To better understand the down

Duvet Store offers a collection of different types of duvet, blanket, pillow and featherbeds made from a sumptuous duck Down.

What is the Down that fills our duvet collection ?

Down comes from the undercoat of waterfowl such as geese and ducks. Down grows between the protective layer of feathers and skin. It consists of clusters of filaments growing from a central quill point without a quill shaft. It looks much like a dandelion pod. This is why farmyard poultries such as chickens, sparrows or turkey don’t give any Down. Unfortunately, some unconscious duvet companies use these poultries' feathers to produce very bad quality duvets. For its duvets, Duvet Store only uses white duck Down and Canadian Hutterite white duck Down. Birds allowed to live until maturity in northern states give a world unique quality Down, because of a natural aged resistance to these extreme winter temperatures.

How can a Down duvet, so light, insulate so well ?

Thanks to its three-dimensional structure as well as its ability to fill up, every Down core collects more air versus its weight than any other product (wool, synthetic fiber...). Three dimensional structure of Down allows it to make “air pockets” which insulate incredibly well. A Down kilogram counts about two million filaments that intertwine and overlap to create an “air layer” that keeps the warmth released by your body pushing cold air back. The natural structure of Down is the reason of its elasticity. You can compress or flatten the duvet as many times as you want, it just needs to be shaken up so it takes its comfortable and fluffy shape back.

What the Loft is ?

Loft (filling power) is the number of cubic inches one ounce of Down will fill under specific conditions: The larger, more mature the bird, the higher the loft of its Down.

In order to determine the loft value, a test is done in a cylinder of a standard size, under specific conditions of temperature and humidity. An ounce of Down is mesured. A disk of specific weight sits on top of the sample simulating the load that a fabric would exert in a finished duvet.

Which birds give the best Down ?

The best Down a duvet can have is that one with the biggest fibers or filaments. It comes from larger and more mature birds. That is why geese Down has the best quality. The more mature a bird, the better its Down. Down from immature birds not only tends to have poor lofting ability, it also tends to collapse in a relatively short time. Fibers of immature birds are fragile. A duvet made with a mature Down will be warmer, lighter and puffier. It will last much longer than one made with immature Down.

Where are geese and ducks raised in order to produce Down ?

Without any doubt, the world best Down comes from ducks and geese raised places that guarantee health quality, a rich and natural diet and long and extremely cold winters. Canada is obviously the best option. Artic outflow in this country set ideal conditions to raitse waterfowl outdoors. It is possible to find very good quality Down in Europe in Northern countries like Sweden and Norway. Nevertheless, winters are not as cold as in Canada and no Hutterite communities are settled there.

What is Hutterite Down ?

Hutterite Communities have settled in Canada since long time ago. They brought with them tradition and knowledge of raising waterfowl outdoors. Nowadays, they keep a magnificent production of high quality Down. Hutterite Communities keep their ducks and geese healthy, always outdoors at rigorous temperatures during the winter and only harvesting Down when birds have already achieved maturity.

What is the EiderDown ?

EiderDown comes from Eider duck: a protected migratory species. EiderDown is almost black and very thick. As a protected species, this Down has become famous for its monetary value. This Down became expensive because it was handly removed from the nests without disturbing the birds. The price of this rare Down is so high that doesn’t justify its choice. Duvet Store doesn’t sell any eiderDown product due to environmental reasons. In addition, even the high price of eiderDown, its loft can be lower than Hutterite Goose Down loft.

Why Down duvets are better than wool or synthetic duvets ?

Down gives approximately three times more air circulation per kilogram than synthetic fibers or wool. Moreover, this Down swells permanently depending on its environment and fills perfectly and homogeneously the space it occupies. Wool as well as synthetic fiber duvets end up felting and forming balls, so they leave empty and cold spaces. Down clusters in our duvets always keep air in them, they fit properly to the body silhouette so air layer is always homogeneous.

Why are Down duvets more comfortable than wool and synthetic fiber duvets ?

Down adapts itself to the silhouette of the body as well as to its heat release. Synthetic fibers and wool duvets remain rigid and bring static warmth. Damp is produced by wool and synthetic fiber duvets because of lack of ventilation. This damp produces a feeling of coldness when you use your duvet. Damp won’t happen with a Down duvet because of its air exchange properties.

How long can a duvet filled with Down last ?

Being well maintained, a Down duvet will last for very long time (it might be your only-one-in-a-life partner).

How to clean a duvet or any other bedding product filled with Down ?

We recommend to dry clean only once every year any of our Duvet Store products. It is not forbidden to wash your Down products in washing-machines, but it is important to note that washer can spoil the fabric. Beside we advise you against using a dryer as it will ruin the swelling properties of the Down.

Why are Down duvets so expensive?

The price of the duvet’s raw material (the Down) is ruled by supply and demand. Since 1975, this price has been rising up because more and more people tried and kept the remarkable assets of this incomparable natural product. You must be aware about buying a Down product at a lower price. No original and treated Down can be cheap. There is such a big process to clean and get a high loft natural Down ounce, that it is impossible to buy it for only some coins, specially if it is Canadian Down. Duvet Store guarantees the best quality of Canadian Down for its duvets and pillows.

Can Down create allergies ?

To fill its duvets, Duvet Store only uses high quality Down, dust free, washed and sterilized. For this reason, our Down can’t cause allergies. Unfortunately, for cost and profitability reasons, other companies will offer quickly treated qualities. For your own health, avoid these poor qualities !

Does Down attract acarids ?

The acarids are not attracted by Down duvets, quite the contrary! Actually, according to a study made by professor Hans JURGENS and presented at the International Congress of feathers and Down :

“… Down does not offer an adequate environment for the acarids to survive, nor a source nutritious enough (...) the quality of the casing in which the Down is, is made of a very tight cloth that prevents the Down from getting away, thus it also represent a barrier for the acarids (...) under a duvet a microclimate higher than 25 °C is developed, the acarids hardly resist this kind of environment.”

Why use the term “new” when talking about Down filled in duvets ?

Most of the global production is made of reconditioned Down i.e. already used Down. It is treated and perfectly healthy, but when considering comfort and lifespan it is less efficient. Unfortunately, unconscious manufacturers use reconditioned Down to replace new Down (misleading tags). All duvets, blankets, pillows and featherbeds of Duvet Store are filled with feathers, new white Canadian goose or duck Down.