I’m looking at your pillows, and I see one has a pointed edge and the other has a square edge. These are the memory foam pillows, but I’ve seen them in regular poly pillows too. What’s the difference between them?

- Marlene

Hello Marlene,

A tapered edge pillow is made by sewing the top and bottom cover together with 1 seem around the perimeter of the pillow. Another way of making the pillow is by sewing a small strip (1-2 inches) of material between the top and bottom cover. This forms a semi square edge with 2 seems called a gusset. A tapered pillow is generally more comfortable when sleeping on your back. It allows the pillow to be very thin at the edge and full in the center. This shape matches the space between your neck / head and the mattress when sleeping on your back.

The gusset pillow was made originally for side sleepers. It allows more filling material to move the edge of the pillow and fill the larger space under the side of you neck and the mattress when sleeping on your side. These are the intended used for tapered and gusset pillows. But I’ve found that comfort preferences vary widely among my customers and they tend to use the pillows in unique ways. For example, one customer sleeps on 5 or 6 pillows. Another only uses a pillow when sleeping on his side and none when sleeping on his back, but he prefers a tapered pillow.

Tapered and gusset constructions have the same intended use for all filling materials: polyester, down, memory foam, or other. Tapered – back sleeper Gusset – side sleeper However you can use both of these constructions for either side or back sleeping. It’s simply a choice of individual preference. Most people roll around at night, sleeping both on their side and back.

The unique contour memory foam pillow has a solution for both back and side sleepers. It's made with 1 side larger for sleeping on your side and 1 side smaller for sleeping on your back.

I just bought a pair of memory foam pillows, and i was wondering if i can wash them in a washing machine and dryer? Also, are memory foam pillows cleaner then regular pillows or do they trap just as much dust and stuff as a regular pillow?

Hello,

Memory foam pillows are made with a memory foam block core, or micro beads of foam, and an outer poly cotton, velour cover. The cover has a zipper and can be removed for washing. This is usually all that is necessary for cleaning your pillow.The memory foam itself is not machine washable. In fact, it should never be soaked with water. Spot cleaning or vacuuming is recommended.

Memory foam is made up of thousands of tiny memory foam cells with an open cell wall structure. The cell walls have holes in them allowing air to pass through. This gives memory foam the ability to contour perfectly to your body, but it also will allow water to soak all the way through to the core of the pillow It takes several days to dry out the core of a memory foam pillow once wet, and that’s too long. Mold and mildew will begin to grow making the memory foam unsanitary.

Memory foam pillows will collect dirt and dust quickly if used without their cover. But the cover does a very good job of keeping them clean for several years, if you wash the cover frequently. A waterproof pillow protector will prevent the memory foam from getting wet. It will also prevent dirt, skin cells, and dust mites from getting inside your pillow, thus extending its useful life. Waterproof pillow protectors have a thin, polyurethane backing on a terry cloth fabric, with a zipper on one end for easy removal

For most people, the cover that comes with the pillow will be enough. Waterproof pillow protectors are usually good for people with pets or small children or pets.