Here are some comforter thoughts
Choosing a comforter can be a chore.
So many options are out there and most are expensive, even at discount stores. People also use comforters differently. Many buy a purely decorative comforter, using it as a bedspread and layering blankets and sheets underneath. Others buy a down comforter and a duvet cover, so warm that no flat sheet or blanket is required.
A decorative comforter for an adult, usually filled with polyester, starts at more than $150 for a queen. A good-quality down or silk comforter costs at least $300. Plan on spending at least $100 more for a duvet cover.
Decorative comforters are best for kids' rooms because they can be thrown into the washing machine a few times a month. Although they're less expensive, they wear faster. Their colors fade, and they eventually show dirt because their bulk makes them difficult to launder in the average machine.
But a down or silk comforter, with a duvet cover and proper maintenance, can last more than 20 years. Like quilts, they can become heirlooms. Before shopping, consider these aspects of comforters:
Sleeping preferences: If you want to be toasty warm in winter, nothing beats natural down comforters. Down refers to the insulating fluff balls that grow on the breasts of geese and ducks, not the two-dimensional quilled feathers that keep birds dry. People appreciate not only the warmth of down comforters but also their cloudlike lightness.
"Down comforters just float on top of you," says Lisa Payne , co-owner of Annabelles, an Overland Park, Kan., store that carries a variety of comforter styles. "Other types aren't as warm and are heavy enough that they hurt your feet."
Down comforters vary by fill power, the amount of space in cubic inches an ounce of down fills. The higher the fill power, the warmer the comforter. Good-quality down comforters start at more than 550 fill power, according to Ursula Terrasi, owner of Scandia Down in Kansas City. "I have an all-season one so I can sleep in down year-round," she says.
Couples who prefer different sleeping temperatures can choose down comforters with a lower fill power on one side and a higher fill power on the other. But the customized option can add on hundreds of dollars and can result in a lopsided look, Payne says.
Polar-bear sleepers — those who like to sleep with the windows cracked in the winter — prefer silk-filled comforters. Silk is not as puffy as down, and it feels heavier.
"I'm a cool sleeper; so I like silk best," says Janet Partridge, a spokeswoman for Garnet Hill catalog. "Silk comforters have finger fibers that tighten and contour to the body."
Allergies: Some people forgo down, fearing it will aggravate allergies. But Payne and Terrasi suggest allergy sufferers try down before getting an alternative.
"It's the dust particles and dander on improperly cleaned down that give people problems," Terrasi says. "People should ask about the down cleaning process before buying a comforter."
Allergy sufferers often opt for synthetic down such as Primaloft, or comforters filled with natural fibers such as silk.
Quality: Examine how far apart the stitches are from one another. Tight, close stitches will keep a comforter intact longer.
Feel the ticking, the outer shell of the comforter. Even through a duvet cover, each type of material has a different texture and weight. Most people prefer an Egyptian cotton ticking because it's soft and smooth. Silk or polyester ticking can feel luxurious to some, slippery to others.
Fine bedding stores often encourage customers to lie on a bed under different types of ticking and levels of fill power so they can choose what they like best.
Baffling: Vertical walls of fabric are sewn inside the ticking, then filled with down. Baffling, as opposed to quilting (simply sewing together the top and bottom layers of ticking), allow down comforters to assume their fullest loft. Also referred to as "baffle boxes" and "baffle construction."
Coverlet: A thin decorative comforter.
Down blanket: A thin down comforter for summer use or for sleepers who enjoy cool temperatures. They come in colors, but cover them with a sheet to maintain them.
Duvet cover: A sheet that buttons over a comforter for protection and decoration. The best covers are thin, like sheets. Those with upholstery-thick fabric flatten comforters.
Primaloft: The name for synthetic microfibers that mimic the warmth and feeling of down. The water-repellent material was developed for the U.S. military for clothes and sleeping bags.
Resources
Garnet Hill: www.garnethill.com or 800-870-3513
Cuddledown: www.cuddledown.com or 800-323-6793
Scandia Down: www.scandiadown.com or 800-237-5337
Maintenance
Use duvet covers to keep high-quality comforters clean.
Shake out down comforters daily to restore their loft.
Cleaning
Cotton-filled comforters should be dry-cleaned seasonally. Clean spots with a mild detergent and warm water.
Down comforters may be professionally cleaned every other year.
Polyester-filled or synthetic down comforters protected by duvet covers should be laundered professionally or at home annually. Wash cold on the gentle cycle. Dry on low heat. Those with filling sewn inside a decorative shell should be laundered monthly according to label instructions.
Silk-filled comforters should be dry-cleaned annually.
Storage
When they're not in use, all comforters should be kept in a breathable fabric bag or wrapped and tied inside a sheet.
Store a wrapped comforter in a cool, dry area.
Restoration
More down can be sewn into down comforters. Prices start at $7 per ounce.
A damaged outer shell of a comforter can be replaced for about $150.
Sources: Connie Mosier, Blanc Plume Fine French Laundry; Ursula Terrasi, Scandia Down; Janet Partridge, Garnet Hill