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The best duvets, tried and tested at home
As with a supportive pillow or a comfortable mattress and mattress topper, the best duvets can have a tangible impact on your sleep quality. The Sleep Council says a duvet should be replaced every two to five years, so you’re probably due an upgrade.
But it’s hard to know which to choose – duck feather, goose down, synthetic fill, microfibre, cotton or wool? Simba, The White Company or Soak & Sleep? What’s the best cooling duvet for the summer heat, or for a cold snap in winter? Do you go for a budget-friendly option, temperature-regulating or breathable? We answer all those questions in the FAQ section at the bottom of this guide.
In short, duvets range from extremely cool 1.5 tog to extremely warm 15 tog, while other temperature-regulating duvets are better for year-round use. The most sought-after filling is goose down, due to the loft (puffiness) it provides, although wool and synthetic fillings have their own benefits. If you already know your preference, here’s a quick glance at our top five.
The best duvets: At a glance
How to choose the best duvet
The best duvet should keep you cool and comfortable in the summer months and warm in winter. This is called thermoregulation and it’s the key to a good night’s kip.
“Down is really light,” says Emma Casson, Director of The Bed Expert. “Feather and down is cheaper and a bit heavier – and some people like a bit more weight. Then you’ve got your synthetics, like microfibre. You can have really good quality synthetics nowadays. They’re really breathable.”
If you are allergic to feathers, you may want to opt for a synthetic duvet. These are usually filled with microfibre (a fine polyester yarn) or hollowfibre (which is similar, but slightly warmer), but you may see them called, ‘soft as down’ or ‘down alternative’.
There are other natural duvet fillings out there, including wool, which Casson says is rising in popularity “because it’s breathable, it’s good for heat and regulates your body temperature so in the summer it keeps you cooler, and it’s natural and hypoallergenic.”
Other options include silk and linen, but down and feather remain the most popular for their warmth and breathability. Casson herself sleeps with a down duvet from luxury German brand Mühldorfer, “as it’s the lightest and most luxurious.” Mühldorfer duvets are used in luxury hotels in over 100 countries, which answers the common question of “what duvets do hotels use”.
How we test duvets
Everyone has their own preference in terms of thickness and weight (our guide to the best weighted blankets would certainly not appeal to everyone), so we were looking for quality.
Sleeping under each duvet for at least a fortnight, first in summer and then in winter, we assessed their thermoregulation properties and how cosseting they felt against the skin.
The down duvets with the most loft felt the most luxurious, but some of the thinner duvets had special properties that goose down can’t match. We also looked at tog sizes, fillings and whether the duvets were machine washable.
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