How to choose wisely?
When choosing your next comforter or pillow, you have a lot of options to consider. In addition to selecting colors to match your décor and fabrics that you love, it is important to consider what type of filling your comforter or pillow has.
There are numerous types of fills you can choose from when it comes to what is inside your comforter or pillow. Many people opt for synthetic materials while others will look for feather or down filled bedding options.
Down is often considered the most luxurious and effective bedding fill choice. But it is also important to consider what type of down is inside your bedding. Understanding this will help you make an informed purchase so that you enjoy your bedding for years to come.
Goose vs. Duck Down
Both goose and duck down have been used as insulating fills for centuries. Down is the soft layer of very fine feathers found beneath the tougher exterior feathers you find on fowl like ducks and geese. Down is especially well known for its thermal qualities. Both are known to maintain their loft and thermal capabilities for years. However, when it comes to fill power and keeping you extra warm, goose down is unbeatable.
Fill power is the essentially the amount of space the down occupies. A higher fill power, the higher the thermal qualities. In order to achieve a high fill power, the down must contain higher number of large plumules, which are the wispy parts of the down that is noticeable to the eye. Because goose down is larger than duck down, it contains a greater number of larger plumules that create exceptional thermal insulation. High-end bedding products typically contain goose down because of its higher fill, better lofting capabilities, and for its longevity.
Another way that goose and duck down differ is in odor. Some experts and customers note that they can tell a discernable difference between items containing duck down versus goose down. Because ducks are smaller and lower to the ground, they pick up more odors from their environment, specifically the ground when their feathers drag. Additionally, because ducks eat a more diverse diet than geese as well, their feathers and down can pick up many more odors from their environment and diet than geese. Because geese are larger and have more ground clearance, this odor is much less noticeable, if noticeable at all. While many people won’t notice a difference or note any odor in either fowl’s down, it’s important to be cognizant that there have been noted instances of people being able to detect an odor from duck down.
Goose Down is Best for Allergy Sufferers
If you suffer from allergies, goose down is ultimately a better choice for you than duck down. For the reasons cited above, duck down can carry more environmental matter and odors thanks to the fowl’s diet and low center of gravity, which may aggravate allergies, even after the cleaning process before it makes its way into your bedding.
Know Your Options
Many people don’t consider filling options when shopping for pillows and comforters. Your bedding should be an investment in yourself and your health that helps you get a restful night sleep. When it comes to bedding options, down beats synthetic fillers, hands down. An investment in down bedding, and specifically goose down bedding, is an investment in years of sound sleeping thanks to its softness, thermal insulation qualities, and its capabilities to hold its form and function.
