Microfibre duvets offer great value, choice and comfort
The most popular type of duvet fill is made of synthetic fibres. There are so many on the market and they can be found for sale at all major retailers. Whatever your preference, we have all slept under a synthetic duvet at some point. Synthetic duvets are often categorised as those with polyester hollowfibre or microfibre fillings.
Standard polyester duvet filling
Many people find them a great alternative to duvets with natural fillings such as feather or down – they are cheaper, easier to care for and often have better hypo-allergenic properties. They don’t last as long though, can make you hot and sweaty, or a little bit chilly as they don’t have such good breathable or insulating properties. However they’re an easy, affordable lightweight duvet solution, particularly for families.
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More advice on Synthetic Duvets? Read on…
What are ‘hollowfibre’ and ‘microfibre’ duvets?
If you decide a synthetic duvet is for you, a useful thing to understand is the difference between Hollowfibre and Microfibre duvets.
Microfibre duvets are better than hollowfibre duvets – they are less sweaty and they drape better over the bed. You will tend to pay a bit more for them though – but often it’s negligible – these are still some of the cheapest duvets in stores.
Technically, the key difference is that micro fibres are much finer than hollow fibres giving a lighter, more luxurious feel. Whereas the hollow fibres are thick and wiry strands of polymer (with a hollow centre) which are more hard wearing and are often treated with anti-allergy chemicals. These differences in practice mean that microfibre duvets tend to be softer and give a bit more of a ‘down’ type of feel, whereas hollowfibre duvets are more springy and hold their shape. Micro fibres also wick moisture from the body, keeping you dryer at night – we tend to get a little sweatier at night under a synthetic duvet compared to down or feather.
We’ve got more information on the use of chemicals in bedding, on our sister-site here: https://www.pillowadvisor.co.uk/chemicals-in-pillows/