Best Hypoallergenic Pillows (April 2024) - Rated by CherryPicks' Experts

Best Hypoallergenic Pillows for Allergy Sufferers

Why Worry About Allergies from Your Pillow?

Pillows are made with a wide variety of ingredients including feathers, memory foam, polyester, cotton, latex, buckwheat, kapok fibers, bio-foams, wool, and synthetic materials. Some people are allergic to some of the materials used but most people are not allergic to these ingredients. Quite a few people think they’re allergic to feathers but they’re actually allergic to the dust mites that were in old feather pillows that were made without cleaning the down before they were placed inside the pillow as thoroughly as they are today.

Perhaps you’ve read that you don’t need to be concerned with dust mites in your bedding if you aren’t allergic. This is a prevalent myth. The truth is that dust mites are an allergen and increased exposure to an allergen raises the risk that the exposed individual will become sensitized to the allergen. Re-exposure to an allergen by a person who is sensitized increases the risk of developing asthma as well as other allergic diseases.

Researchers at the University of Virginia stated, “It is now clear that dust mite allergy is a key contributor to asthma in many parts of the world, and that long-term avoidance can be effective for preventing sensitization and minimizing the development and severity of respiratory disease.”

The final aspect of your pillow that requires caution is Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Individuals with allergies have sensitive immune systems. VOCs can cause sensitivity or even lead to the development of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) which can arise from exposure to low levels of common contaminants. Synthetic foams made from petrochemicals emit low level VOCs that may be bothersome to individuals whose immune systems are sensitive.

Pillow Choice Criteria

It is clearly important that your pillow be hypoallergenic when you buy it but also that it remains that way after use. That’s the criteria we used to select our recommendations. It doesn’t help you much if your pillow is only hypoallergenic for your allergies when it is new.

After examining the research, there are two approaches for allergy causing contaminants in your pillows. The simple one is to use whatever hypoallergenic pillow tickles your fancy and cover it with a washable encasement in a tightly woven fine fabric with pores that are 6 microns or smaller.

The other option is to buy a hypoallergenic pillow that has properties that can reduce or eliminate exposure to dust mites and pet dander and doesn’t emit VOCs.

Pillows that are easy to keep allergy-free are:

• Washable – preferably in hot water or able to dry or fluff using hot heat
• Covered with tightly woven fine fabrics with pores that are 6 microns or smaller
• Include antimicrobial materials in the design such as:
  • Copper
  • Zinc
  • Silver
• Include activated charcoal
• If feather pillows, washed to remove dust mites before use as a pillow

Hypoallergenic Dust Mite and Pet Dander Resistant Pillow Recommendations

We looked at about 100 pillows to identify ones that stand up to hypoallergenic dust mite and pet dander resistant claims. We usually list pros and cons but when it comes to allergies, we believe it is very important not to compromise so we harshly judged the pillows we evaluated and limited our recommendations to those we feel very confident about – that’s why you won’t see a lot of negatives listed in this review. The list of rejects is seven times as long as those that we included. There’s something for everyone in this list. The results are sorted by price point:

• 1. GOHOME Pillows Queen Size 2 Pack, Luxury Queen Size Pillows...
• 2. WonderSleep Dream Rite Shredded Memory Foam Pillow Series Luxury Adjustable...
• 3. Digital Decor Set of 2 100% Cotton Hotel Pillows -...
• 4. Feel&Sense Bed Pillows, Bed Pillows for Sleeping 2 Pack, Down...
• 5. Serta Down Illusion Soft Hypoallergenic Medium Firm Bed Pillows for...
• 6. NEIPOTA Pillows Queen Size Set of 2, Queen Pillows 2...
• 7. Home Sweet Home Dreams Set of 2 Memory Foam Hypoallergenic...
• 8. VVZ Bed Pillows for Sleeping 2 Pack Standard Size 20...
• 9. Bamboo Pillow King 20" x 36" Shredded Memory Foam for...
• 10. Digital Decor Set of 2 Premium Gold Hotel Pillows for...

Related Hypoallergenic Pillows Guides

For more personalized Hypoallergenic Pillows guides, Check those pages,

Hypoallergenic vs Dust Mite and Pet Dander Resistant

Shopping for pillows that will help you win the fight against allergens including those from pet dander, fungi, and dust mite feces can be confusing. Pillows are frequently marketed as hypoallergenic because their ingredients aren’t likely to cause allergic reactions. However, that’s not the same as a pillow that resists dust mite colonization, fungi buildup, or pet dander which can get into your pillow and cause allergic reactions and lead to the development of asthma in children and adults. In non-arid areas, almost 90% of homes have dust mites. In arid areas, homes that add humidity to the indoor environment have dust mites.

