Sticker Shock – From a Pillow Cover?!
Written: Feb 21 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: helps protect pillow from stains, dust, wear – soft 100% cotton – zipper opening
Cons: only comes in white (if that is important for you)
The Bottom Line: I discovered that the Bottom Line does not like being zippered into this protective pillow cover. Now it knows how dust mites will feel when they are trapped.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: American Textile Aller-Ease Cotton Pillow Protecto... |
As part of my bed overhaul, I purchased a new memory-foam pillow. The pillow arrived without a pillow cover. All my life I have used pillow covers to protect my pillows from stains and wear. So off I went to one of my favorite stores to purchase an Aller-Ease Cotton Pillow Protector manufactured by the American Textile Company.
Description
The pillow cover comes in a Ziploc-type clear plastic bag. A colorful cardboard insert surrounds the pillow cover front and back so that the pillow cover isn’t easily visible. The plastic bag also has two small circular holes punched through the plastic just below the Ziploc-closure at the top of the bag.
It is easy to open the bag to remove the cover. The pillow cover is a bright white with a nylon/polyester zipper closure along one end. Inside the cover, the seams are finished in a white overlock stitch (done on a serger to prevent the fabric edges from unraveling).
The material is 100% combed cotton and is a 240 thread count. The Aller-Ease pillow cover is soft to the touch, and is a good weight fabric that is almost opaque. It can be machine washed and dried.
The Aller-Ease pillow protector is available in Standard/Queen size (fits jumbo size pillows 20" x 28") and King size (fits pillows 20" x 36"). One cover comes in the bag.
Washing and Using the Cover
Before covering my pillow with this pillow protector, I washed and dried it. The instructions state: “Machine wash hot (160F), tumble dry low”. I always use cold water washes. After cleaning the pillow cover in cold water, I threw it in the drier on low with a Bounce drier sheet. The cover came out nice and soft.
It is simple to place the cover over a pillow (or a pillow in the cover!). Unzip the pillow cover opening, and shimmy the pillow inside it. Zip the pillow cover closed. Insert the covered pillow, zipper-side down, inside a pillow case.
My Experiences
My mother raised me with pillow covers ... and some things always stay with you. I cannot in all conscience use a pillow without a protective cover. Talk about behavior conditioning!
So off I trekked to Kohl’s and their bedding sale. Since I had a new mattress topper and pillow, I bought new sheets (ahem ... it was a great sale), and this Aller-Ease cotton pillow protector. There were quite a few pillow protectors to choose from, too. Some were constructed of teflon and other water-resistant materials. Thankfully I don’t drool, so I bypassed those. Others were less expensive, but the material was polyester, and I wanted a cotton pillow cover. Some pillow protectors were even quilted.
I looked at the price on the Aller-Ease Cotton Pillow Protector in the standard/queen size – $10.99. A shiver ran up my penny-pinching (I mean conservative) spine. Then I saw the sale sign near the pillow protectors that said the one I wanted was on sale for $7.99, plus I had a coupon for an extra 15% off, which brought the price down to $6.79. Okay. That was doable.
It was a shock when I arrived home and discovered one pillow protector in the package. Maybe because pillow cases are packed two to a package ... I expected two pillow protectors in the package. Wrong. One pillow protector. I examined the packaging. No where on the literature does it state how many covers are in the package.
Thank goodness I had purchased the cover on sale! I would not have been happy to pay $10.99 for one pillow protector.
On the bright side, this is an excellent pillow protector. The tightly woven fabric is designed to trap dust mites and allergens, and the 100% cotton allows the pillow inside to breathe. The zipper easily slides open and closed, too. I like pillow protectors that seal a pillow inside the cover so that it doesn’t escape.
But does the pillow protector help reduce allergy reactions? In my experience, Yes. The pillow cover does help with my allergies. Many mornings I awake with a stuffy nose and with my sinuses filled. I can’t sleep with the stuffy-head-feeling and have to sit upright to let my sinuses gradually return to normal. Since using this Aller-Ease pillow protector, I experience less of a stuffy-head feeling. The pillow protector does not completely solve the problem, but it has reduced it.
My standard-size memory foam pillow (4 1/2" x 12" x 21 3/4") fits inside this protective cover with room to spare. As an experiment, after I washed and dried the pillow cover, I placed it over my regular jumbo pillow (20" x 28"), and the pillow perfectly fit inside the cover with no extra room.
Benefits of an Aller-Ease Pillow Protector
* Helps protect pillow from stains and wear
* A barrier to dust and dust mites
* Zipper entirely encloses pillow in the cover
* 100% cotton allows the pillow to breathe
* Easy to machine wash and dry
* Comes with a 5-year warranty
Purchasing
This Aller-Ease protective cover sells at Kohl’s for $10.99. On sale and with a coupon, I bought it at Kohl’s for $6.79. Linen ‘n Things offers this pillow protector for $12.99.
Summary
I am very pleased with the Aller-Ease Cotton Pillow Protector, despite the sticker shock. It is easy to use and care for. I also like the fact that since it is covering a memory foam pillow, the 100% cotton pillow protector allows the pillow to breathe. During my years of using pillow covers, I have discovered that they do extend the life of a pillow. This Aller-Ease pillow protector is made from quality fabric ... so I’m expecting it will last a good long time. It’s also great knowing that this pillow cover is reducing some of those allergy-induced wake-up calls.
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
American Textile Company
10 North Linden Street
RIDC Riverplace
Duquesne, PA 15110
Toll-free Phone: 800-289-2826
Please read my other reviews:
Absolute Comfort On Sale (online bedding store)
Ott True Color Bedside/Desk Lamp
Ott True Color Floor Lamp
Ott Lite True Color Flex-Arm Plus Lamp
Craftsman 3-D Flashlight
Craftsman 2-D Flashlight
LG Electronics VX6000 Cell Phone & How to Download Photos
Curtis Portable Radio/CD Boombox
JVC XV-N44SL DVD Player
Liteon DVD Recorder/Player
Copyright 2005 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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