Comforters come in many styles and can be filled and covered with different materials. Whether filled with down or a down alternative, if they are not properly constructed or handled they will have a tendency for the batting (filling) to clump leaving areas that are overfilled and areas that are under filled. Whether you have purchased an expensive name brand comforter or one that is less costly, the price is not as important as how it is sewn.

Comforter and Duvet Batting

Filler for comforters and duvets have traditionally been made with down. However, as the comforter has evolved newer materials such as cotton, wool, and other materials have been used. Down is still preferred by many, as it provides more insulated value, than any other filler material. Some of the newer polyester fillers provide almost as much insulation as down, but ounce for ounce, down is still king.

Comforter Construction

Different methods are used to hold the baffling in place but some down filled duvets, lower quality comforters sometimes have the filling placed loosely inside of them, and it is free to move around. If this is the type of comforter or duvet that you have the only alternative to prevent clumping is to shake it vigorously to level the fill. Higher quality comforters and duvets are either baffled or stitched to hold the filling in place.

Baffling is individual tubes or columns that are placed on the inside of the comforter or duvet that are stitched into the fabric. The baffles placed inside keep the feathers, or other filler being used, from bunching up in the corners. This not only makes it less comfortable, the spots that are thin will not have as much insulated quality as when the filling is evenly distributed.

Another method for holding the filler in place is stitching across the cover that keeps the fill held in the pockets that are created by stitching. A comforter or duvet that is stitched all the way through is of lesser quality than one that uses baffles to hold the filler in place. When choosing a new comforter or duvet look for evidence on the packaging of a baffled product, which will indicate that the filler is secured within the product.

Comforter and Duvet Care

The beauty of a duvet is that you can add a cover and will not need to wash the duvet but once every couple of years. Duvet covers can be laundered easily and they will keep your duvet clean for longer periods. Comforters, on the other hand, are often used as a bedspread and will need to be cleaned more frequently.

At Sun Country Cleaners, we follow the product care labels in order to clean them for you properly. In the event that the label is missing, we follow the advice of the manufacture if it is a name brand product like Tommy Bahama, Martha Stewart or Tommy Hilfiger, but in the event it is not a name brand or lack a care label we use our best judgment based on our experience with like products.