There’s nothing like crawling into bed after a tiring day and snuggling up with a soft, fluffy duvet. It’s like getting a warm hug from an old friend. Choosing the right duvet is essential if you’re looking to create a relaxing bedroom environment that enhances sleep quality. This guide will help you sift through the best duvet inserts that meets your needs.
Yumerest’s cloud-like fluffy duvets are a fantastic tool for reaching your goals. These soft, breathable duvets create a comfortable, inviting sleep space while looking gorgeous on any bed, seamlessly enhancing your bedroom’s décor.
How to Choose a Duvet for Comfort and Style in Your Bedroom
Your duvet choice hinges on your sleeping style. Warm sleepers tend to feel too hot in their bedding and frequently kick off covers, adjust limbs, or even get out of bed to regulate their temperature. Normal sleepers are low maintenance and can easily snooze in various environments.
Cold sleepers often struggle to sleep because they feel drafts and get too cold in bedding. If you don’t relate to any of these descriptions, you likely fall somewhere between a warm and cold sleeper, and should consider having at least two duvets to accommodate different seasons.
-
Warm sleeper = light warmth duvet
-
Regular sleeper = year-round warmth duvet
-
Cold sleeper = extra warmth duvet
Factors to Consider When Picking a Duvet
There are two types of filling when it comes to duvets:
-
Natural
-
Synthetic
If you suffer from allergies, opt for a synthetic duvet. Natural duvets are lighter, allow your skin to breathe more efficiently, and are equally warm.
Natural fillings
Natural duvets are soft and allow your skin to breathe more quickly than synthetic materials. They are usually filled with either feather (duck or goose) or down.
Down-filled duvets
Down is usually lightweight and offers the best warmth. It is customarily made with fluffy feathers from the bird's breast area.
-
Hungarian
-
Swedish
-
Canadian down
Feather-filled duvets
Usually less expensive than down options but heavier, as the feathers are larger and more robust.
Feather and down-filled duvets
A mix of the two means tough feathers and warm down are used to achieve the ideal weight and warmth.
Silk
This is an excellent option for those who suffer from allergies but still want a natural filling. It’s lightweight, durable, hypoallergenic and regulates your body temperature by trapping warm air next to you in the cold and drawing it away from you when hot. It can even cope with the washing machine and tumble dryer.
Wool
Another natural alternative, wool, is excellent at trapping air because of its chunky structure. It is also naturally hypoallergenic and helps regulate body temperature by wicking away excess heat and moisture when necessary.
Synthetic Duvets
Synthetic (non-allergenic) duvets are great options for those allergic to feathers, down, or dust mites as they are often hypoallergenic. Synthetic fibres also wick away sweat and can be washed more regularly than natural fillings. They can be categorised as hollow fibre or microfibre.
Hollowfibre
The duvet is filled with hollow fibres, which can easily trap warmth. These options are hardwearing and often coated with an anti-allergy treatment. However, they're thicker and more wire-like than microfibre.
Microfibre
Extra fine fibres create a high-quality duvet that feels as luxurious as natural down options. They’re also lighter than feather-filled duvets.
There are also synthetic fills that emulate down, like microgel. Microgel is 100% polyester, so it’s hypoallergenic and easy to care for. For those seeking an affordable option with tremendous value, a microgel duvet may be just the thing. But it’s worth noting that a microgel duvet requires roughly three times the filling to equal the warmth of a down duvet. Synthetic duvets can be a bit heavier on the body.
Regenerated or Recycled Hollowfibre Duvets
Sometimes called redown or rPET. Waste plastic bottles are melted into plastic chips and spun into polyester fibres. This requires less energy than virgin polyester and reduces the extraction of petrochemicals from the environment.
It takes around 120 plastic bottles to fill a double duvet. Recycling reduces landfills, so they are a better choice if you want a microfibre duvet, but they may still create microfibre plastic pollution.
Warmth/Weight – Match Your Sleeper Profile
Fill type is just one part of the equation. Fill power is the second part! Together, fill type and fill power determine the weight and warmth of your duvet. So what is fill power? Simply put, it refers to the volume of filling in your duvet.
For non-down, fill power equals how much filling is used and determines the weight of a duvet. The more fill, the warmer the duvet!
Understanding Fill Power and Down Quality
Fill power refers to the volume or loft the down creates. So, with a higher-quality down, you can achieve a higher fill power with less filling. It all depends on how much space the down fills up rather than how much down there is, ounce per ounce.
For example, one ounce of luxury goose down can fill up more space than one ounce of a lower quality duck down, so it can trap more air within the duvet and create more warmth. Without needing more fill! That’s why, 32 ounces of white goose down with a fill power of 650 will be warmer than 38 ounces of duck down with a fill power of only 500.
Quick tip: When buying for family, know that youngsters tend to sleep warmer, so they need a lighter warmth duvet!
Ticking/Shell – Count Those Threads
The ticking is the outer shell or casing of a duvet. Typically, you’ll judge a duvet’s ticking by how high the thread count is. Anything above a 220 thread count is classified as “down proof” (no down can escape). So a higher thread count doesn’t make a fabric more downproof!
That said, the higher the thread count, the softer and lighter the outer fabric will be. This provides an excellent loft from the down filling and a smoother hand-feel. The ticking can also be made from alternative fibers, like bamboo. A bamboo shell provides excellent temperature-regulating properties, making it a good choice for warm sleepers.
Construction – Baffle is Best
There are several different construction methods for duvets, but one of the best is the baffle box! This involves stitching a grid of boxes within a duvet. These boxes allow space for the down to loft and remain evenly distributed, leaving no cold spots.
