Depending on the quality you have invested in, you are faced with choosing a new duvet every 5 to 10 years, but what is a good duvet? Within this time, a lot can change with your body, with the house you live in or with your relationship, for example, to name just a few elements.
What determines your choice of a good duvet?
Take a moment before being seduced by the “best offer” or the “puniest price. Also important elements in your choice process hear, however, what do you or what do you and your sleeping companion need? That’s what we want to talk about in this blog.
Which duvet fits who you are?
To choose a duvet, look at your sleeping environment, yourself as a person and your worldview. The interplay between these things determines your choice. The perfect duvet exists if you take a moment to engage in self-reflection.
Your duvet and sleeping environment.
Most people sleep in a bed, and that bed is in a bedroom. This environment is ideal around 18 degrees Celsius. We all know that theory and practice are often apart. So do you have a cool bedroom that, even in the summer months, has a fairly constant temperature trend?
Or do you sleep in a bedroom that is freezing cold in winter and more like a sauna in summer? Or did you just move into a new construction home or apartment with an energy-efficient insulation envelope and the temperature is constantly controlled? Do you sleep with your window open or closed or do you have an air conditioner in the bedroom?
In short, the temperature of your sleeping environment matters! The industry has also thought about this and in the Benelux, duvets are therefore often classified into 4 heat classes. In this blog, we have already zoomed in on duvet heat classes: Which duvet is the warmest?
A heat rating at least offers you some insight into the choices you have at what temperature. Only you don’t yet have enough information to make a choice based on that alone.
Your personal preferences
Who are you in this story? And if you’re not sleeping alone then it’s best to check with each other to see how you match. And if the answers are too far apart, don’t worry! Then really choose two separate duvets. It may be a little less romantic, agreed.
Heat Experience
Do you get hot easily or like to be nice and warm in your bed? Ask this question nonchalantly at a family party and for the next hour you won’t have to say much. Everyone has their experiences and ideas that way.
What do we know about temperature in our bodies? Your body’s core temperature automatically drops on cues from your biorhythms in the evening hours and during sleep. The lowest point is thus reached between four and five in the morning. When you sleep, skin temperature is also best balanced with core temperature. This is safe and unthreatening because when you get too cold or too hot your body is going to react to protect organs and brain. This is sleep disruptive.
So the heat regulation or thermoregulation of the filling and the ticking a duvet plays a role.
Also the weight of the duvet has an impact on the perception of warmth. Weight can be determined by the padding. Pure down is lighter than sheep’s wool, for example. But also whether you use a double or four-season version has an impact on weight. Two duvets on top of each other weigh, logically, more. I’m not really a fan of a 4-season. It seems like the ideal solution but in my experience it is better to invest in 2 tailored solutions for summer and winter.
Don’t underestimate the suppleness of the filling and the ticking, either. Filling and ticking that fall smoothly around your body provide a better fit and connection with your duvet. A stiffer variety allows more air to circulate and leak heat, so to speak. That can really make a heat class difference sometimes!
Ventilation
Like a home, insulation and ventilation best go hand in hand. Otherwise, heat spikes or moisture problems occur and you wake up feeling too hot or completely clammy.
So it’s also best to include the moisture-regulating properties of the comforter cover -and filling- in your decision-making process. Because perspiration or excessive sweating under a duvet can be prevented to a considerable extent if you take this into account.
Hygiene and allergy
A fairly large proportion of our population has an allergy to the allergens produced by house dust mites. It is often said that it is best to choose a synthetic and washable duvet. Because from 60°C, the allergens are killed. However, there are many more choices to be made today. Wool fat or lanolin is a natural component of a wool filling and allergy resistant. Down, especially in the pure ratios starting at 90% down, also provides excellent protection against dust mites.
Hygiene is often mentioned in the same breath as allergy. Ventilating well or cleaning correctly is often more than enough for a duvet. Washing is not always necessary, and it does impact the life of your duvet. Also note the drying time! Because a well-washed but poorly dried duvet seems hygienic but really isn’t!
The duvet and your worldview
Strange title? That’s right! But how important do you think your carbon footprint is? How and where is your duvet made? Are containers imported from distant countries or do you choose local production?
And what happens to your duvet when you want to throw it away? Do you care to sleep under plant-based fibers such as kapok, cotton or linen? Do you have a preference for animal fillings such as wool or camel or goat hair? Or do you prefer state-of-the-art and recyclable polyester fibers?
A lot of energy and water is used to make cotton or to clean certain fillings. Just as certain chemicals or bleaches are an important part of the production process. A lot of companies are committed to sustainable and socially responsible production methods. You don’t always experience that difference in the quality but see it reflected in the price.
Environment, ecology and sustainability play a major role in industry and production. The regulations of countries and continents are becoming increasingly strict. You too, as a consumer, can make conscious choices here, or not….
What is a good duvet: Frequently asked questions
Is a 4 season cover good?
I’m not really a fan of a 4-season. It seems like the ideal solution but in my experience it is better to invest in 2 tailored solutions as your bedroom temperature evolves with the season.
Is sleeping with the window open healthy?
Sleeping with an open window is beneficial for air quality and the amount of oxygen in the room. And at the same time, it’s really important to consider the temperature of the room as well. It is sort of balancing between fresh air and a pleasant temperature. So close them during the day and open them just before you go to sleep.
Is a down blanket hypoallergenic?
Yes indeed! Down, especially in the pure ratios starting at 90% down, also provides excellent protection against dust mites. Down quilts are airy and densely woven. If you have a Nomite label on the duvet, you know that at least the mite can’t get in. The allergens unfortunately do. But rest assured, a house dust mite does not like this environment.
What bed cover is best if you sweat?
Duvets with powerful moisture management properties are your best choice. Natural materials such as bamboo, wool, camel hair, kapok, linen, cashmere or silk are really top choices pure or in the mix. Prefer synthetic fibers? Then look for high technology, ultra fine and hollow (micro)fibers in polyester.
