As light and soft as a cloud, yet as warm and enveloping as cashmere, down is the finest way to sleep. Goose down? Fill power? Baffles? Ticking? How do I choose?
The soul of every duvet is fill. Quality duvets are filled with goose down (the insulating fluff found under the chest feathers of waterfowl). These feathers are soft, nearly weightless clusters that radiate in all directions from a central point and interlock to trap air. It’s the air that keeps you warm and comfortable. Generally, the colder the climate and the longer the goose is allowed to mature, the larger and warmer the down clusters. Duvets are generally filled with one of the following four down types: White Goose Down (550 fill power), Hungarian Goose Down (650 fill power), Polish Goose Down (750 fill power), or Siberian Goose Down (800 fill power). Fill power indicates the number of cubic inches filled by each ounce of down. The more space an ounce of down takes up, the more warmth it offers per ounce and the fluffier the duvet will be.
The ticking and the methods used to enclose the duvet can enhance or undermine its ability to loft, insulate, breathe and last. Ticking is the fabric sack that contains the fill of a duvet. Quality duvets are made with down-proof, natural fiber ticking with a high thread count and a boxed-baffled construction. Baffles are interior walls that keep the two layers of ticking lifted apart to allow for greater loft of the down. The boxed construction prevents the shifting of the down. Beware, some duvets are sold with boxed construction but have no interior baffles. These duvets do not loft as high, are not as warm and have a tendency not to last as long. This is due to the fact that the two layers of ticking are sewn together through the down, which crushes the down and prevents loft.
Quality duvets will last 10-15 years if properly cared for. They should always be covered and protected by a duvet cover. It is the duvet cover that gets laundered as needed and keeps the duvet clean. You should never need to clean a duvet. If cleaning becomes a necessity, the duvet should be taken to a professional cleaners that specializes in cleaning down. Down duvets should never be washed in the washing machine. This process breaks down the down fibers and the duvet loses its warmth and loft abilities.
The soul of every duvet is fill. Quality duvets are filled with goose down (the insulating fluff found under the chest feathers of waterfowl). These feathers are soft, nearly weightless clusters that radiate in all directions from a central point and interlock to trap air. It’s the air that keeps you warm and comfortable. Generally, the colder the climate and the longer the goose is allowed to mature, the larger and warmer the down clusters. Duvets are generally filled with one of the following four down types: White Goose Down (550 fill power), Hungarian Goose Down (650 fill power), Polish Goose Down (750 fill power), or Siberian Goose Down (800 fill power). Fill power indicates the number of cubic inches filled by each ounce of down. The more space an ounce of down takes up, the more warmth it offers per ounce and the fluffier the duvet will be.
The ticking and the methods used to enclose the duvet can enhance or undermine its ability to loft, insulate, breathe and last. Ticking is the fabric sack that contains the fill of a duvet. Quality duvets are made with down-proof, natural fiber ticking with a high thread count and a boxed-baffled construction. Baffles are interior walls that keep the two layers of ticking lifted apart to allow for greater loft of the down. The boxed construction prevents the shifting of the down. Beware, some duvets are sold with boxed construction but have no interior baffles. These duvets do not loft as high, are not as warm and have a tendency not to last as long. This is due to the fact that the two layers of ticking are sewn together through the down, which crushes the down and prevents loft.
Quality duvets will last 10-15 years if properly cared for. They should always be covered and protected by a duvet cover. It is the duvet cover that gets laundered as needed and keeps the duvet clean. You should never need to clean a duvet. If cleaning becomes a necessity, the duvet should be taken to a professional cleaners that specializes in cleaning down. Down duvets should never be washed in the washing machine. This process breaks down the down fibers and the duvet loses its warmth and loft abilities.
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Your feather duvets is really fantastic way to keep warm and snug during the cold night's of winter.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!