Another standard method is the “stitched box”. With this method, a grid is stitched directly through both layers of ticking. The disadvantage of this approach is that cold spots can occur along the sew lines where down is scarce and compressed. But your duvet will have a more sculpted look, and if you run hot, you may appreciate having some cool spots.
Layering Up – Figure Out Your Fabrics
Remember to consider the other layers of fabric you choose to include on your bed! If you like to sleep with a coverlet, flat sheet, or even a thicker, jacquard duvet cover, these layers of fabric will all increase the warmth and weight of your bedding.
For example, if you’re a warm sleeper, choosing a year-round warmth duvet and adding a jacquard cover could be too hot. If you love the jacquard look, you may want to opt for a light warmth duvet. On the other hand, if you’re a cold sleeper, the combination of a year-round warmth duvet and jacquard duvet cover could be ideal!
Quick tip: To increase the longevity and effectiveness of your down duvet, avoid weighing it down with heavy layers or by constantly sitting on top of it. This compresses the down, reducing its ability to loft over time.
Tog Ratings
What does tog stand for, and what duvet should you get? The tog rating tells you how warm the duvet is and how insulating it will feel to sleep under, so it’s essential to understand which tog rating is best for you and the season.
If you’re too hot or cold in bed, you won’t get a good night’s sleep, and you could be just a little bit grumpy the next day! The correct tog rating will help regulate your body temperature and help you sleep better. To find out which tog is best for you, view our duvet tog guide.
Tog Ratings: Choosing the Right Duvet for Every Season
The tog rating scale starts at a cool one tog and goes up to a very toasty 15 tog. It shows how well a duvet traps air and provides warmth. The higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet. So, what is the best type of duvet to buy? You will likely not want to sleep under the same tog duvet all year round.
Sleep best if your body remains cool to normal temperature throughout the night. 18C / 65F is about the right temperature to keep your bedroom. You will also sleep better if your duvet is the correct tog for that season:
Summer Duvets
2.5 tog to 4.5 tog is the ideal tog duvet for summer, as it is less insulating and lighter in weight. A natural duvet filling like:
-
Goose down
-
Wool
-
Bamboo
It will be breathable and moisture-wicking, helping to cool your body temperature. Our Summer Duvet Guide explains everything you need to know about summer duvets.
Spring and Autumn Duvets
4.5 tog to 9 tog will keep you warmer when the nights are colder in the spring and autumn. In modern, well-insulated houses, this tog rating will also keep you warm throughout the winter months.
Winter Duvet
9-tog, 10.5-tog, and up to 13.5-tog duvets are warm and cosy for those chilly winter nights. They are ideal if you live in a colder environment, but too warm in a well-insulated house. A 15-tog duvet is the warmest available and only suitable if you feel the cold!
All Season Duvets
Also called a 3-in-1 duvet, it consists of two duvets of different weights that can be used separately or fastened together to make a warmer duvet. One duvet is a lower-tog summer duvet, and the other is a higher-tog autumn duvet.
Duvets for Children
Duvets are not suitable for children under 12 months old as they can lead to overheating and suffocation. Special cot quilts and blankets are available for this age instead.
For toddlers, their first duvet should be:
Light (3-4.5 tog) leading up to 7.5-9 tog as they grow. Do not exceed a 10.5 tog rating until the age of 10. This is because the duvet will trap more air around your child’s more petite body, keeping them warmer at lower temperatures.
As your little one grows, gradually increase the tog count and allow them to regulate their temperature by leaving a blanket on the bed for them to use if needed.
Check for Duvet Standards
Ensure the materials in your new duvet are of the highest standard so you can sleep even more soundly.
If you’re going to buy a naturally filled duvet, make sure that it’s Downafresh certified. Put simply, this means that the fillings are ethically sourced and fully traceable. For synthetic fibres, you’re looking to see if the filling is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Compliant, meaning it’s free of harmful chemicals, down-proof, and flame retardant.
Other Duvet Tips
If you share a bed and your other half likes to roll over and take all the duvet, or you just like more duvet draped over you, you may choose a duvet one size larger than your bed size. A larger-sized duvet can also look rather attractive as it drapes over the edge of the bed.
The width of a King-size duvet is slightly longer than its length, so make sure you have it the right way round when you put it on your duvet cover.
And if you’re particularly tall and your feet do reach the end of my bed, make sure your duvet is 30cm longer than you are. You might get cold toes or shoulders! Your duvet and duvet cover should always be the same size. They will be described in the exact measurements as duvet covers are made to fit the precise size of the duvet.
Related Reading
- Best Down Alternative Comforter
- Best Goose Down Comforter
- Best Fluffy Comforter
- How to Choose a Down Comforter
Get Deep Sleep Every Night with Our Cloud-like Soft Fluffy Duvets
Feel like you are sleeping on a cloud with PureFlow Duvet of Yumerest. This premium Canadian duvet stands apart from competitors like Happy Fluffy Cloud and Hush through its ethically sourced northern down that perfectly regulates temperature year-round, never too hot, just perfectly cozy.
The PureFlow Duvet transforms your bedroom into a luxurious sanctuary, enveloping you in cloud-like softness with its exceptional 5kg filling that promotes more profound, more restorative sleep. Crafted by expert artisans with techniques perfected since 1946, Yumerest's duvets combine traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation for an unparalleled sleeping experience.
Get deep sleep every night with our cloud-like fluffy duvets.
