Down vs Feather on geese or ducks are the outer covering of the bird that makes up the protective and decorative plumage. Feathers have quills; they repel water and make it possible for the bird to fly. The down is underneath the feathers; it looks like fluffy little cotton balls. A down cluster has a round center called a plumule, with thousands of tiny fibers radiating from its core. These fibers link to other down plumules creating air pockets, which in turn trap heat. This provides the insulation that keeps the ducks and geese warm. Down is mainly found on the bellies and makes up only 12 - 15% of the bird's overall feather weight. Down is washable. Feathers, which by their very nature repel water, are not. Most people who are allergic to feathers are not allergic to down.
What is fill power and how is it measured?Fill power measures the lofting capability of down, specifically how many cubic inches of space one ounce of down will expand and fill. For example, one ounce of 650 down will expand and fill 650 cubic inches of space. Higher quality downs have higher fill power. With a higher fill power, more warmth is trapped by the down inside the pillow and comforter. You should note that comforters filled with higher fill power downs may contain less ounces of down, this is to keep the comforter from being too warm. If you have two comforters, one with 50 ounces of 575 fill power down and the other with 30 ounces of 700 fill power down, they will keep you equally warm but the one filled with 700 fill power down will weigh much less on top of you.
Qualities of DownLarger down clusters trap more heat and will loft more (thus have a higher fill power). Polish white goose down has a very large cluster size and 700 fill power. Hungarian white goose down has a large cluster size and 650 fill power. Both of these downs are considered premium downs that made into warm lofty down products of high quality and long life. 575 fill power white goose down can come from China, Canada or Europe. It comes from younger birds so it will have smaller down clusters. This down is less lofty than the two types above so it takes more down to fill up a comforter. This results in a heavier comforter, but a more attractive price.
Caring For DownFrequent washing of down is not advised, so down pillows and comforters should always be covered when being used. A duvet cover protects your duvet and is more easily washable than the duvet itself. Pillows of course are covered with your pillowcases, but may also be covered with pillow protectors. When you do choose to wash your down items, they may be either washed or dry cleaned. Dry cleaning should only be performed by a reliable company experienced with down products. If the dry cleaner uses cleaning fluid that is not clean, it will cause the down to clump and lose its lofting ability. Washing is recommended. This should be done only in a front loading commercial capacity washer. No machines with agitators should be used; these are too rough and will tear the baffles. Use a low sudsing detergent or a detergent made for washing down products like Le Blanc Down Wash. Run through the rinse cycle twice to remove all the soap then place in a large capacity dryer on the lowest heat setting and dry for several hours. It is very important to dry the item thoroughly; otherwise the down could mold and start to smell bad.
My down smells, what do I do?99.9% of the time we receive this question from people that have purchased a down comforter or pillow elsewhere. Very rarely though, our customer may initially notice a slight odor associated with their pillow or comforter.
Goose down is a natural product, like wool. While most people will not notice any odor associated with clean goose down, those with a very highly developed sense of smell may notice a slight odor, with even the cleanest goose down. This sometimes faint odor should in no way be unpleasant or offensive.
Like wool, down may also develop an unpleasant odor if it gets damp or wet. For instance, sometimes during shipping your pillow or comforter may be exposed to extreme humidity while in transit. This could cause a slight unpleasant odor to develop. If this happens, we recommend that you immediately dry your item and allow it to "air" for a day or two. If this does not solve the problem just send it back for a return or exchange.
For those people that have purchased a down comforter or pillow elsewhere and are experiencing issues with unpleasant odor, it is worth noting that improperly cleaned down will definitely have an unpleasant odor. Duck down seems to be especially prone to a "gamy" smell. There is not much that can be done to correct these issues.
We should also reiterate the importance of keeping your down dry. If left damp or wet for an extended period of time it can develop mold or mildew and the associated unpleasant odor. Once this occurs it is very difficult, if not impossible, to correct. How long do down pillows last?
Generally speaking, a down pillow will last for about 5 years, depending on environmental factors like humidity, how often the pillow is washed and how the pillow is used (some people are very gentle, others use their pillows like punching bags). Your down pillows will also last longer if you use a pillow protector and wash it (the protector) frequently in Hot water.