Warm and cosy, they go around you like a hug on a cold night. We’re talking about comforters! Comforters are a much-needed bedding accessory this season, when the weather vacillates between cold and pleasant and it even rains on some nights. But most people feel suffocated and hot inside a comforter. This happens when it’s not the right one for the temperature, and even your skin.
This article has some useful tips for picking the perfect comforter, no matter the season.
* Buy only at the right time of the year.
Comforter prices rise during the monsoon and winter months due to high demand. If you want one at a reasonable price, buy it when people are not thinking of them at all – the summer season is the best time to do this. And yet, top brands know that many customers do this, so they offer year-round price reduction with discounts and attractive offers. Another good time to buy is during the festive season, when there are sales and discounts galore.
* Discard the one you have if…
Normally, the right time to discard your existing comforter is if it has become frayed or lumpy. An old comforter with unevenly distributed filling or tears and rips cannot do its job properly and it is best thrown away.
* Research the insides of the item.
The comforter filling makes or breaks the item: it often determines how warm or light it will be. Conventionally, comforters are filled with duck or geese down (small feathers are called ‘down’) to impart softness and flexibility. Down also offers good insulation. The environmentally-conscious user will be happy to choose a down comforter rather than a polymer fibre one (though the latter might be much cheaper). Some comforters feature wool filling, but these are often heavy and overheat quite fast, so you cannot use them all year round. When picking the comforter, check what kind of filling it has, whether down or cotton threads.
* Look for good fill power.
Most people ask for ‘thread counts’ when buying comforters, but this term is applicable only to bedsheets. Instead of thread counts, comforters have ‘fill power’. This term indicates the amount of space the filling occupies per square inch. The higher the fill power, the denser the filling and the warmer the comforter will be. It naturally follows that if you want to use the comforter in all seasons, you must pick one with a lower fill power whose filling allows more ventilation when in use. Choose one with a fill power lower than 600.
* Check the stitching.
Whether the comforter is stitched properly or not determines whether it will keep its filling in place instead of allowing it to migrate to other areas and form lumps. Good stitching also determines whether the item can be washed regularly without coming apart in the washing machine or dryer. The most common construction you will find is the ‘baffle box’ or ‘square’ – you’ve probably seen this on quilts. This stitching allows for an even spread for the filling and holds it in place to prevent lumping. Unlike the fill power for the insides, the stitching or ‘overcloth’ will have a thread count; look for 300 to 500 thread count if you want an all-weather comforter.
* Check if it’s easy to maintain.
Most brands indicate wash and care instructions for the item, and it helps to follow these closely if you don’t want to ruin the product with harsh cleaning products or dryer cycles. Some comforters can only be dry cleaned. Others can be washed at home using a low spin cycle on the washing machine. All comforters should be washed in cold water to prevent the covering from pilling over time. If you must put it in the dryer, make sure to use dryer balls to extract human hair and/or pet fluff.
(Featured image courtesy https://blog.sobelathome.com/what-is-a-healthy-sleep-position/)