Today's luxury featherbeds are not your Grandma's featherbed.
In her day it literally was a bag of feathers.
There are many featherbeds available, the majority are made of 95% duck feather 5% duck down (not considered luxury).
Feathers are flat with a hard quill, down is the soft undercoating from the bird's breast.
Goose down is better than duck down, the down clusters are larger, and at least 50/50 down/feather is better than mostly feathers, which are hard and "crunchy", and they tend to leak out of the best feather-proof casing over time.
There are some truly luxury featherbeds available using white goose down and feather, with larger percentages of high fill-power goose down, and even all down.
The fill-power is the measurement of the down cluster's ability to loft up after compression.
The higher fill power in the down makes puffier featherbeds.
650 fill-power or higher goose down for a featherbed is luxury quality.
More down in your featherbed means a more luxurious look and a higher level of comfort.
A down bed with all white goose down would be softer and the puffiest.
The most common styles are baffle box, 3 compartment, or channel.
It is better to have a baffle box to keep the filling from unwanted shifting, and at least a 3" - 4" baffle.
Always use a featherbed cover to protect your featherbed.
Choose one that will accommodate the baffle construction to allow the filling (especially if it is a high percentage of down or all down) to loft up, and with zippers on 3 sides for easy removal.
Fluff up, and turn over your featherbed weekly when you wash the cover.
Send your featherbed to a down bedding specialist for cleaning every 3 or 4 years and for renovation after 7 - 10 years.
Another good idea is to invest in some extra deep fitted sheets so that you get the full loft of your featherbed.
A too tight fitted sheet will flatten the featherbed and make it slightly firmer.
This would defeat the purpose of having a plump featherbed.
An investment in a quality featherbed or down bed is well worth it if your mattress is too firm or you just want a luxury mattress topper.
You will find more choice from a specialist plus their expertise in cleaning/renovation.
In her day it literally was a bag of feathers.
There are many featherbeds available, the majority are made of 95% duck feather 5% duck down (not considered luxury).
Feathers are flat with a hard quill, down is the soft undercoating from the bird's breast.
Goose down is better than duck down, the down clusters are larger, and at least 50/50 down/feather is better than mostly feathers, which are hard and "crunchy", and they tend to leak out of the best feather-proof casing over time.
There are some truly luxury featherbeds available using white goose down and feather, with larger percentages of high fill-power goose down, and even all down.
The fill-power is the measurement of the down cluster's ability to loft up after compression.
The higher fill power in the down makes puffier featherbeds.
650 fill-power or higher goose down for a featherbed is luxury quality.
More down in your featherbed means a more luxurious look and a higher level of comfort.
A down bed with all white goose down would be softer and the puffiest.
The most common styles are baffle box, 3 compartment, or channel.
It is better to have a baffle box to keep the filling from unwanted shifting, and at least a 3" - 4" baffle.
Always use a featherbed cover to protect your featherbed.
Choose one that will accommodate the baffle construction to allow the filling (especially if it is a high percentage of down or all down) to loft up, and with zippers on 3 sides for easy removal.
Fluff up, and turn over your featherbed weekly when you wash the cover.
Send your featherbed to a down bedding specialist for cleaning every 3 or 4 years and for renovation after 7 - 10 years.
Another good idea is to invest in some extra deep fitted sheets so that you get the full loft of your featherbed.
A too tight fitted sheet will flatten the featherbed and make it slightly firmer.
This would defeat the purpose of having a plump featherbed.
An investment in a quality featherbed or down bed is well worth it if your mattress is too firm or you just want a luxury mattress topper.
You will find more choice from a specialist plus their expertise in cleaning/renovation.