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What Should I Consider When Buying a Feather Bed?
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
A feather bed can turn an ordinarily bed into a luxurious sleeping palace. If you are interested in purchasing a feather bed to place atop your mattress, there are a number of things that you should consider. First of all, make sure that you do not have an allergy to natural feathers. You may also want to find out if anyone else who may spend time in your bed (or the intended bed for the feather bed) has such an allergy. People who are allergic to feathers can develop acute respiratory reactions upon exposure.
It is also important to note that feather beds require semi-regular laundering which can be tricky. Feather beds cannot be machine-washed. Therefore, if you are interested in purchasing one, you must be willing to foot a hefty dry cleaning bill every now and then.
Once you have made sure that there is no an allergy issue, you can move on to purchasing your perfect feather bed. There are a number of home and bedding companies that manufacture feather beds and a wide range of prices. Make sure to find a company or selection of companies that you like and are also within your price range. Once you have done this, you can begin choosing from the selection available to you.
Feather beds come in all shapes, sizes, and thicknesses. If you have a bed that is a nontraditional size (i.e. not Full, Twin, Double, Queen, King), you may have to have your feather bed altered or custom made. If you have a traditional bed, however, you simply have to match the size of your bed to your feather bed selection.
The major difference in feather beds comes down to thickness. If you are just looking for a little extra padding, you can get a thinner feather bed. If, however, you want to sink into a soft feather-topped bed, you will want to choose a feather bed that is a few inches thick. There are, of course, in between options as well.
If you are interested in purchasing a feather bed, you will also want to consider the amount of warmth that you are looking to add to your bed. Sleeping on top of a feather bed is like sleeping on top of a high quality comforter. For this reason, feather beds can actually add unwanted warmth in warm weather regions and during summer months. In chilly wintertime, however, feather beds can add a lovely amount of extra warmth to your bed.
Diane Goettel
In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.
Learn more...
Diane Goettel
In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.
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![The feather bed should be designed to fit the size of the mattress.]()
By: karam miriThe feather bed should be designed to fit the size of the mattress. -
![Feather beds are often filled with goose down feathers.]()
By: alessandrozoccFeather beds are often filled with goose down feathers.
Discussion Comments
@golf07 - It would sure be nice if genuine feather beds could easily washed and dried. This is the one reason I don't own a feather bed. I have a hard time justifying the cost of keeping it clean.
I am one of those people who have memories of sleeping in my grandmas feather bed. I don't know if my grandmas feather bed mattress ever got cleaned, but I sure remember how soft it was.
I don't even buy bed comforters that need to be dry cleaned. If I can't throw something in the washer and dryer, I look for something else.
@golf07 - Some of the new feather bed toppers are allergy free. This might not have quite the same level of comfort you were looking for in a feather bed, but might be an alternative for some people.
I bought a feather bed topper and love the extra layer of comfort it gives me. I have found that it is too warm in the summer though. With just having a mattress topper, it is easy to take off for the summer time.
Every fall I look forward to putting on my feather mattress topper. There is nothing quite as comfortable as sleeping on feathers.
They also have some mattress toppers that are made with down alternatives, but if you don't have an allergy to feathers, that is the best way to go.
There are a lot of people who have memories of sleeping in their grandma's feather bed. Something about the thickness and softness of that bed and that you were staying at grandma's house, made it very special.
I had a lot of those special memories so thought it would be a great idea to have my own feather bed. It turns out, this wasn't such a great idea as my husband was very allergic to it.
This is something I had never even thought about. Unfortunately I was not able to keep it in my bedroom, but do have it in my guest bedroom.
I always make sure and let my guests know it is a feather bed in case they have allergies to it. There is another bed available for them to sleep in, but not nearly as comfortable as the feather bed is.
I even find myself taking a nap on this feather bed every now and then because it so cozy and comfortable.
If you're purchasing a feather bed, I would recommend going for a feather bed of medium thickness. As the article said, a goose feather bed will definitely warm you up while you're sleeping. This is great during the winter (to a point), but not so great during the summer.
If you get a feather bed of medium thickness, it will warm you up just the right amount during the colder months. Then, when the weather warms up, if won't be as hard to store as a thicker feather bed.
@indemnifyme - A pillow top is a nice alternative if you're an allergy sufferer. However, I still don't think it totally compares to a down feather bed. There's just something a little bit more comfortable about a feather bed, in my opinion.
Anyway, if you're going to be buying a feather bed, it pays to look for deals. Check and see if your local department stores are having any sales, use coupons, and look online. A nice featherbed can run you a couple hundred dollars, so it's definitely worth taking the time to see if you can get a discount.
I have a ton of allergies. When I was little, I had a really bad reaction to a feather pillow, so I definitely could never have a feather bed cover. However, there is an alternative for myself and my fellow allergy sufferers: a pillow top.
Most people are family with mattresses that come with a pillow top built in, but you can also buy them separately. I have a pillow top for my bed, and it's pretty wonderful. I sleep so much better since I bought it and I almost don't care about my feather allergy!
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