Goose Down Comforters Tips
Read these 21 Goose Down Comforters Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Bedding tips and hundreds of other topics.
Name Brand Bedding
The quality of goose down varies dramatically. Besides country of origin,and name brand bedding the inferior goose down might have been collected from geese that were too young, or the down might have been cleaned carelessly or with too harsh a chemical. Sometimes the filling includes too many feathers, although duck feathers (included in some down products) are very small and tend to be soft. High quality doesn't necessarily translate to high price, however.
Luxury discount down comforters made from the best goose down can be found online. When purchasing a down comforter, it's important to check the label or research the product online to confirm that the manufacturer has met exact standards.
White Goose Down Comforters
The loft of the goose down filling will determine the physical size of a goose down comforter as well as its insulating ability. The more goose down inside a down comforter, the warmer it will be. Many white goose down comforters manufacturers offer a variety of fillings: “Warm" comforters have fewer ounces of filling than do the "warmest" down comforters. Winter weight luxury down comforters as well as down comforters in summer and year-round weights are available from Alexandra Jordan.
Hungarian Goose Down
Some Hungarian goose down has an excellent reputation because geese from colder regions such as Hungary tend to produce stronger clusters of down. Some Hungarian goose down has a premium fill power of 750+. Hungary has produced down comforters for centuries. Hungarian goose down is usually hand-harvested in the Hungarian countryside. Some geese are raised specifically for down production and are not injured by the hand-gathering of down clusters.
Bird Flu and White Goose Down
Bird flu is this year's Halloween horror, like SARS and anthrax. Everyone rushes to the mall for flu shots and Tamiflu supplies. But your bedding may also be at risk. If geese get infected, what happens to the white goose down comforter supply? Bird flu has been reported in Vietnam, Asian and the UK. While chickens are the villains and victims (look out, Disney's "Chicken Little," the sky really is falling), the flu has inficted 184 species of wild birds in northwestern China.
It's most worrisome to people who farm or kill birds for food and feathers--you mainly gather down after you cook that goose. The question is, is the goose down comforter cooked? After all, down gatherers can become infected from a diseased bird. Could you get an infection from white goose down comforters? Chinese goose down doesn't go through the same sterilization and quality control as European goose down. The LA Times reports that people are not likely yet to be infected.
The real risk is the shortage of down reported as early as May 2004, but judging from the many white goose down comforters available for sale online, the shortage hasn't hit yet. Goose down comforter manufacturers typically sterilize the down, even though the suppliers put goose down through strict procedures. The cleansers get rid of allergens and dust--ask if they banish bird flu viruses too. If you're uncertain about policies to prevent bird flu infection, ask your retailer or the manufacturer before you spring for a goose comforter. And don't let fear turn you into a silly goose. SARS wasn't as deadly as we thought.
Goose Down Feathers From Young Geese
A younger goose does not produce down that is as filling as a mature goose. Young down doesn't trap as much air, and white goose down comforters made from young down have shorter lives because the down is delicate. To be safe, buy a luxury down comforter made with white down from mature geese. A little research will insure that your quality cozy down comforters will give you a good night's sleep.
Down Filled Comforters
Since the Icelandic wild Eider is protected from commercial harvesting, down filled comforters Eider down must be hand-harvested from abandoned nests and is in extremely limited supply. Consequently, Eider down comforters are painfully expensive. If you're not extremely wealthy—or belong to a royal family—you can find luxury discount down comforters online. Down filled comforters come in summer, winter and year-round weights.
Goose Down Comforters
Goose down comforters make amazingly light and very comfortable to sleep under. Since goose down allows moisture, such as perspiration, to escape (a process called wicking), a goose down comforter is more pleasant to sleep under than one with synthetic filling. You'll never feel clammy under quality goose down comforters. Down comforters are more suitable for a variety of temperatures and climates than other types of bedding.
