A Guide to Choosing the Best Duvet Filling
Duvets are large bulky items so making sure that you get the right duvet means that not only are you warm and comfortable but that you have more storage space.
There are basically two types of duvet fillings – natural and synthetic.
Synthetic fibres are not always as light as some of the natural fillings but do have the advantage that they are easier to wash. If you choose a synthetic filling that can be washed at 60 ºC, this is the temperature that dust mites will be killed.
For some people synthetic fillings might be the only choice if they are allergic (especially to feathers). There are various types of synthetic fillings, the cheapest is typically polyester. Other fillings include “Hollow Fibre” materials and “Allerban”.
Hollow fibre although synthetic, is still quite warm. You might see it advertised using the brand names “Suprelle Fresh” or “Tencel”. Both of these fillings are categorized as “non-allergenic” which means that they are safe for people with allergies and will not exacerbate any allergy further. “Allerban” is a slightly more expensive synthetic filling that actively combats dust mites which is perfect for people who are very sensitive to allergies. “Allerban” is also used in pillows as well as duvets and can be washed much more frequently.
Natural fillings include duck feather and down and White Siberian Goose down. These are both very warm and amazingly lightweight materials – they give more warmth for less weight. Natural fillings have another advantage in that the fibres are highly resilient and normally last much longer than synthetic fillings (average 30 years compared to 10 years) so they might be better value in the long term.
How long a duvet lasts depends how many times it is washed. The downside of natural fillings that use feather and down is that they should be professionally cleaned which is more expensive. After cleaning to remain effective, natural fillings have to be thoroughly dried – not something that most people can do at home.
A further consideration when choosing a natural filling is to check whether the feathers or down have been ethically sourced.
White Siberian Goose Down is generally considered the best available filling for duvets and you will find that prices reflect that.