What is warmer than fluff or feather. How to choose the right down products

Each of us, buying pillows, blankets and even a piece of clothing such as a jacket, is most often interested in what kind of filler is used in the middle of each product. In such a case, it is important that it is warm, environmentally friendly and safe for the human body. Nowadays there is a huge number of fillers, but the most demanded and often used is goose down. Let's consider what properties and advantages this filler has and where it can be used.

The way the comforter is built contributes not only to its appearance, but also to its insulating capacity. Available in a variety of designs, a stitching pattern that grips the front of the body at the back can prevent insulation loss without reducing offset.

Ask about the obscure materials that separate the top and bottom of the case and eliminate pockets through which cold air can enter. Heaters with barred sinks are better insulators than those whose sinks are simply stitched; they are also more expensive.

Goose down: properties and structure

Considering goose down, only appropriate ornithologists can answer the question of what it is. Experienced connoisseurs will answer that each bird has a contour feather, under which there is a special type of feather, which is precisely called down. AT scientific literature goose down is also called by other terms, but the warming ability does not depend on the name, but on other characteristics. This feature lies in the fact that downy villi are able to hold air even in the smallest plexuses. Due to this, all down products are warm compared to other fillers, therefore goose down is best filler for numerous products.

Consider purchasing a cover to keep your comforter clean. The blanket is close-fitting with snaps or zippers and must be washable. Before dry cleaning or washing. Bottom blanket maintenance is relatively straightforward, and retailers and industry representatives offer the following guidelines.

The comforter should be fluffed daily by shaking it, and it should go outside from time to time. Devices rarely need to be cleaned, especially if they are protected by a cover. Check with the care label to determine if cleaning is required. While it is itself washable, sometimes the comforter shell fabric cannot be. For those comforters that can be washed, the industrial washers and dryers found in coins are often recommended. These machines allow ample space for a comforter.

If you look at a filler such as goose down, you can be sure that it is natural materialwith excellent performance characteristics. Each property that goose down is endowed with is unique.

Goose down has high thermal insulation characteristics. In cold weather, it is able to keep warm, and in hot weather, on the contrary, it is slightly cool.
High levels of comfort, as birds such as geese make it possible to obtain soft material, which is subsequently used to create soft-touch blankets, pillows and other products.
Goose down has good hygroscopic properties, which makes it possible to quickly absorb moisture.
Geese make it possible to obtain elastic and resilient goose down. Due to this, any pillow and other down products quickly take the shape of the head or other part of the human body.
This raw material is quite light, since about 10 million small fluffs fall on 1 kg of fluff.
One of the important properties of goose down is its ability to be stored for many years. On average, goose down is kept in good condition for 5 years, so the production of such products in this case is justified.

If you do not know whether to choose goose down as the main filler, then in this case you should say with confidence what you need, since it has a lot of advantages.
In order not to go down, dry thoroughly using a gentle cycle. There is nothing more comfortable and easy on cold nights and then down the blanket. To maintain a cozy and warm sleep while you sleep, the buying recommendations below will help you choose the best one for you that will keep you warm and tasty for years to come.

The cover you put on top of your duvet is called “duvet cover”, so we're misleading the real meaning of the word, and the outer “blanket” looks like a pillowcase to cover the comforter. A real duvet is a soft duvet filled with down, feathers or synthetic fibers.

Goose or duck

Birds such as ducks and geese allow us to harvest a variety of raw materials commonly used in the production of various outerwear and other home textiles. Naturally, in this case, the question is quite natural, is duck or goose down better? It cannot be said 100% that duck material is much better than goose material. But at the same time, it is imperative to consider their main differences.

A blanket is used instead of blankets for its warmth and light weight, called a comforter. Under any bird down there are fluffy beautiful feathers under the upper strong flying feathers. They provide cushioning and insulation from cold and heat. There are no ropes at the bottom - the spine runs from the tip to the bottom center, a hollow shaft at the end of the contour feathers. Flocks downward restrict the air of the tiny downy fluff to keep birds warm. Down on ducks and geese are usually found on the belly. Sometimes down feathers are used from 100% down in less quantity in blankets.

