How to Buy a Down Pillow

I used to travel often for work, and during my travels, I became completely addicted to down pillows. As a child, I always had a feather pillow - but down is so much better! If you haven't experienced the joy of sleeping on a down pillow, you've got to try it. Here's how to choose and buy a down pillow.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
   Decide how much you can afford to spend

   The first thing that you'll need to do is to set a budget. Down pillows can be much more expensive than a foam-filled pillow. You could easily spend over $100, but you can find a good deal on a down pillow if you keep your eyes open.

2. 
   Goose Down is the thickest

   Decide if you want a goose down pillow, duck down pillow, or synthetic down. This decision may be driven by your budget, but goose down is by far the best. You will be able to feel a major difference between goose down and synthetic down. It's probably better to save your money or wait for a good sale in order to buy a duck or goose down pillow then going cheap and purchasing synthetic.

3. 
   How do you Sleep?

   Next, think about how you typically sleep? The type of down pillow that will be best for you is dependent on whether you sleep on your side, your back, or your stomach.
   
   If you sleep on your stomach, you will want a soft pillow.
   
   If you sleep on your back, you will want a medium pillow.
   
   If you sleep on your side, you will want a firm pillow.

4. It isn't the most important thing, but you should at least have a basic understanding of thread count. You will want to check that your pillow's outer layer has a minimum thread count of at least 250. Any less than that and the down may be able to escape. Higher thread counts are typically softer, but since you'll be covering your pillow in a pillowcase, it won't really be affecting your comfort.

5. You'll also need to understand what "fill" is. Basically, it has to do with how large the clusters of down in your pillow are. The higher the fill, the firmer the pillow. It's also important to remember that after awhile, your pillow will become softer as it loses some of it's fill. They can be refilled though. Consider buying your pillow from a company like Plumeria Bay, that offers a fill service to their customers.

6. Last, you are going to need to decide what size pillow you'd like. Most people feel comfortable sleeping on a regular, or standard sized pillow. You can also get down pillows in queen or king sizes, though. If money is not an issue, you may want to purchase a standard sized pillow for sleeping and larger pillows for decorating your bed.

Tips & Warnings

• If this is your first down pillow purchase, go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, or other stores that have a wide range of pillows and feel them to see what you like best.
• See what type of return policy the pillow has before purchasing it. You don't want to spend a lot of money on a pillow, only to find that it has your waking up with neck pain.

[Missikae]

on 1/20/2009 Good tips for purchasing a down pillow. Thanks.

[Elander]

on 1/19/2009 Good advice. It makes sense, but I never realized that you would want a different pillow for different sleeping positions.