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Since we spend a third of our life in bed, it makes sense to enjoy
the experience with as much luxury as we can. Featherbeds have become
enormously popular in the last few years. Comfort lovers just want more
luxury in bed, or people get their new luxury mattress home to find it
is too firm. Just what is a featherbed? It is the ultimate mattress
topper, far superior to cotton, polyester or wool and it is much
thicker and more sumptuous, and will last for years. It is filled with
either mostly feather, a combination of down and feather, or all down,
known as a down bed. This cushiony luxury, used with a cover for
protection, goes on top of your mattress under the fitted sheet to add
pure luxury and sublime comfort to deliver better sleep year-round.
Today's
luxury featherbeds are not your Grandma's featherbed. In her day it
literally was a bag of feathers. There are many featherbeds available,
the majority are made of 95% duck feather 5% duck down (not considered
luxury). Feathers are flat with a hard quill, down is the soft
undercoating from the bird's breast. Goose down is better than duck
down, the down clusters are larger, and at least 50/50 down/feather is
better than mostly feathers, which are hard and "crunchy", and they
tend to leak out of the best featherproof casing over time.
There
are some truly luxury featherbeds available using white goose down and
feather, with larger percentages of high fill-power goose down, and
even all down. The fill-power is the measurement of the down cluster's
ability to loft up after compression. The higher lofting downs make
puffier featherbeds. 650 fill-power or higher goose down for a
featherbed is luxury quality. More down in your featherbed means a more
luxurious look and an incomparable level of comfort. A down bed with
all white goose down would be softer and the puffiest. More luxury to
sink into.
The most common styles are baffle box, 3 compartment,
or channel . It is better to have a baffle box to keep the filling from
unwanted shifting, and at least a 3" - 4" baffle.
Always use a
featherbed cover to protect your featherbed or down bed. Choose one
that will accommodate the baffle construction to allow the filling
(especially if it is a high percentage of down or all down) to loft up,
and with zippers on 3 sides for easy removal. Fluff up, and turn over
your featherbed weekly when you wash the cover. Send your featherbed to
a down bedding specialist for cleaning every 3 or 4 years and for
renovation after 7 - 10 years. Another good idea is to invest in some
extra deep fitted sheets so that you get the full loft of your
featherbed. A too tight fitted sheet will pull the featherbed down
making it flatter. This would defeat the purpose of having a high down
content luxury featherbed.
An investment in a quality
featherbed or down bed is well worth it since it will deliver an
unparalleled level of comfort for life with proper cleaning and
renovation. Purchasing from a down specialist ensures a wide selection
to choose from and knowledgeable staff. Choose a specialist that offers
expert cleaning/renovation services so you will have your luxury
featherbed for life.
Lisa Stevens is a Comfort
Specialist at The Down Store. Since 1973 she has been offering her
expertise in the selection and care of luxury down bedding. Look
for future articles on down comforter care, choosing the right down
pillow, luxury mattresses. 1-800-USA-DOWN.
http://www.thedownstore.com
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