Archive for the ‘Blankets’ Category
A stomach sleeper doesn’t need a pillow
Stomach sleepers should have no pillow at all that unnaturally bend the spine and neck. The more important consideration for them would be in the mattress leading into a discussion on mattress pads that can keep unwanted body fluids away from the mattress.
If a stomach sleeper prefers a pillow it should be soft. Remember that the neck and spine or back muscles will let you know if they are bending unnaturally as you may experience discomfort in the form of pain.
What were you doing Christmas Eve?
What an interesting Christmas Eve we experienced here in the upper Midwest in 2009. It was definitely a white Christmas and we spent the evening without electricity and ate cold food and we burned candles for light.
The thing that got us through the evening and into the night was a lot of blankets and throws, including down throws and comforters. We woke up to electricity and opened gifts and read the Christmas story from the Bible.
Learn about standardized temperature rating for bedding
In our discussion about fill power and loft over the past several days we would be remiss if we did not say that calculations are only approximate. A more accurate way to compare goose down comforters is to use European Norm temperature ratings, which are based on realistic independent lab tests.
These tests are the lowest comfortable temperature, and go above a safe but not comfortable temperature. In the United States, sleeping bags have temperature ratings, but manufacturers do not use standardized methods in establishing temperature comfort ratings.
Does an old house mean that you have to be cold?
In wintertime older houses that are not well insulated and have original windows will radiate heat. When you are sitting there and feel cold air, it is because heat is leaving not because cold air is necessarily getting in.
When you are at home and it is not warm enough it helps a lot to wrap yourself in a down blanket, or lay a down throw over your lap while you are sitting at the computer or the table eating.
Is Christmas a time that you want to be warm?
Christmas is at the beginning of winter on the calendar and that turns out to be the ideal time to buy a loved one or even yourself gifts to keep warm. The best gifts to do this are those that allow us to use keep cold air away from our bodies instead of warming the air, which costs money.
Down feather comforters or blankets may have a higher initial cost than buying fuel to heat the air, but it will be a wise investment. The comforter will keep you warm, which is the most important thing, but it can allow you to conserve fuel, especially at night.
Washed, dried, and sorted down and feathers
Manufacturers in the U.S. buy washed and pre-washed down product, that were sent through large washing machines that remove impurities. The fill is dried and sorted in separating machines for quality, feather size, etc.
Washed product is imported and is available for use upon receipt as soon as it arrives in the U.S. to be made into bedding products such as featherbeds or down blankets. Pre-washed down and feathers need further processing after arriving in the U.S. before it is put into a finished product available for public consumption.
Dust mites are allergens
In bygone days our forbears discovered that a natural occurring insulator to cold air found on geese and ducks – down – could also keep his own kind insulated. Down is a by-product of meat consumption of ducks and geese that are most commonly eaten in Europe and Asia.
Before down can be used and made into down blankets and other bedding or clothing it needs to be cleaned and sanitized. People with allergy’s are normally allergic to dust mites that can collect in down and feathers and not to the down itself. The use of a pillow protector on new or thoroughly cleaned pillows generally eliminates problems associated with many allergies.