How to choose the perfect duvet

It isn’t controversial to say your duvet is as important as your bed and mattress. After all, you don’t wrap your mattress around you!

A duvet should be comfortable, snuggly and easy to maintain. It shouldn’t be fussy, sweaty and make you want to kick it off in the middle of the night.

The biggest problem with most duvets is breathability. Fillings that aren’t air-permeable will trap heat and moisture, making you overheat.

Another common problem is weight. Duvets that are too heavy are too fussy, and with some people, they can trigger mild claustrophobia.

In this guide to how to choose the perfect duvet, we’ll run through the most important parts of a duvet so you can make the right decision.

Tog ratings

Let’s start with tog ratings.

Tog stands for Thermal Overall Grade. It sounds more complicated than it is – a higher tog (e.g. 10) is warmer than a lower tog (e.g. 4.5).

Our duvet range is split into seasons:

• Summer 1.5 to 4.5 tog
• All Season 7.5 to 10.5 tog
• Winter 13.5 to 15 tog

The higher the tog, the warmer the duvet, and vice versa.

While a higher tog rating can mean a thicker duvet, tog ratings only determine duvet thickness when comparing duvets with the same filling.

Manufacturers use different fillings with different thermal qualities. For example, a 10.5 tog hollowfibre duvet might be thinner than a 7.5 tog down duvet.

Duvet cover materials

The most common duvet cover materials are cotton, polyester, polypropylene and microfibre. This is the first thing you touch and feel, so it makes a big difference to tactile and visual quality. Here’s what you need to know:

Cotton cover

Look for a 230 to 300 thread count cotton cover. Lesser thread counts are available, but they feel rougher. You can get a wide range of cotton. Organic cotton is always a good shout because it is certified to organic agricultural standards.

Polyester cover

Polyester is a cheaper, synthetic alternative to cotton. It’s relatively smooth, soft to the touch, durable and longer-lasting than cotton. Polyester duvets are not a luxury choice but a budget choice, sitting above polypropylene.

Polycotton cover (50-50 cotton-polyester)

Polycotton, also known as 50-50 cotton-polyester, uses 50% cotton and 50% polyester to strike a balance between quality and affordability. It feels very similar to 230 thread cotton with better durability. A good midrange choice.

Polypropylene cover  

Polypropylene is the cheapest duvet cover material. It is a plastic polymer. In duvets, we use teabag variety polypropylene. It’s designed to last years with intense use. This is a budget option for prisons, pet beds and student accommodation.

Microfibre cover

Microfibre covers, also known as soft-touch covers, are made from a soft microfibre with an ultra-low pile. This material is silky smooth and lighter than cotton and polyester, yet almost as durable as polyester. It’s cosy with good breathability.

Duvet fillings

A duvet’s filling determines the following characteristics:

• Warmth
• Thickness
• Weight
• Breathability

The most common fillings are hollowfibre, microfibre and down.

Here’s what you need to know:

Hollowfibre filling

Hollowfibre filling is made from incredibly fine strands of polyester that are tangled together to create fibre padding, not unlike cotton wool. This is the best all-around duvet filling because it’s lightweight, super-breathable and packable. It adds warmth without weight and thickness. It’s naturally hypoallergenic.

Microfibre filling

Microfibre filling is also made from polyester, but it’s softer and loftier than hollowfibre. It is used as a synthetic down substitute in our Feels Like Down duvet. It mimics the feel and performance of goose down and feather without the cruelty or allergens. It’s a great choice whether you love the feel of down or want a lofty and airy duvet.

Down

Down duvets use goose down and feather or duck down and feather (or a combination of both). Also known as natural filling, down has been used for decades as a duvet filling because it’s warm. However, feathers will escape, and if you have allergies, the down could trigger them. There’s also a question of animal cruelty to consider.

Duvet sizes

We sell duvets in the following sizes:

• Single: 135 x 200cm
• Double 200 x 200cm
• King 225 x 220cm
• Super King 260 x 220cm

Choosing a size is easy – just match it with your bed!

Our duvets are sized to fit UK and EU bed sizes. There is no significant difference in this respect. EU bed sizes are a little longer than UK sizes.

For example, an EU single bed is 200cm long while a UK single bed is 190cm long. Our single duvet fits both sizes of bed. So, don’t worry about it.

Duvet breathability

Breathability is the most important feature of a duvet because it determines its ability to regulate your body temperature.

A duvet that isn’t breathable will make you sweat, and a duvet that’s too breathable won’t keep you warm. So, there’s a balance to be struck.

Breathability is determined by the cover and the filling (there’s no use in the filling being breathable if the cover isn’t, and vice versa).

Here’s a ranking system for cover breathability (best to worst):

• Cotton
• Polycotton
• Polyester
• Microfibre
• Polypropylene

The difference between cotton and microfibre is most perceptible with summer duvets, where cotton keeps you cooler.

It’s also important to say that polypropylene is still breathable. It won’t make you sweat, but it is noticeably more clammy than cotton.

Now, here’s a ranking system for filling breathability (best to worst):

• Hollowfibre
• Microfibre
• Down (natural filling)

Hollowfibre and microfibre come very close. Down is a distant third, which isn’t a surprise since feathers come from waterbirds – and their feathers keep them dry!

Overall

Hollowfibre is the best all-around filling, microfibre is the best filling for loftiness, and you can’t go wrong with a cotton or polycotton cover.

We sell a wide range of duvets in a variety of specifications. We only sell very high-quality products, and we design all our duvets in-house.

Giving you a good night’s sleep is what we’re all about. When you choose your next duvet, consider our duvets to get quality at a reasonable price.