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Are Pillow Tags Really Illegal to Remove? Here’s What the Law Actually Says

As I tossed in bed one night, I realized irritation from one of the bedding tags poking out from under my pillowcase was keeping me awake. I could have gotten up, pulled the pillow out from the pillowcase and inserted it the other way around, but I figured it was easier to simply rip off the tag. So I did. I threw it on the floor and went back to sleep.

The next morning, I picked up the tag and got an unpleasant surprise: clearly written on it were the words “Do Not Remove.” Now what? Were the pillow police going to break down my door and haul me off to jail?

Well, not exactly, says Derek Hales, editor of NapLab, a publication devoted to testing mattresses, sheets, pillows and other bed-related commodities. He assured me I didn’t have anything to worry about, and here’s why.

Historical Context of Bedding Tags

Bedding tags do serve a purpose. They are there to inform consumers like you and me what’s actually in the bedding, and they were very important back in the early 1900s, when manufacturers began affixing them to their products.

“Early in the 1900s, many bedding manufacturers would fill pillows (and mattresses) with all manner of low-quality, cheap materials,” explains Hales. ” These materials included used feathers and various types of hair, as well as different types of fabric, cloth and paper, among other less-than-hygienic materials. In some cases, the contents of these pillows contributed to the transmission of disease, resulting in illnesses for those who used these pillows.”

What the Tag Actually Means

You can’t take apart a pillow or mattress to see what’s inside, so bedding tags are the only way of knowing what you’re sleeping on at night. According to bedding and textile expert Barbara Stern: “Tags signal adherence to safety requirements such as fire resistance and hypoallergenicity, and they occasionally include instructions for caring for the item.”

Here is some of the information you’ll find on pillow tags:

• Material composition – The tag lists all materials used in the construction of the pillow, such as memory foam, polyester or down. It also indicates whether these materials are new or recycled.
• Allergen safety information – If the manufacturer used chemicals that are potential allergens, the tag should list them, but it may not. Manufacturers are only required to list the generic names of the raw materials and fibers they use. Some of these, however, may be processed using banned chemicals like formaldehyde.
• Fire safety – The tag confirms adherence to government fire-resistance standards.
• Washing instructions – A symbol of a bucket filled with water indicates you can wash your pillow in the washing machine. If you see a number inside the bucket, it indicates the maximum recommended water temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, depending on where the pillow was made.
• Drying instructions – A square with a circle inside it means you can put your pillow in the dryer. Inside the circle, you’ll see a series of dots. One dot means to use low heat, two dots medium and three dots high heat.
• Country of origin – Countries are identified by a two-letter code, and some have changed over the years. The one for China used to be “RC” (for the Republic of China), but today it’s “CN”. Since the code for California is CA, the one for Canada has been changed to CD.

Is It Really Illegal to Remove?

Not for consumers, says Hales. “It is only illegal for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to remove the tag.” That’s why he assured me I don’t have to worry about the pillow police.

Why The Tags Still Exist Today

The tag on your pillow assures that you get what you pay for. “It prevents unscrupulous manufacturers from marketing a pillow as being filled with X, when it’s actually filled with a lower quality Y material,” explains Hales.

Pop Culture and Urban Legend

The absurdity of fearing legal repercussions for removing the tag from your own pillow has provided material for stand-up comics like George Carlin and Jerry Seinfeld. Sixties-era cartoon characters like Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny have been “arrested” for this seemingly innocuous “crime,” and recurring TV series like “Seinfeld,” “Friends,” and “The Simpsons” have referenced it in a tongue-in-cheek way. The joke is that, despite scary warnings like “Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law,” it’s perfectly legal for you to pull the tag off your own pillow. Besides, who’s going to know?

FAQ

So why the scary language?

The scary language is directed at manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. It’s meant to advise them that laws do, in fact, require them to disclose the materials in the products they make and sell. If you were to sell your own pillow to someone else, that transaction might be subject to these laws too.

What happens if a company removes the tag?

Manufacturers or sellers who remove tags prior to sale can be held liable for an unfair or deceptive practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Penalties include fines and possible loss of certification to sell bedding products.

About the Experts

• Derek Hales is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of NapLab, which tests and reviews mattresses using a battery of objective and data-driven tests.
• Barbara Stern is a textile and bedding expert at Ottoman Textiles

Source

• Blue Dahlia: The Ultimate Guide To Deciphering Bedding Labels; (2024)
• FindLaw: Is It Illegal to Remove Mattress, Pillow Tags?; (2019)

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