Types

• Pillow ticks are available in different fabrics, such as cotton, wool or man-made materials. You can purchase or make empty ticks and fill your own pillows, but pre-filled pillows are readily available and come encased with a tick that you can place a pillowcase or decorative cover over.
  
  

Considerations

• Consider purchasing a hypoallergenic pillow tick that fits over a basic pillow tick. This kind of tick keeps dust mites, a major contributor to allergies, from getting into the fill of the pillow.
  
  

Significance

• Dust mites are microscopic organisms that live off dead skin cells shed by humans, and some people suffer allergic reactions to their feces.
  
  

Tip

• Bring your own hypoallergenic pillow tick with you when staying in a hotel. It won't take up much room in your suitcase and will offer protection from dust mites and previous guests' germs.
  
  

Fun Fact

• Ticking fabric used to be made in many different striped patterns. These patterns are now reprinted on everything from wallpaper to drapery fabric and called ticking stripes.