bed. You'd be surprised how many middle-aged folks with reflux disease used and appreciated all of the pillows!
All pillows were in zippered, good quality pillow protectors in addition to the pillow cases.
Our guests were very considerate of the decorative pillows I think because they had such a large selection. If we didn't get to turn down the room for some reason, I always found the decorative pillows were removed by the guests.
 
Use the old pillows to go in the shams. Go buy new pillows. Don't get the Kohls 'big deal' pillow, they're awful. Ditto the Laura Ashley pillows. Try not to order them online because they get crushed during shipping.
I've had the best luck with Penney's 2 packs. They can be washed. I wash them once/year.
 
No shams for me. Four real pillows on the bed, 2 firm, 2 not. One little throw pillow in the center is plenty of decoration.
 
Y'all are the best! Who knew there'd be so much to say about pillows =)
I will definitely double up the pillows in the shams - they look sickly because they are underfilled. I agree that a well made bed with 4 pillows and a small decorative in the middle should suffice though. I really like the idea of having two extra in the room, but in drawers.
So, now let's talk pillow protectors. Are they pretty standard (as in not alot of options to choose from)? I don't think I've ever seen them in a general store (Walmart, Target).
And washing pillows - I would think it'd cause the filling to jumble up. Is that what the balls in the dryer are for?
 
weve just bought some new ones with a memory foam core so see how we get on with them. They are big and poofy at the moment and look good and its been a month.
 
Y'all are the best! Who knew there'd be so much to say about pillows =)
I will definitely double up the pillows in the shams - they look sickly because they are underfilled. I agree that a well made bed with 4 pillows and a small decorative in the middle should suffice though. I really like the idea of having two extra in the room, but in drawers.
So, now let's talk pillow protectors. Are they pretty standard (as in not alot of options to choose from)? I don't think I've ever seen them in a general store (Walmart, Target).
And washing pillows - I would think it'd cause the filling to jumble up. Is that what the balls in the dryer are for?.
Pillow protectors are required by our association. Am eri canHo tels .com has them as will most online linen suppliers. They are not expensive. I think i have seen them at Ko hl's but they were NOT cheap. I have a couple dozen of them so i can change them oftern. They usually have a zipper or fold closure. Keeps the pillows more sanitary and nicer longer - an extra layer with the pillowcase between pillow and guest.
 
Y'all are the best! Who knew there'd be so much to say about pillows =)
I will definitely double up the pillows in the shams - they look sickly because they are underfilled. I agree that a well made bed with 4 pillows and a small decorative in the middle should suffice though. I really like the idea of having two extra in the room, but in drawers.
So, now let's talk pillow protectors. Are they pretty standard (as in not alot of options to choose from)? I don't think I've ever seen them in a general store (Walmart, Target).
And washing pillows - I would think it'd cause the filling to jumble up. Is that what the balls in the dryer are for?.
Clean sneakers in the dryer also work.
Pillow protectors come in a couple of varieties...
  • really cheap, see thru that are basically useless;
  • nice, zippered, heavy duty protection;
  • allergy strength that keep the dust mites at bay
I order mine thru o.co in bulk, 12 at a time. Works out to about $2.50 each. You can get them at the box stores, too. Bed, Bath & Beyond carries them.
 
I got my zippered fluid and bedbug-proof pillow protectors from InnStyle for $4.73 each (they gave me a 10% discount). At a price like that, I can't think of any reason not to have them.
 
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