Decision needed re buying new duvet

I see this was a "dormant" thread from 2012 resurrected by (presumably) a spammer called "Luxurauk*.
Well spotted indinana!

anyone with horses will love old duvets - brilliant for putting under rugs at night in winter. Our duvets also end up lagging outside taps, covering car windscreens when frost is forecast, covering vulnerable planters in winter, covering the door to the polytunnel - I could go on forever. The only time I was able to hand over duvets to humans was when our local town had an influx of Poles who arrived in winter to work in local factories - they were living in pretty awful circumstances and were very happy to accept bedding and clothing - and they were really lovely to work with. Charities also won't take any electrical goods even tho they are perfectly safe - crazy.

I'm glad you brought this up granjura. It's one of the reasons I would never sleep under a goose down duvet, or wear goose down padded jackets. Thankfully I don't live in a climate where that sort of jacket is necessary. Live plucking is the most despicable practice, horrifically painful for the geese - they frequently suffer tears in the skin, which are then roughly sewn up with needle and thread (no anaesthetic, obviously).

There is plenty of info on this on the net, including horrendous videos of this very cruel process, which I won't post here- if you'd like to know more.

Luxura- can YOU guarantee your down is not live plucked? (usually in factory farms in Eastern Europe or China).

If you are interested in animal welfare, be aware that the majority of goose down is gathered on live geese, that are painfully plucked alive, again and again in factory farms. I have written to The White Company twice to ask for their guarantee their products do not contain live plucked down, and they have never replied.

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Ours is pure goose down and worth every penny. Light as a feather, it settles gently around you with lots of warmth without weight.
I would avoid feathers as its the fluffy down underneath that keeps the goose warm.
Feathers are for flying. And you get the sharp pointy bits sticking through.

I have Goose Feather and Down All Seasons Duvet...it is wonderful and have used it all year round. it keep you comfortable and warm whatever the weather...... I would recommend it to anyone.

Nelliemoser - Mattress toppers are great. My memory foam one has almost eliminated the sore hips I used to exerience by morning. The only drawback may be that if you use a fitted bottom sheet a deeper one might be needed.
Sorry, I cannot comment on duvets as I sleep with only a sheet covering me - I am a hot body!
There are several threads on this subject on here, I suggest you do a search using the key words and many words of wisdom will show up. Good luck!

While we are on the bedding subject, has anyone tried mattress toppers on a rather hard bed. (Its a guest bed) Recommendations etc welcomed.

I use a king size duvet on a standard double bed . It gives better overhang either side and more room for turnovers. I also use king sizetop sheets.

I bought my quality Super Microfibre 13.5 Tog Duvet from Homescapes which is ideal for winters and also useful for a chilly autumn or for cold homes, these duvets are also used in hotels. They are good for health too.

I just bought a JL 2.5 tog goosedown duvet and it is quite warm. I already have a 10.5 and will combine the two when it gets really cold in the winter.

I'd rather just put one on top of the other without bothering to buy a set which clip together.

Goosedown lovely and soft, drifts gently down around the body.

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eeuw I bet after all those bums - actually I thought it was the "chair" of the house of lords.... yes it is the "lord speaker" as now referred to. used to be the lord chancellor but not the ch of exchequer chancellor. Symbolised that the wealth of england was wool.

The chancellor sits on a wool sack!

it was an e.g. jeni, not a pillow

Wool pillows? That would give me eczema!

Suspect synthetic are recommended cos you can wash em.
Mites invisibly small. Just about spot one with a x10 lens. Their poo is ... well a lot smaller. The skin flakes they feed off are the motes you see floating in a sunbeam.
OK - just read wikip. entry. Apparently there is disagreement about the weight of hdm poo on pillows. But there is evidence that actually feather pillows hold less allergen than synthetic.

Does it depend what the pillows are made of? Am guessing synthetic worse than natural fillings because things don't 'stick' to natural fubres so much. e.g. wool does not 'hold' dirt the same way acrylic does.

Faye posting about her GS Charlie's heart op. Only topic on her mind, understandably.
Have put my silk duvet out in the blasting UV rays as is recommend (first time it has had this recommended treatment...)
Asthmatics are more likely to be allergic to house dust mites than feathers - or rather their droppings (eugh) . Very well known allergen. The mites live on your skin flakes. So well used duvet could have quite a lot. Pillows are the worst cos your face is stuck in them every night. My DH saw a presentation once in which the researcher said that in old pillows sometimes a significant percentage of the weight is made up of house dust mite droppings.
So if asthmatic chucking out pillows regularly is a good idea.
Someone I know puts hers on a hot tumble dry - aim is to kill mites. But I am unconvinced as mites will charge back in once they go back on bed and the tumble drying will not break down the droppings - they will still be there and could still affect anyone allergic to them.

Carboncareful, it is not so much the Sally Army that I am cross with, more the manner in which my offer was refused and the implication that went with it. I sort of understand about not giving second hand bedding out, but IMHO I think if I were cold and homeless and on the streets, a washed second hand duvet/blanket would be preferable to having nothing. Surely there is no difference with that and buying things from a charity shop to wear/use which I have done frequently? At least the RSPCA were pleased so that is fine.