Why is wool so good for use in duvets?
Wool is not just an insulator it also acts as a heat regulator. Wool in a duvet regulates your body temperature the same way as it does on the sheep. When you are hot the wool draws excess heat away from you in the form of moisture. When your body is cold its retains any heat that you generate.
Polyester and down duvets just retain the heat in which is great when you first get into bed, however it can lead to over-heating during the night. This overheating causes discomfort which affects your sleep as you subconsciously move around to cool off.
If wool is so good for duvets why hasn’t it been used before?
Before World War II, and in the austere years following, Britain was a country of beds with woolly blankets. Everyone used wool for bedding. Then, in the swinging sixties, amongst all the other social revolutions going on, we went cosmopolitan and were introduced to the continental quilt (which at first was down or feather). Then the sixties brought us the petrochemical revolution and we moved to cheap man-made polyester. Continental quilts were re-invented as duvets with polyester fillings at a price everyone could afford. Ironically on the continent wool has been used in duvets forever.
Is sheeps wool tog rated?
Not exactly, the rates displayed for Baavets are an approximation. Tog rating measures the insulating properties of synthetic materials but doesn’t allow for the heat regulating properties of wool which makes it warmer than the equivalent tog rating in polyester.
How are Baavets rated for warmth?
Baavet use the outdoor sleeping bag equivalent of seasonal ratings.
The light weight is for people who don't want a duvet that's too warm or heavy at approx 300/350grms per sq metre. this can be used as a summer /autumn/spring. This can also double up as a 'throw' for very cold winter nights. (it might be too warm for very hot summer nights but then who has a duvet on then!)
The medium weight which is approximately 400/450 grams per sq metre which is the most versatile and popular weight which is usable for most of the year except for warmer summers and extreme cold winter nights of around freezing . But then you can always use a throw over for those times.
The winter weight of 500/550 grams per sq metre is for those who really feel the cold. Or live in very cold areas and houses.
Is a wool duvet itchy?
No, the wool comes as a fine soft fibre that is covered in a high quality closely woven cotton cambric fabric.
Why are Baavets expensive. I thought wool was supposed to be cheap?
It’s not the filling that is expensive it's the fibre-proof outer. The cotton outer has around 250 threads per sq inch and to become fibre proof the cotton has to go through a separate heat treatment process which actually shrinks the cotton. With normal cotton the wool would migrate through the fabric.
Is my Baavet machine washable?
The care instructions tell you to handwash or dryclean your Baavet however if you have a very, very, gentle cycle on your machine it is possible to machine wash it. Untreated wool will shrink and felt if subjected to anything more than the gentlest wash, if you're not sure then a gentle handwash will do, then spin and line dry, but DO NOT TUMBLE DRY. You will be amazed how quickly your Baavet will dry without the need for tumble drying.
If you're not sure about the aggressiveness of your machine wash then you can always try the following wash method;
Place the duvet in your washing machine, add a wool friendly detergent to the detergent draw, then via the detergent drawer fill the machine with tepid water. Once the duvet is covered with water leave it to soak for half an hour. Spin the duvet on a low rpm cycle then refill with water and leave to soak again for half an hour. Now spin on a high rpm cycle remove from the machine and hang to dry away from direct heat.
Wool is an extremely clean organic fabric, you only have to dig into the fleece on a sheep's back and see how clean it is. It's a much cleaner filling than polyester or down, both of which attract dust. So we suggest you air your Baavet on a sunny day and let nature do the cleaning for you.
Can I put my Baavet in a tumble dryier?
No pure wool duvet can be subjected to tumble drier heat and tumbling action because the wool will shrink and felt unless the wool has been treated in some way.
Treating wool so that it can be tumble dried involves a chlorinating, scorching, process that kills the wool smell and stops the wool felting. To do this the process strips the wool strands of its cuticles by soaking the wool in acid, once the wool is stripped it then goes into an alkaline solution to neutralise the acid. It's these cuticles that will cause felting but it’s also these cuticles that trap air, the key to wool’s heat transfer and thermal qualities. The cuticles also act as a barrier to the dust mite, the microscopic cuticles make the wool rough and spiky and they don't like it! Add to that to Lanolin found naturally in wool and you have a dust mite free product.
Are any animals harmed in the production of Baavet wool duvets?
Absolutely not. In fact some sheep are naturally self shearing. The rest just love a haircut for the summer. There is no factory farming of Sheep in the UK . This is not the case with down and feather duvets. Most down and feather comes from intensive factory farming and a bird can't survive being plucked! In China they even pluck them alive.
Is a Baavet really British?
Yes, we can guarantee that the wool in a Baavet is sourced from British farms and the entire process from carding to packaging is done in Britain. In fact in most cases our wool comes from specific Welsh farms. Only the cotton comes from abroad, Britain just doesn't have the right weather for growing cotton. We now even make our own cotton bags rather than buying them from abroad and we have all the embroidery and printing done here.
Will my Baavet smell sheepy?
To preserve the heat regulating properties of wool, Baavet don't treat it in any way other than to wash it to remove the greasy lanolin. This means that sometimes there may be a slight smell (it's the lanolin that you smell) but in time and with airing that will always go. Remember dust mites hate the smell of lanolin, so a little left in the wool is not a bad thing.