It simply means that your comforter or pillow is filled with goose or duck inside the fabric cover, not feathers. Down duck is cheaper than down goose as duck farms are huge and affordable. Duck Down isn't as fluffy as goose down, but both give you a lot of insulation in a blanket.

Goose down in production is more affordable than duck analog. Such material is obtained only if certain people simply collect it directly from the bird. In addition, comparing it with swan fluff, it is safe to say that their characteristics are almost similar, only the price will be different. Goose down and its price will be affordable for everyone, which depends on the productive collection of down without harming the goose population. The most valuable today is white goose down, but this does not mean that you should not pay attention to other options.

Rain Fill Types

Don't be fooled into thinking that the duvet is filled with 100% goose down. Some brands use less expensive filling, reducing the cost for you, the buyer. The most common filler will be duck down, which does not have dense large clusters down. With duck down, your comforter needs to be heavier and thicker to provide the same warmth as goose down.

There are also different types goose down. Geese are raised and raised on farms for their soft downward fluffiness for winter jackets, pillows, comforters, etc. it takes about 75 or more birds to make a duvet. We want birds to be treated humanely. China is the largest culprit for plucking feathers and down from birds that are alive and then in pain and usually die. Countries kill birds for food and then lower them down, enveloping dead birds in scalding hot water to easily pull the tips of the feathers out.

If we consider the characteristics of down obtained from geese and ducks, the second option is less preferable if it is used to create garments. The kind of raw material obtained from the ducks will be much smaller and tougher. In addition, it can collect in small lumps, moreover, it is not as warm compared to that obtained from geese.

Have you ever killed a chicken on a farm? The Hungarian Goose Down is the most expensive and is considered to be the best in size and density. Chinese goose down is of poor quality, less expensive, and the bottom is plucked from juveniles that are not mature enough to have dense and large cluster plumes. Harvesting regulations in China are not as tightly regulated as in North America and Europe. Wrong Goose Down - Burst from geese, often by hand, from geese that have not been killed.

Siberian goose down - does not exist, because there are no geese in Siberia.
This is a marketing gimmick to trick the consumer; it is often from China.
Siberian geese exist, but are protected species and are not white.

A colder climate produces the best because birds have to grow larger to protect themselves from extreme cold.

How to choose the right down products

In the event that you decide to purchase jackets, pillows, blankets and other items with a similar filler, then first of all you need to carefully examine each product before purchasing it directly. First, you need to pay attention to a number of parameters:

the product should be light enough, but not heavy;
a pleasant aroma should emanate from the product: a bad smell will signal that the material was simply poorly washed before entering production.

Immediately after determining these factors, you need to take the product in your hands, shake it and squeeze it. When this process is carried out, approximately 50-70% of the product after compression should instantly recover. In the event that no changes are observed, we can talk about poor quality raw materials.

It's cold in Hungary, so it turns out the best quality and the amount down. The misconception is that the heavier the comforter, the more it will bring warmth, which is not the case. Lighter down weighs warmer. Down weighs less than feathers and the air between the clusters provides warmth. That being said, do not buy an inferior blanket based solely on its weight. Again, if you're not warm enough with the comforter, put even more warmth underneath.

The color varies with the season, the age of the bird, and the harvest. Color makes no difference to the ability to keep you warm. Most people prefer white over gray or dark, because the comforter can appear more grayish and dull and show through the finish after it has been washed or cleaned dry several times.

It is necessary to ventilate and shake fluff products as often as possible and be sure only in the fresh air.
You need to wash such things as carefully as possible: for this process, it is advisable to use any liquid soap and after washing it is imperative to rinse, wring out and shake the thing well.
In the event that a special mode for washing such products is provided in the washing machine, this option can be safely used, while it is very important to carry out this process at a temperature of 40 ° C, but not higher.
In order for this material not to undergo the decay process in the future, it cannot be stored in sufficiently humid conditions.

Adhering to the basic recommendations, it will not be difficult to preserve such a warm material as down. At the same time, one should not forget that geese enable us to obtain a type of raw material, unique in its properties, widely used in modern production.

