Let me sleep on it

If you are anything like my family, you've amassed quite an impressive pillow collection. After all, we spend more than one-third of our lives in bed, so it makes sense. What's not impressive, is that I absolutely cannot tell you how long I've had some of these pillows and I fear they may harken back to the days when Duran Duran was still in the Top Ten on Casey Kasem's weekly countdown.

Yes, I know that is gross and that pillows should be replaced every few years. I wash my sheets each week, yet my pillows? Not so much. Ick!

Studies have shown that the weight of a pillow doubles in three years due to the remains and excretions of dust mites (again, ick!). If that isn't enough to have you yanking out your coupons and running to Bed Bath and Beyond, I don't know what will.

So as you finish your late-Spring cleaning -- and I know that is high on your priority list (wink, wink) -- you might want to consider getting rid of those soft things you drool into each and every night. It won't be an improvement that anyone will notice, but you might just breathe a little bit easier. And don't forget to invest in those zipper encasements they sell to ward of allergies and the like. Even that small bit of protection goes a long way.

I hear you can often donate used cushions to an animal shelter. Apparently, those mites don't bother the four-legged among us so much.

And now that we're on the subject, how old is that mattress you're resting on?