Asian Goose Down Comforters
White goose down originates in several countries. Some sources pinpoint Asia as the source of most fluffy white goose down—up to half. Around the world, geese are raised first for food, and Asia consumes a lot of geese, so they have a lot of down. In other words, goose down is a by-product of Asian food consumption. Actually, Hungary and Canada produce some of the finest white goose down in the world. Luxurious down comforters can be found in an appropriate weight to suit your climate and give you a good night's sleep.
Goose Down Comforters
The best, longest-lasting goose down comforters comes from white geese. White goose down has large, strong, durable clusters that have more fill power than duck down. Also, white goose down doesn't show through the white cotton shells that are commonly used on goose down comforters. Luxury down comforters made from white goose down can be found at discount prices online.
Chinese White Goose Down
You've heard about "the China revolution" in the stock market, the bond market and the consumer market. Add goose down to the list of Chinese entry into global trades. Chinese goose comforters now compete with Siberian, Hungarian, Polish and other European as well as Canadian grey goose down comforters or white goose down comforters. We counted no less than fifteen Chinese companies that supply grey or white goose down for your goose down comforter.
hinese silk makes the most luxurious silk comforters. Should you surrender to the Chinese white goose down comforter revolution? It's worth noting that Siberian, Hungarian and Canadian white goose comforters are still considered the best. And the good ol' USA keeps its hand in with Hypodown, a semi-synthetic hypoallergenic hybrid goose comforter with Syriaca fiber. Hypodown is produced in Nebraska.
If you choose to go for take-out Chinese, remember that down harvesting, sorting, sanitizing and quality standards for white goose down comforters aren't as regulated as they are in Europe or even Siberia--one or two critics have even said that there is no such thing as "Siberian goose down" and that most of the world's goose down comes from China. Just as when you order any unknown product, do a little research. In the meantime, buy a China mutual fund.
Feather Bedding
Some top quality goose down or feather bedding used in luxury down comforters comes from Canadian Hutterite farms. Manufacturers of luxury down comforters go to great lengths to purchase Hutterite goose down. Hutterites are members of a religious sect whose roots go back to 1529 in Moravia (the present Czech Republic).The Hutterite community of western Canada raises geese to full maturity outdoors throughout the winter, producing some of the most sought after goose down in North America.
Geese that grow up in colder climates produce more down to keep themselves warm. When the year's supply of Hutterite down has been sold out, top quality goose down from European and some former Soviet bloc countries is a next choice for luxury down comforters.
Types of Bedding
Goose down used in duvets and comforters and name brand comforters is collected from geese raised all around the world. Among the finest is Hutterite goose down from Alberta, Canada. Siberia produces another excellent, very dense variety of goose down. Poor to high quality down is collected in Asia. Luxury down comforters boasting high quality goose down can be found at a discount online.
Down Comforters Guide
Some types of down and feather bedding reflects your own body heat, so if you're normally a warm person you can probably adjust easily to a lighter-weight, summer fill, goose down comforter. If your body temperature is naturally lower, you might need a medium-weight down comforter. Labels are helpful.. You can find luxury goose down comforters in summer fill down, winter fill down or year-round fill down at Alexandra Jordan.
Siberian White Goose Down a Fake?
Fake fat, fake creamer, and now fake Siberian white goose down comforters? White Siberian goose down is the most highly prized filling for goose comforters. But now the Down Association of Canada says that Siberian goose down is actually a trade name. The Down Association of Canada plus other bedding experts argue that the actual Siberian goose doesn't look or quack like a duck, er, goose down comforter. The Siberian Goose is a protected species that, according to a Highlights Magazine picture, flaunts red and black plumage--hardly the pristine white color for a white goose down comforter.
There is a white-fronted goose with grey plumage that breeds in Siberia, but that type of goose would be suited to a grey goose down comforter. The Down Association of Canada published an anonymous statement from "a major supplier of 'Siberian Down'" in which the supplier admitted the trade name is specious. "Siberian Down" may come from a variety of countries. The Down Association of Canada's conclusion: No one can verify actual Siberian Down, so the term is an empty marketing label any seller of white goose down comforters can use.
