There is nothing worse than laying your head down at night only to realize that your pillow is super lumpy. It can be tough to get comfortable when your pillow is too lumpy because it makes your head lay at odd angles.
What is the cause of this issue and why do pillows become lumpy in the first place?
If you read the information below, then you’ll be able to figure out exactly why pillows go lumpy. You’ll also be able to learn what you can do to try to keep your pillows from becoming lumpy.
After all is said and done, it should be much more possible for you to avoid lumpy pillow issues.
1 – Pillows Get Lumpy From Being Used
For the most part, pillows are just going to become lumpy because they are being used. You’re laying down on your pillow each night, and the pillow has to support your weight.
This is going to have an impact on the pillow and it might get lumpy in certain spots as the months go by.
Some pillows will go lumpy really fast while others will retain the right shape for longer periods of time. Depending on whether you have high-quality bed pillows or not, you might not ever have to deal with your pillows getting lumpy.
There are pillows out there that are able to stay the right shape indefinitely, but most cost-effective pillows are going to get lumpy after extended use.
2 – Moisture Can Have an Impact
Moisture can actually have an impact on causing your pillow to get lumpy, too. You see, everyone sweats at least a little bit while they are sleeping. This sweat is going to get on your pillow even though you’re using a pillowcase.
Over time, the moisture can make your pillow weigh a bit more in certain spots. This can have an impact on the materials inside of the pillow and it will cause things to shift around.
You will eventually start noticing more lumpy spots, and this is happening partially due to moisture exposure.
The best thing to do is to keep using pillowcases like normal so that the pillow isn’t getting drenched in sweat each night. If you sweat during the night more than a normal person does, then you could try to talk to your doctor about what is happening.
It also might be beneficial to try to cool your room down to a more comfortable sleeping temperature.
3 – Dust Mite Problems
Dust mite problems can even play a bit of a role in how your pillows will get lumpy over time. If your pillow winds up attracting dust mites, then that is going to add to the overall weight of the pillow.
This can make it get lumpy even faster, and you might notice certain spots will even go flat.
Aside from making your pillow get lumpy, it’s also going to be a bit disconcerting to have to deal with dust mites. They aren’t necessarily harmful to you, but it’s honestly gross to have to think about things like that.
To add to this, dust mites can even make things tough for those who have allergy issues.
If your allergy issues are bad enough, then you might not even be able to get a good night’s rest. Why do dust mites grow near your pillow, though? Well, it happens when you sweat at night and also when you shed skin and hair.
This is why it is necessary to take the time to clean your pillows fairly often. If you go too long without cleaning your pillows, then you’re going to be more likely to have problems with dust mites.
This can make your pillows lumpier while also just negatively impacting your sleep.
Clean Your Pillow Really Well
Cleaning your pillow really well is going to be the first step in solving your lumpy pillow problem. Make sure that you have a type of pillow that can be cleaned.
All pillows should be able to be cleaned, but some might require you to clean them by hand.
If your pillow is safe to go into your washing machine, then that could be a great way to get it nice and clean again. You can run your pillow through a safe cycle in your washing machine and then dry it nicely after that.
You should be able to enjoy the results when you notice that your pillow isn’t nearly as lumpy.
Drying Your Pillow to Fluff it up
Even if you don’t need to clean your pillow right now, it can be beneficial to dry it in your dryer.
If your pillow is safe to put in the dryer, then you can put it in there along with some tennis balls. It’s going to be best to put the tennis balls in a tube sock that is tied so that your pillow will get fluffed just right.
Just remember that not all pillows will be safe to place inside of your dryer. Some might be made of materials that would be too dangerous to put in a machine dryer, but you’ll need to look up specific information about your pillow to be sure.
Regardless, you should know that drying a pillow is a great way to make it less lumpy.
You can actually dry your pillow out in the sun, too, if you’d rather do things that way. Putting your pillow out in the sun for three hours or so can remove moisture from the pillow and help to fluff it up.
You also might enjoy having your pillow smell like the fresh outdoor air, but this could be problematic for those who suffer from allergies.
Fluff Your Pillow by Hand
Fluffing your pillow by hand is something that you should try to do each day. If you pull on your pillow by grabbing it with both hands, then you can fluff it out. It evens the material inside so that it won’t be all lumpy in certain spots.
There are a few methods for fluffing pillows by hand that you can try out. Some people hit the pillows until the pillows are even and you can’t see any lumps.
Others will push and pull on the pillow until it looks like it has been fluffed up the right way.
Buy New Pillows
The solution to your lumpy pillow issues might be to simply buy better pillows. There’s a chance that your pillow fluffing methods won’t produce satisfactory results after a while.
This is especially true if your pillows are very inexpensive and made out of entirely synthetic materials.
Even pricey feather pillows will need to be fluffed if you don’t want them to be lumpy, though. It just might be worth considering your options when it comes to buying pillows.
For example, many people enjoy buying memory foam pillows because of how great they are at retaining the right shape.
Of course, these pillows are a little bit firm and they might not feel as comfortable to some people who like softer pillows. Just know that your lumpy pillow might need to be replaced after a certain point in time.
You can make a good choice when buying a new pillow so that you won’t have to deal with lumpy pillow problems so much moving forward.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys, and I’m so excited to start this adventure with them! In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.