Featherbeds – Float Like A Feather

The featherbed used to be commonplace in the 19^th Century thanks to the keeping of poultry, where all the feathers that had been plucked and stripped from chickens and geese was utilised for the purposes of filling the inside of bedding. It was a decadent sleeping experience. Eventually, over the years, featherbeds went out of fashion.

Recently however, featherbeds have witnessed resurgence due to the demand for less artificial materials. Most modern beds use synthetic resources to constitute the inside of a mattress, so featherbeds offer an old fashioned alternative for those looking for a more naturally based comfort when they go to sleep.

Goose down feathers are the most common ingredient in feather beds as the filling mix. Within the mattress there are lots of individual feathers in place to make it soft and durable. They enhance your quality of sleep and generally make beds more comfortable. It is a good source for building and maintaining warmth in the bed, which is one of the reasons featherbeds have come back into demand.

There are a few featherbed types that are available:

The classic featherbed is very thick and if you lay down on the mattress you will sink into it. The goose down is about 25%, so it would not be appropriate for people who suffer with allergies.

Baffle box feather beds are about two inches high and are combined with feather, down or sometimes just down on its own (the better choice). The unique and individual quality of this mattress is that it provides softness without the thickness you would find in a majority of featherbeds, or indeed any beds.

Find a featherbed that suits your size preferences or sleeping conditions. There are options to increase the “fullness” of the mattress by filling more feathers or down into it. Of course, a slight bit more care needs to be put into maintaining a featherbed. Long-term usage can cause the mattress to become lumpy and hard so you need to fluff those feathers, flip and turn that mattress, or even manually redistribute the feathers by using your hands and arms to smooth out the lumps.

You will know a quality featherbed by its percentage of down. The more down, the better the comfort level. Plus, the higher the “fill power” of the particular featherbed, the more likely it is to be of fine quality. Check with manufacturers and retailers about these aspects of the bed.  Once you have bought your feather bed and taken it out of the packaging, let it air out before you use it so it has time to “fluff up.” Even out the feather and down on the mattress so there are no lumps or clumps in it. Always use an adequately sized top sheet for a feather bed; the best kind of top sheet is usually queen sized.

Featherbeds are back in business and provide a rich and luxurious sleeping experience, but they require attention and care in order to maintain such high standards. If you are so inclined to lavish such consideration onto your bed, then you should indeed make it the lighter choice for your bedroom.