Down/Feather Duvets
Some years ago, we invested in top-quality feather pillows and three duvets to cover all seasons. Each duvet was stuffed with Siberian goose down, pocket-sewn to prevent the feathers drifting within, and the shell had a high thread count to stop feathers from escaping. And for years, I was very happy snuggling up in my down-filled duvets.
A downside of down/feather duvets is that they are high maintenance: they must be laundered frequently to avoid build up of dust and dust mites, and then dried very quickly to avoid mould growing in the clumps of sodden feathers. I regularly had our duvets and pillows professionally laundered – a price I was willing to pay for the cosiness they offered.
However, down/feather duvets have other disadvantages. For starters, despite the assurances of the manufacturer, feathers did occasionally escape from our duvets and they also seemed to migrate within the shell – or at least by some means, the top of the duvet became extremely thin compared to the bottom. Of greater concern was the fact that our bedroom was always the dustiest room in the house; something we attributed to the feather bedding. And then I started to notice an irritating cough that would develop shortly after I went to bed each night. I have a known allergy to dust and, despite my diligence with getting the bedding laundered, my symptoms persisted.
Then one morning, as I bent down to unplug my hair straightener, I noticed a layer of dust on the floor.