Bundle Up: Winterizing your Bed with Down

As you pull the hats and mittens out of storage this fall, don't forget to prepare your bed for winter as well. Duck or goose down is an excellent fill material known for its light weight, softness, and incredible insulating properties. There are lots of ways to bundle up your bed for winter, but here are some benefits of using feather beds, down comforters, down blankets, and down throws to add warmth to your bed. Down-home warmth The warmth of down is a widely established fact, but what exactly makes it warm? Just ask the geese. Down comforters, down blankets, down throws, and feather beds are filled with feathers from the soft undercoats of waterfowl. These fuzzy, three-dimensional feathers keep ducks and geese warm in chilly waters and cold air temperatures - even in Arctic conditions. The fluffy individual fibers create a lofty layer where warm air can gather and form an efficient and lightweight layer of warmth.

Warmth without the weight

Perhaps you use wool blankets and flannel sheets to stay warm in winter but would like to try something lighter and less scratchy. Down comforters, down blankets, down throws, and feather beds are superb alternatives to consider. Although wool is a time-honored material for warmth, it can often weigh heavily on your body, especially when layered with heavy sheets and synthetic comforters. In contrast, a quality down comforter can provide exceptional insulation in a single puffy layer while remaining lightweight, breathable, and luxurious. Down is the number one material for lightweight insulation.

Don't sweat - breathe easy

If you're worried about getting too hot under a puffy down blanket, down comforter, or feather bed, remember, down filling breathes as it insulates. Down helps your body maintain a comfortable temperature and naturally wicks away moisture to keep you dry and well-ventilated. When you cover your bed with a down throw, down blanket, or down comforter instead of bedding made from other materials, you reduce your chances of over-heating and sweating as you sleep.

Count on a higher power

The amount of fill power will determine how warm your down comforters, down blankets, down throws, and feather beds will be. Fill power refers to the amount of volume occupied by 1 ounce of down. Down comforters with higher fill powers are made from larger and stronger clusters of down, which give you better insulation and greater warmth per ounce. The general rule is the higher the fill power, the warmer the blanket. Depending on your region and at what temperature you sleep best, choose the thickness that will keep you warm, but not too warm.

Seal in the heat

As every winter clothing designer knows, gaps in fabrics reduce the insulating properties of even the toughest cold weather gear. The same principle applies to feather beds, down comforters, blankets, and throws. Make sure to measure your bed accurately before purchasing a down item to use on your bed. When it comes to warmth, a bit long is better than too short. It's preferable to let edges hang from the sides and the foot of the bed than to allow heat to escape your cozy cocoon.

Down comforters, down blankets, down throws, and feather beds with channel or baffle box construction distribute the down evenly inside, providing you with an efficient layer of exceptional comfort and insulation. Baffle boxes are especially warm because they have vertical strips of fabric sewn to the top and bottom fabrics, ensuring consistent down coverage. Some single-layer sewn-through down comforters, blankets, and throws have spaces where there's no down - only seams - which slightly reduces their insulating capabilities.

Floating on feathers

Placing a feather bed on top of your mattress is a smart way to prevent warmth from escaping below your body as you sleep. Feather beds with elastic straps or skirts secure the feather bed to the mattress to prevent slipping or bunching. With a feather bed below and a down throw, down blanket, or down comforter on top, you'll be sweetly surrounded in warmth all night long.