Marketing hype is everywhere--look at the way talentless William Hung achieved dubious fame after a spectacular failure and Simon Cowell excoriation on "American Idol." But unlike William Hung, Siberian white goose down comforters are everywhere and in demand. If you order a Siberian goose comforter, see if it has a zipper and unzip it to look at the down. Or do the "squeeze" test to verify that the down is high quality. Perhaps you're better off avoiding the risk of fake products and choosing Hungarian or Canadian goose comforters.
White and Brown Goose Down
White goose down comforter. Brown goose down comforter. It all sounds like black and white, and you stay out of debates about color. How about gray goose comforters? We did see a light grey goose down pillow in Linens -N- Things, but the actual pillow sham was grey. Actually, as geese age, the down turns grey--this is natural, and doesn't mean the down is inferior, any more than grey hair means people are worn out. In fact, some experts say they would rather have goose comforters with down from mature, older geese or even older ducks!
Now instead of wandering into a color debate, you've stepped into an ageism battle. And in China, where advanced age isn't automatically the kiss of death, you can get a goose down comforter with gray goose down that's hypoallergenic and high-quality. From Europe, you can also get a goose comforter with filling from the grey goose. It doesn't matter what color the down is if it's high-quality. Don't be afraid of the color debate. When it comes to goose down comorters, we all can just get along.
White Or Gray Goose Down Covers
You've decided that you prefer shades of grey and have opted for a grey goose comforter rather than a white goose down comforter. Unfortunately, others may not like seeing shades of grey. Just call yourself a complex thinker. Even you have to admit, though, that grey goose down looks unsightly through a white, light-colored or translucent duvet.
Although higher thread counts will block out the light and hide the grey, your goose down comforter looks like a storm cloud. Opt for darker patterned or solid color goose comforter duvets when choosing grey goose down comforters. You could let your preference for grey dominate and buy grey-covered rather than white-covered goose down comforters.
If you do choose white or light fabric for grey goose comforters, select a duvet cover in a darker solid color or pattern. Truth be told, all those shades of grey are beginning to confuse you too. How about a nice plaid?
Goose Down Harvesting Methods
Down used in down comforters may be gathered from abandoned nests, taken from nests with eggs in them, or plucked from live domesticated geese several times a season. The latter two methods of harvesting goose down are controversial. If you have qualms about them, do some research before purchasing your goose down comforter. Each manufacturer has its own source or sources for the materials they use in down comforters. Suppliers of goose down in Iceland, Poland, Hungary, Canada and Asia each have their own harvesting methods. Find out what they are.
Goose Down Comforter
White down is very pleasing to the senses. We think of it as pure and clean. Still, goose down comforters doesn't have to be white to be highly effective. Down from the highly prized and protected Eider duck is brown. Eider down comforters and duvets are the most expensive, affordable by only the very wealthy or very royal. That doesn't leave you out! Go to Alexandra Jordan to find discount down comforters to suit your wallet.
White Goose Down
True Canadian white goose down is in demand for top-of-the-line products. Consequently, many down products made in Canada and the United States actually use down—sometimes called silver goose down—imported from Asia. Asian goose down tends to be of lower quality because geese there are raised for food, not down. To be fair, this is not always the case. When buying a goose down comforter determine the quality of the goose down based on the down's country of origin.
Down Fill Comforters
Geese and ducks are insulated from extreme temperatures by their down. Down is the soft, fluffy growth found under their outer layer of breast feathers. Down is lighter and more flexible than the goose's feathers. Goose down comforters are highly sought after because they offer the ultimate in comfort and insulation. Luxury down comforters have up to 90% down and 700 fill power.
Types of Down and Feather Bedding
Besides Canada, types of down and feather bedding, fine white goose down for luxury down comforters is also harvested in Hungary, Poland and Siberia. The white color makes the goose down more versatile. It can be used as filler in pastel colored down comforters without showing through. Check online for discount luxury down comforters that will keep you cozy through a good night's sleep. Discount luxury down comforters with the same loft and fill power as more expensive down comforters can be found online.
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| Heidi Splete |
