The Pillow Review
Reader-supported · Independent · 2026
The latest review

Are Memory Foam Pillows Good for Allergies?

A contoured grey memory foam pillow on white linen bedding beside a neatly folded white zippered microfibre pillow encasement
Hands-on tested

Are memory foam pillows good for allergies? Not in the way the packaging implies — the fill inside a pillow is not the lever. The 2013 AAAAI/ACAAI dust mite practice parameter puts it flatly: "Foam pillows are not less prone t...

Image for Author Aimee Cannon
Reviewed by Aimee Cannon·
Read the full review
How we test
01

We buy every pillow

Each one is purchased at retail — never pulled from a brand’s press kit or sent as a sample.

02

We sleep on it for weeks

Loft, firmness, and how hot it runs are judged over real nights, in every sleep position.

03

We re-check before publishing

Every pick is verified in stock with current Amazon pricing before each update.

The reviews

A white air purifier standing on a pale oak floor beside a made bed, with a folded zippered pillow protector on the duvet in the foreground
Allergy Pillows

Do Air Purifiers Help With Dust Mites?

Do air purifiers help with dust mites? Not on their own, no. The 2013 AAAAI/ACAAI dust mite practice parameter states that "HEPA filtration alone is of uncertain benefit for patients wit...

Aimee Cannon·
A small digital hygrometer on a pale oak bedside table beside a neatly made bed with white linen bedding, with faint condensation on the window behind
Allergy Pillows

Humidity and Dust Mites: The Number That Matters

Hold relative humidity between 35% and 50%. That is the figure the 2013 AAAAI/ACAAI dust mite practice parameter recommends, at a strong recommendation on B evidence. But if you searched...

Aimee Cannon·
A bare white bed pillow propped upright to air in a bright open window above a pale oak floor, with white linen bedding on a stripped bed behind
Allergy Pillows

Mold in Pillows: How It Starts and What to Do

Mold in pillows starts with water that never left. Something soaked the pillow — a wash that never dried to the core, a head that went to bed damp, a cold exterior wall behind the headbo...

Aimee Cannon·
A crisp white bed pillow on pale linen beside a folded white zippered allergen-barrier encasement with its zipper visible
Allergy Pillows

The Best Pillows for Asthma and Allergies

The best pillow for asthma and allergies is a washable pillow you can seal inside a tested allergen-impermeable encasing, because the encasing is the part with randomized trial evidence behi...

Aimee Cannon·
Close-up of a white mattress seam with fine household dust in the weave beside a bed frame joint and mattress tag
Allergy Pillows

Dust Mites vs Bed Bugs: How to Tell Them Apart

If something is biting you, it is not house dust mites. That single fact does most of the work in the dust mites vs bed bugs question, because the two problems pull in opposite direction...

Aimee Cannon·
An older flattened and slightly yellowed bed pillow side by side with a fresh white plump one on pale linen
Allergy Pillows

How Often Should You Replace Your Pillow?

If you want a single number, it is every 1 to 2 years. That is the usable answer to how often to replace your pillow, and the honest second half of it is that the number is a rule of thu...

Aimee Cannon·
An uncluttered bedroom with white bedding, bare wood floor, a small digital hygrometer on the nightstand and a folded zippered mattress protector
Allergy Pillows

How to Prevent a Dust Mite Allergy Flare-Up

Hold indoor humidity at 35% to 50%, encase the mattress, box spring and pillow, wash the bedding weekly, and vacuum with HEPA filtration — all of it, together. That is the short version ...

Aimee Cannon·
Close view of the tightly woven cotton ticking of a white down pillow, with two loose goose feathers resting on the fabric
Allergy Pillows

Are Down Pillows Bad for Allergies?

Are down pillows bad for allergies? Mostly no, and the evidence points the other way from the advice. Published comparisons of pillows sharing the same beds have repeatedly measured *mor...

Aimee Cannon·
A single white pillow holding a faint head impression on rumpled pale linen in low early-morning light, a tissue at the edge of the nightstand
Allergy Pillows

Can Your Pillow Cause Allergies?

Can your pillow cause allergies? Almost never in the way the question implies. A pillow is far more often a reservoir than a cause: the thing you react to is not usually the pillow but what ...

Aimee Cannon·