How long has it been since you washed your bed pillow? Don t answer just know you should do it a least a couple times a year. PJjaruwan/Thinkstock
Although most pillows have a tag giving laundering instructions, few people bother to wash them. We think they re shielded from the day-to-day grit and grime of life, thanks to the pillowcase. Or else, that washing them may ruin them.
But, the standard pillowcase is typically only made of cotton or some other easily permeated fabric, rendering the pillow susceptible to pretty nasty stuff.
Advertisement Even with a protective pillow case, your pillow can be filled with dust mites, body oils, and bacteria from your saliva, explains Mary Marlowe Leverette, housekeeping and laundry expert with The Spruce in an email. All of that is next to your face and no one wants any of that.