The larger the cluster, the better the product quality. This brings us to another key point - "fill power." This is a measurement for the volume of space that takes up downward and it gives you the quality of the loft and the warmth of the blanket. The attic will be inflated and high. The more the amount of filling power, the more heat. A filling power of 600 or more will be wonderfully warm and cozy.

Goose duvets will show that the filler capacity is equal to the number of cubic inches that the ounce will take down. The higher the rating, the more dense and dense, and these comforters will be warmer than those with less filling energy. The quality will be better and last longer because the downward is stronger.

When buying products, be it a blanket or pillow, or another product filled with natural fluff and pen - you appreciate this product primarily visually. Of course, the quality of the material, its density and color are also an integral part of the product as a whole. But what you need to know about the contents of this product, which often cannot be seen, directly touch it.

You might think to get a low delivery rate for warmer conditions and a high filling power for colder conditions. You should also consider the filling power for the total weight of the blanket. For example: 350 filling power, 100 ounces versus 700 filling energy, 50 ounces means each comforter will be warm, but the maximum filling power of 700 is better and is half the weight. Check the maximum filling power and total filling weight depending on your warm or cold conditions you are considering.

So what determines the quality of the down or feather?

Let's start in order - today we'll talk about fluff. To begin with, let's find out that only representatives of waterfowl birds have fluff, that is, for example, a chicken, an Indoka (turkey) or an ostrich - they do not have fluff. Domestic goose and duck, as well as their wild relatives, are striking representatives of downy birds inhabiting the territory of Russia and Ukraine. The most affordable will of course be poultry. Do not wake you running through the steppes and fields in search of a wild bird to take away the down from it for your pillow. By the way, to make one pillow, for example, 70 x 70 in size, you need about 1100 fluff, taking into account technological losses in the process of its preliminary processing (sorting, washing, drying and dusting), and from one adult it is possible to get a maximum of 180 - 220 g of down.

The higher the number of threads, the tighter the threads for each square inch, making the fabric softer and smoother. Your comforter will breathe better and feel more generous and plush with a higher thread count. If you are using a duvet to insert your comforter, the number of threads may not be as important.

The pockets down are separated by fabric strips sewn at intervals so the down does not shrink into balls and this type is more expensive but lasts longer. This puzzle will be evenly distributed down the blanket. Less expensive blankets simply sew up the threads to pull down and hold them in place. Over time, the threads will break or wear out.

This information about the down is not enough to have an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat is inside the product, and even more so to judge its quality.

Let's now understand the varieties of fluff, namely: it can be goose or duck... What is the difference, you ask? There is a difference, and it is inherent in nature itself. Structurally, this the difference can only be seen with a special microscope ... But the structure itself is not the defining difference in quality. This difference lies in the number of fatty and waxed inclusions on the structure of the puff itself (cluster), of which there are more in duck than in goose. Accordingly, duck down is considered more "fat", which requires significant processing costs, it is heavier and is mainly used as a filler for the manufacture of outerwear. And, nevertheless, there are norms of content, say duck down in a goose. For different countries they are different, on average it is from 6 to 12 percent.

Deflector boxes have the same structure as for making quilts, but with more complexity. Instead of stitching the outer layers of fabric into pockets, fabric pockets known as baffles are used as a way to retain heat and prevent falling down. Drawers are sewn to the inner layer of the comforter for general warmth, keeping it in place.

Down against alternative lovers

Down comforters are made from fluffy clusters under duck or goose feathers. An alternative alternative is used for those allergic to down or feathers and is cheaper. Alternative option - synthetic materialssuch as polyester, rayon or cotton. Alternative comforters are not as warm, but easy to maintain and clean. They don't have the luxurious feel of real duvets, however, and are inexpensive. You may even need audible or white noise.

After we have figured out the difference between goose and duck down, let's move on to a more detailed study.

