Have you ever noticed that over time, your nice, smooth 300-count sheet set pillowcases (or any pillowcase, for that matter) develop unsightly holes in the corners?

Is this a mysterious moth-like infestation of your house? Do pillowcase corners naturally dissolve over time? Is this an unsolved mystery?

I think not. In fact, it is simply the unfortunate wear and tear that a zippered pillow cover inflicts on the closed-end of a pillowcase if you insert the pillow the wrong way.

Before we get to the proper technique, let’s touch on pillow covers. They are thin cotton pillowcases with a zippered end instead of an open one and they fit snugly around your favorite bed pillow. Why? To protect the pillow from excess dirt and drool, but also, to allow you to wash the pillow cover rather than the pillow itself. A pillow washed too many times will lose its “fluff” and become a lumpy wad of filler that threatens to irritate and displace delicate neck vertebrae.

Now, what about those zipper holes! I noticed this years ago when my favorite pillowcases suddenly sprouted unsightly, sad looking holes in the corners. I traced the mystery back to my habit of putting the pillow in, zippered-side down as I filled the pillowcase. The plastic and metal of the zipper on the pillow cover then rubbed against the fibers of the closed corners of the pillowcase with every toss and turn through the night, and over time wore them through.

Not a tragedy, but an annoyance, and one that is easily solved.

To keep those pillowcases looking as tidy and fresh as their first use, make sure that as you insert the pillow into the pillowcase the zippered end of the pillow cover projects out the open end of the pillowcase instead of the closed end.

A simple habit that can make your carefully purchased bed clothes last a little longer.

Keep a shiny penny and a positive thought!