There is a significant amount of misleading information in ads for pillows. One claims that “airy pillows that have excellent breathability create a dry environment in which mites, molds, and mildews are unable to thrive.” While dust mites, fungi, and molds don’t like dry environments, airflow by itself won’t ensure that the pillow remains dry. If the sleeper tends to sleep hot and the pillow absorbs the moisture, there could be plenty of moisture for these allergens to thrive. Likewise, if the humidity in the room is high, airflow won’t stop them. Keeping the humidity in the home at 50% or below will help more than airflow of humid air.

Dust Mite and Pet Dander Resistance Claims: Don’t take claims of dust mite or pet dander resistance at face value. This term isn’t legally defined and anything that delays the entry of dust mites into your pillow or helps you remove them can (and frequently is) used as an excuse to claim “dust mite resistant” in the advertising. However, when pointed questions are asked, many pillows that claim they are resistant don’t provide any more protection than loosely woven fabrics. One even had mesh sides with huge pores but claimed dust mite resistant because you could wash the cover! In choosing our recommendations, we compared the evidence based preventative measures with the actual features of about 100 pillows and eliminated any that did not meet the criteria.  We didn’t let them slide. Your health is too important for compromise.

Feather Pillows

Quite a few people think they’re allergic to feathers but they’re actually allergic to the dust mites that were in old feather pillows that were made without cleaning the down before they were placed inside the pillow. Today, the feathers and down are cleaned thoroughly and dust mites that might have been on the feathers are removed before they are used. When researchers tested feather pillows where the feathers and down were cleaned with the newer cleaning methods, only 1 of the 29 allergic test subjects experienced an allergic reaction.

Synthetic Pillows

Synthetic pillows contained more a. fumigatus (fungi) which is associated with allergic reactions and more dust mites than feather pillows.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat pillows have been associated with nocturnal asthma in adults and children

Latex

Latex is naturally antimicrobial.

Allergen Prevention Strategies

Preventing exposure to allergens is possible. The odds of successful avoidance of allergens is much higher when more than one strategy is implemented. These are some strategies that can help you reduce your exposure. Allergists recommend the following strategies:

• Tightly woven fine fabrics that can be washed in warm or hot water and dried in the dryer should be chosen for pillow coverings and duvet covers.
• Cover comforters with fine woven fabrics
• If you use a plastic impenetrable cover on your mattress, use a washable mattress pad on top of the plastic cover
• Wash bed linens in hot water over 130° F weekly
• Wash mattress pads, blankets, and other bedding every other week
• Vacuum and wet dust weekly
• No stuffed animals on the bed
• Don’t go to bed with wet hair because the moisture will provide a better environment for fungi and dust mites

There is a level of exposure that is considered subthreshold which means exposure at those levels does not usually cause allergies or develop into asthma.

If you have a seasonal (during humid months) or year-round runny nose and sniffles, you may have perennial allergic rhinitis. Talk with your doctor.

What are House Dust Mites?

House Dust Mites are microscopic spiders (arachnids) that are invisible to the naked eye (.33mm) who dine on human cells and fungi. They live for about two months and females lay between 40 – 80 eggs during their lifetime. Eggs take about a month to mature. House Dust Mites need humid air to survive (above 50%) because they take moisture from the air.

Conclusion

Avoiding allergens can prevent the development and help to reduce symptoms of allergies, asthma, and eczema. This is an important goal for quality of life and health. There were 11,057,000 doctor office visits for allergic rhinitis – one of the top twenty reasons for doctor’s visits, including check-ups, in 2010.

The pillows on our list will help you reduce allergens and dust mites in your bed. For people who sleep hot, our top pick is Snuggle-Pedic Supreme Plush. For feather pillow lovers, we recommend FineFeather 100% Hungarian White Goose Down Pillow. 

Whether you choose one of our recommendations or use the criteria we provided to identify a pillow, we hope this article is helpful to you and helps safeguard your family’s health and well-being.

Top 10 Hypoallergenic Pillows Sellers: CPR Seller Rank List

CPR sellers rank is based on CherryPicks-AI bestselling ranking system that helps us analyze each seller's sales trends. The List of top seller ranks is our in-house data, essential for our product ranking to help you make the right shopping choice.