Seeking to Replace Down

Is it true? Can there really be natural down alternative comforters? Pillows? Feathers of geese and ducks are not the only natural materials used by man for warmth. Although gone are the days we use bear and dear skins, there is a vigorous industry producing an array of wool and silk bedding products which rival down in their warmth-to-weight ratios, price, and comfort.

Wool

A wool blanket has coarse fibers which can rub against the skin and irritate the skin. However, these same fibers can be expertly manipulated to create a lofty fill and wrapped inside cover fabric. The result is a bonafide wool down alternative comforter. Wool has the property of wicking away moisture ensuring that sleep is comfortable in different climates. The material is also dust mite resistant because of its dry nature, unlike synthetics, feathers or down. If you suffer from allergies or asthma with other materials, give wool a try because it may be the fill to which you have no allergies. Unlike a down comforter, the wool one must be dry cleaned.

Alpaca Wool

The alpaca is a pack animal domesticated in the South American Andes. It is of the Camelid family of mammals, resembling mostly a llama but with a luxurious coat. Alpaca fleece is said to come with greater loft or fill-power in comparison to their sheep counterpart. It also is softer without the prickliness that accompanies sheep fleece products. The gauge and texture is similar to hair, being very fine and glossy. In sheep's wool, about 25% of the weight is in a substance called lanolin or wool grease. The function of the grease is to give the animal protection against water, as grease is hydrophobic and repels water. Because the alpaca wool doesn't secrete lanolin, it's unable to repel water naturally and can more soaked. The alpaca wool makes great down alternative comforters and other hypoallergenic bedding.

Silk

Hugely popular in Asia, silk comforters are filled with the silk from the cocoon of a caterpillar. The filaments of the cocoon are bundled and wrapped up in a cover to create the silk down alternative comforter. Caterpillar silk, as well as spider silk, are famed for their tensile strength. Weight for weight they can hold more than an equivalent filament of steel wire. Moreover, it's non-allergenic and naturally repels moisture, dirt and microorganisms. Silk down alternative comforters cannot be washed in a regular industrial washer. Dry clean is the only option. Also, silk comforters are most suitable for moderate to cold climates. If the temperature is very low, it's likely that a synthetic or down comforter would be more suitable.

Hypodown

Regular down contains both allergens of bird origin as well as those of dust mite origin. Manufacturers have noted this and devised methods to minimize such allergens through a process of industrial strength washing and packaging into a cover fabric that is impervious to dust mites. To enhance protection against dust mites, manufacturers mix the goose fill with a plant-based material made of syriaca clusters (or milkweed). Syriaca has natural anti-dust mite properties. The end result is something known as hypodown. However, you will often see some vacillation as some manufacturers called these down alternatives and others will say hypoallergenic down.