How to Choose Pillows and Bedding

Side Sleepers — Need a high, firm pillow that fills the gap between the shoulder and the head. The firm wool pillow we carry is built for this, and so is the boomerang-shaped Side Dreamer, which props up the arm as well as the head.

Back and Stomach Sleepers — Need a lower loft that fills the curve of the neck without lifting the head. The soft wool pillow we carry is the lower-loft version of the firm one, made from the same layers of wool.

Adjustable Fills — Kapok and buckwheat pillows have a zipper, so fill can be taken out or added until the loft is right. If you do not know your loft, an adjustable pillow is the safe first buy.

Molded Latex — The ergonomic latex pillow has two zones of different height, one for side sleeping and one for back sleeping, and holds its shape without fluffing.

Wool — Layers of wool batting, resilient but yielding, in firm and soft lofts. It cannot be washed; it is spot clean and sun. Wool bolus, small felted pellets, is the washable version of wool and can be scrunched into shape.

Kapok — The silky fiber from the seed pods of the kapok tree, with the fluff of down and more resilience. Adjustable through a zipper. Spot clean only.

Shredded Latex — Pieces of Dunlop latex in a case. It holds its loft, never goes flat, and can be machine washed and dried in heavy-duty machines. The solid, molded version holds a fixed shape instead.

Buckwheat Hulls — Roasted hulls that shift to the shape of your head and hold it until you move. Heavy: a standard pillow is ten pounds. Air moves through the hulls, so it does not hold heat. Adjustable through an inner zippered case.

Alpaca and Wool — Alpaca fiber blended with wool batting in a micron-tested organic cotton encasement that dust mites cannot pass through. Light, lofty and washable in cold water.

Body Pillows — For side sleepers, a body pillow gives the upper arm and leg something to rest on. Two lengths on the ones we carry: a small at 48 inches and a large at 68, or a 53-inch full size and a 42-inch buddy size. Fills are wool or kapok. They come with a case or an encasement.

Neck Rolls and Orthopedic Shapes — A neck roll is a five-by-23-inch cylinder that can go under the neck, behind the back when sitting up, or under the knees. The flat orthopedic pillow has a bolster along each long edge, one fuller than the other, so you choose the height by turning it.

Travel and Kids — Wool bolus pillows can be washed, which is why the makers suggest them for children. Travel sizes run 14 by 20 inches on the wool, latex and buckwheat pillows.

Cases — Standard, king and body-pillow cases in organic cotton sateen, and zippered covers. A case is the washable layer on a pillow that cannot be washed, so buy two.

Three Weights — The wool comforters we carry come in three weights. Cool Comfort is the lightest, about 2.6 pounds of wool in a twin. Perfect Comfort is the all-purpose middle, 3.6 pounds. Extra Warmth is 5.6 pounds. A king roughly doubles those figures. Pick by your climate and whether you run warm or cool.

Fills — Wool batting, hand-tufted and stitched around the edge so it stays in place. Alpaca blended with wool, lighter and lofty, in summer and winter weights. Organic cotton batting, for people who prefer a heavier, cooler comforter.

Sizes — Twin, full and queen share one size on most, at about 86 by 90 or 92 by 88 inches depending on the maker, and king is about 108 by 92. Measure your duvet cover before you order; these comforters have corner ties for one.

Sleeping Bags — The same wool batting in an organic cotton canvas shell, in kids, regular and tall. It is bedding for outdoors, with the same care rules as a comforter.

What Can Go in a Machine — Wool bolus and shredded latex pillows. Alpaca comforters and pillows, in cold water, never heated or agitated. Wool comforters, on soak and spin only, never a wash cycle, then drape to dry.

What Cannot — Wool batting pillows, kapok pillows and cotton comforters are spot clean only. Buckwheat hulls never get wet; the case washes, the hulls do not.

Sunning — The makers recommend sunning wool pillows and comforters a few times a year. It refreshes the loft and airs them out.

Returns — Pillows and comforters are personal items. The makers we carry take back only unused items in original packaging, within 30 days of the ship date, with a return authorization and a 25 percent restocking fee. There is no trial on bedding. Choose loft and fill carefully, and start with an adjustable pillow if you are unsure.

Lead Time — One to two weeks before pillows and comforters ship, then transit. Everything is made after you order.