Protecting pillows isn't just about prolonging their best years, it's also about creating a fresh and clean sleeping environment where dust mites and bed bugs dare not venture. Pillow protectors work best when they're hypoallergenic, waterproof and pleasantly breathable to keep you comfortable, calm and collected during the night.
Brands like Aller-Ease produce organic cotton covers ideal for hot sleepers, while Comfier Sleep and K&A have some plush bamboo options that are naturally cooling while preventing feather pillows from irritating those with allergies. We've ranked the 10 best of them to buy from Amazon, John Lewis, Argos and eBay, ready to zip on and elevate your sleeping experience to the next level.
To make sure you land on the perfect pillow protectors for you and your family, it'll help to understand a few specific things first. By looking into the common fabrics and their defining features, you'll have a clearer idea of the type of product that'll aim to serve and protect for many years yet.
A pillow protector's effectiveness – and its suitability to your specific needs – is very much influenced by its material. Below, we will delve into the properties, both good and bad, of the main fabric types.
Similarly to mattress protectors and other bedding items, the three common threads chosen for making protectors of a certain standard are cotton, polyester and the slightly more modern bamboo.
These fabrics are chosen for different reasons but each of them have durability, breathability and comfort at their core. Cotton is an attractive material for protectors as it is lusciously comfortable but remains breathable, making it a solid option for cooling pillows.
Microfibre polyester is a cheaper alternative that offers a similar level of durability but lacks the breathability of natural fibres. A compromise is a poly-cotton blend, as it reduces costs but keeps the best elements of cotton. Bamboo is a premium fabric due to its breathable, hypoallergenic nature, though with a higher price tag to match.
With their plush, all-natural feeling and unrivalled sense of comfort, organic protectors are truly heaven sent. They're also more durable due to the guaranteed exclusion of chemicals, which can otherwise damage a fabric.
Relating only to natural fabrics like bamboo and cotton, buying organic assures you that your protector has been more sustainably produced. Organic cotton has a lot less of an impact on the environment as it reduces soil damage, has a lower impact on air quality and uses 88% less water and 62% less energy than regular cotton.
However, while we can glean that organic fabrics are beneficial not just to us but to our planet too, they do normally have a much higher price tag.
Reaping the rewards of a good night's rest requires your pillow and its protector to work for you, not against you. One of the ways a protector can ensure a healthy sleeping environment for you is through a hypoallergenic barrier of defence.
Products that boast about their hypoallergenic ways do so because their fabrics feature an increased weave count to block out unwanted particles like dust mites, pollen and bed bugs from entering your pillow and forming their own ecosystem.
These are great for people who suffer from asthma and allergies as they help reduce the effects a dirty pillow might have on their health. A weekly wash of your pillow covers and protectors at a high heat will also minimise bacteria growth and keep you sleeping soundly.
Although most protectors come with a standard level of water resistance due to their tightly woven fabric construction, some rise above the norm to become waterproof in their own right. These protectors are ideal for young children as they reduce the chances of any midnight mishaps ruining a good pillow.
They offer increased resistance to the wetter aspects of life via a devoted waterproof membrane that allows air to travel freely while stopping liquid in its tracks. However, it must be known that no pillow protector is considered to be 100% effective at repelling water, rather, it will minimise water damage much more than a regular one.
For the most part, any and every pillow protector worth its weight will come with a zipping closure point. These zips, as simple as they may be, are purposefully included for a couple of good reasons.
Firstly, they increase the hypoallergenic nature of a protector by zipping shut any chance of wayward dust and such making its way in and onto your pillow.
The second reason is their ability to keep the protector exactly where it should be – securely over your pillow. This helps to give restless sleepers a solid platform to lay their head upon and, hopefully, get a better night's kip. So be sure to look into how your protector closes for a good idea of its effectiveness in more ways than one.
Your ideal pillow protector is waiting patiently below, ready to be snapped up and delivered to your door to keep your pillows clean and your sleep full. This top 7 has been built around the idea that we all deserve somewhere clean and comfortable to rest our heads after a big day of living our best lives.
£8.00
Fabric | Polyester |
---|---|
Organic | No |
Hypoallergenic | No |
Waterproof | No |
Zip Closure | No |
Size | L 74 x W 48 cm |
£11.97
Fabric | Polyester |
---|---|
Organic | No |
Hypoallergenic | No |
Waterproof | No |
Zip Closure | Yes |
Size | L 75 x W 50 cm |
£13.99
Fabric | Polyester |
---|---|
Organic | No |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Waterproof | Yes |
Zip Closure | Yes |
Size | Standard, queen, king |
£16.99
Fabric | Polyester, bamboo |
---|---|
Organic | No |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Waterproof | Yes |
Zip Closure | Yes |
Size | L 75 x W 48 cm |
£9.50
Fabric | Cotton jersey, polyurethane |
---|---|
Organic | No |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Waterproof | Yes |
Zip Closure | Yes |
Size | L 75 x L 50 cm |
£35.00
Fabric | Cotton |
---|---|
Organic | No |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Waterproof | No |
Zip Closure | Yes |
Size | Standard |
£16.27
Fabric | Cotton |
---|---|
Organic | Yes |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Waterproof | No |
Zip Closure | Yes |
Size | Standard, queen, king |
Image | 1 ![]() Aller-Ease | 2 ![]() Velfont | 3 ![]() John Lewis & Partners | 4 ![]() Martian Made | 5 ![]() UltraBlock | 6 ![]() Mak | 7 ![]() Slumberdown |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Organic Cotton Pillow Protector | Quilted Pillow Protector | Specialist Anti-Allergen Pillow Protector | 2 Waterproof Pillow Protectors | 2 Waterproof Pillow Protectors | 4 Pillow Protectors | 2 Pillow Protectors |
Features | An Allergist-Approved Set in 100% Organic Cotton | High-End Appeal for Hot Sleepers and Night Sweats | Specially Formulated Protector With Micro-Fresh Technology | Blending Polyester and Bamboo for the Best of Both | Get the Perfect Fit With Three Size Options | A Set of Zippered Protectors for the Whole Family | A Quilted Protecting Duo for Increased Comfort |
Price | £16.27 | £35.00 | £9.50 | £16.99 | £13.99 | £11.97 | £8.00 |
Fabric | Cotton | Cotton | Cotton jersey, polyurethane | Polyester, bamboo | Polyester | Polyester | Polyester |
Organic | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Hypoallergenic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Waterproof | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Zip Closure | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Size | Standard, queen, king | Standard | L 75 x L 50 cm | L 75 x W 48 cm | Standard, queen, king | L 75 x W 50 cm | L 74 x W 48 cm |
Link |
Looking to upgrade the rest of your family's bedding too? We've ranked the 10 best kids', memory foam and pillows for neck pain found online to bring about the kind of night that feels like you're sleeping on clouds.
With your pillows soon to be covered by the best protectors in the business, you can now peel yourself away from this part of your bedtime story and spend some quality time actually sleeping. We hope this article has helped you find a protector to keep your favourite pillow looking and feeling its best.
Author: Connor Macanally
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