Duvets keep you at the right temperature during sleep and at the same time have to ventilate well.

Down, wool or synthetic fibers are usually used for duvets. The materials each have their advantages and disadvantages.

Which duvet should I choose?

Everyone knows the duvets made of down, synthetic filling or wool, but did you already know Tencel or Silk?

People sometimes come to our store to ask for a warm duvet, unfortunately this does not exist - the duvet is not warm or cold in itself, but offers a certain insulating effect and ensures that the heat stays with your body

Down.
Nature has provided geese and ducks with perfect protection against the cold: their feathers. Springs contain a system of air channels, and air is a very efficient insulator. This makes feathers an ideal filling for duvets, because they retain heat and the air between the feathers ensures good ventilation at the same time.
 
Quality.
Down (the smallest, soft feathers) and feathers come in different qualities. Down is lighter and warmer than feathers. They are often mixed, so the following applies: the more down, the lighter and warmer the duvet. And the coarser the feathers, the more likely you are to feel them through the bedding. The location where the geese grow up also affects the bulkiness and fill power of the down, the colder the area, the more beautiful the down.
 
Compartiments.
To prevent the filling of a duvet from collecting in one point over time, stitched compartments are usually used. Various methods are used for this, such as squares (carrés) or lanes. However, the stitching creates holes for the down to get through. To counteract this, there is the method of heat-fixing, a kind of bonding by means of high temperatures.
 
Tick.
The cover of the duvet must be made of such a material that even the smallest feathers cannot pass through. Usually a high quality cotton is used for this. This substance easily absorbs moisture and also easily releases it into the ambient air.
 
Four seasons.
There are down duvets for the cool and the warm part of the year, and four-season duvets, with or without two (or more) removable layers. You can get all the information you need in a specialist store, but you should always keep in mind that, in addition to quality, your personal preferences are also important.

Wool.
Until the 1970s, people still slept under blankets in the Netherlands. They were usually made of wool. Nowadays almost everyone uses a duvet. Wool, like down and feathers, has an insulating function. In addition, it absorbs moisture. However, wool is less flexible, and therefore it molds less well to the body. In addition, wool is heavier. In thin summer duvets in which wool is used, that material is therefore sometimes mixed with wild silk (natural silk).

Synthetic fibers.
There are many different synthetic fibres, which differ greatly in weight, insulating capacity, ventilation and durability. The disadvantage of synthetic fibers is that they usually ventilate less well than down or wool. The advantage is that synthetic duvets are much cheaper than woolen and down duvets, and that they can be washed in the washing machine.

Tencel.
Tencel is a fiber made by the company Lensing in Austria - they have succeeded in making a fiber from eucalyptus wood that absorbs extremely well. Another advantage is that this filling is easy to clean and good for the environment and animal.

Silk.
Everyone knows silk as being made by the silkworm - the quality of the thread makes the quality of the duvet, the material is anti-allergic and its enormous moisture absorbing capacity makes it very suitable for people with rheumatic diseases. for example, look at the beautiful duvets from Emperior Silk

Duvet Information System (DIS).
The Foundation for the Promotion of Duvets, in collaboration with the Consumers' Association, has developed a uniform quality standard for duvets, the Duvet Information System (DIS). The DIS label contains ten criteria that can help you with the purchase: model, dimensions, ticking, filling weight, heat class, weight class, usage and washing instructions and the warranty period.

Heat class system according to DIS
Class 1: Warmest, most suitable for the very cold bedroom or cold people.
Class 2: Medium warm; the best choice for most people.
Class 3: Thinner, for the slightly heated bedroom.
Class 4: Thinnest, for the warm bedrooms or for people who get hot very quickly.
 
Winterduvets are mostly from Class 1, summer duvets from class 4.