Both the duck and the goose are white, gray or mixed. To date, the information is widespread, unfortunately I do not know by whom, that white down is superior in quality to gray. It's like a person's dark skin is worse than light skin, - rave... I declare with full responsibility that this is a lie, and if, of course, you do not consider yourself a racist, then you will agree with me. The price for white down is really higher than for gray down, but this is not related to its quality - this is only due to its aesthetics, that is, to its external data, appearance - in white. This was due to the aesthetic demands of the market. In the world, a white bed is much more in demand than a bed in any other color performance. For centuries, an impeccably snow-white bed was considered the royal bed, although there is no dispute about tastes. Modern sophisticated white translucent teaks do not allow the use of gray fillings, although gray is quite acceptable for other types. In addition, given the approximate percentage ratio in nature of pure white and gray down of 40 to 60, it becomes extremely clear where the price is formed from. The main determining factor of the quality of down is its place of origin (territorially), the breed of the bird and its age. Nature has taken care of the creatures living on Earth. Being in more severe conditions of existence (for example, in the northern regions of the country), the edge, in this case in birds, gains a more abundant and pronounced character, which is manifested in a significant increase in clusters and their number. As for the age of the bird, it is biologically established that in an individual whose age is approaching a calendar year, the cluster is more developed in structure and size than in young animals. Finally, the simplest and most obvious in the quality of down is the direct human influence through selection on the breeding of down breeds of the same goose.

Features to consider when buying a blanket

The box stitching that forms the mesh across the top of the screen is the problem described in 7 above. This pattern will inhibit shifting and grouping while offering more warmth. If you have a queen size bed, don't get less than right size... Conversely, the California king's blanket may not be long enough at the bottom, or descend enough at the sides. A comforter with a king will most likely fit the queen's bed to cover the sides and bottom. This is why it is so important to take careful measurements and then read the package sizes for a good fit. Check the filling powder and thread quantity to suit your needs. Some oversized duvets won't fit well in the home. washing machine or an industrial laundry type machine. Dry cleaning is also optimal and can be costly but well worth it to stay on. If it only mentions “cleaning the stain,” you may want to consider another comforter. If you do decide to put it in the washing machine, make sure it is the type of front load found in the laundry and only use a gentle cycle with cold water. You may want to recycle it again so that it only works with water to remove any remaining detergent after the first wash. When using a large laundry dryer, consider using tumble dryers to release the fabric.

Check how stapling is performed.
This is a common problem with all bedding.
Check the jumper top and bottom.
The best partitions have a thin strip of fabric with bumps stitched through it.
Check your budget and check guarantees.
Please check the cleaning instructions before purchasing a blanket.
The wash usually fades away.
Please read the cleaning instructions, usually on the label, before purchasing.
Everyone wants to clean their blanket to remove oils, stains and dirt.
Many duvets and covers are dry clean only.
Rearrange the blanket periodically to keep it from gathering and staying fluffy.

They help reduce wrinkles and static to keep your comforter soft and fluffy.

There is another myth that I really want to dispel and shed light on. It touches the plucked down from a live bird, the so-called "live bird", and the down taken from a previously slaughtered bird - from the carcass. Yes, I agree that fluff, as an organic derivative (fluff is organic), does not lose its properties (“lives”) as long as it is fed from the skin of its owner - a bird, but as soon as it loses this, the aging process irreversibly begins and destruction as a result, I repeat, it's organic. In this case, there is absolutely no difference between the fluff removed in vivo and the fluff removed from the carcass. The bottom line lies in something completely different, which determines the price of "livestock", which is much higher than the usual fluff. Firstly, as mentioned above, there are certain norms, tolerances for the percentage of duck down in a goose, with a goose down, the percentage of duck down in it is zero. Because the duck raw material due to its structure is valued lower than goose, the result is obvious - easy money with moderate mixing. Secondly, when carrying out a timely and correct "livestock", the percentage of down in the total mass is much higher than in ordinary raw materials. But this advantage is inherent only in the first stage before the start of pre-processing. Raw materials are sorted and sorted into fractions, therefore, the output is still aligned with the usual one. The difference will be only in the mass of certain fractions, in their quantity. Well, that's probably all that can be said about which down is better than duck or goose down. Enjoy your shopping and don't be fooled!