A man has shared a picture comparing the state of his own pillow with that of his partner, who he describes as a "nighttime drooler."
Robert from Bournemouth in England took to Reddit, posting under the handle Robsonthebeach, to showcase the sight that greeted him when changing the covers on their pillows.
According to the post, the two pillows are just a year old, yet his fiancée, Caroline's, could easily have passed for somewhere closer to a decade, based on the photo evidence provided.
Failing to regularly clean your bedding could be a health risk given the alarming number of bacteria that can gather on items like pillowcases.
Research conducted by mattress company Amerisleep found that after just a single week of use, pillowcases were found to contain around 7,000 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Worse still, pillowcases that were left unwashed for four weeks had 39 times the bacteria of a pet food bowl.
The state of Caroline's pillow in the viral image shared on Reddit is due to a combination of everyday factors.
Robert told Newsweek it was "probably a combination of her wet hair, makeup, sweat and drool...All very natural." He said he discovered the disparity between the two pillows while changing the covers, something he admits his "fiancée usually does."
"It was interesting as mine looked good as new," Robert said. Eager to see what others thought, he shared the image on Reddit and waited for the reactions to start rolling in. The internet did not disappoint.
"Nothing will humble you faster than seeing your own stains on a pillow," one Redditor wrote.
Another guessed: "She's going to bed with her hair wet" with a third commenting: "This immediately makes me want to buy new pillows."
Elsewhere, another Redditor tried to reassure Robert, commenting: "It's sweat and drool. It's normal."
Robert found the responses tended to fall into one of two camps. "Half the people were 'this is totally normal—mine looks like that' and the other half found it repulsive," he said.
While he previously branded his partner a drooler, he also sought to clarify: "I've only noticed a bit that my partner sleeps [with her] mouth open...She can grind her teeth a little sometimes."
He added that his fiancée was left "really embarrassed" after he highlighted the difference and steps have been taken to fix the problem.
"We have washed them both and it's much better," he said. "I've never washed a pillow before but now it will be done quarterly."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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