by Isfugl

Is White Goose Better Then White Duck Bedding?

In the world of down bedding there are many choices for what filling material is the best to use for different types of items like pillows, comforter and spine beds. We will explore where down comes from and if there any notable differences in the feel, smell and wash and dry instructions.

Down bedding is scenery’s perfect solution to helping you stay toasty warm. Not only is it lightweight but it surrounds you in cloud like warmth. Down and feathers are a by-product of poultry consumption in Eastern Europe and China for Geese and Ducks. Soft down comes from the underbelly of those birds and feathers come from the wing areas. Down and feathers behave entirely different, with down life very soft and fluffy, while feathers are more rigid and help to provide support. Down is uses primarily in comforters and pillows while feathers are used in some bed pillows and spine beds.

Geese and ducks come in multiple varieties and can range in color from white to grey to black to tan and several shades crosswise. The color of the ducks or geese makes no difference on the performance of the down or feathers. Typically American consumers perceive White Goose Down do be the platinum standard and to a lesser degree White Duck Down. There are reasons why the color of the filling can make a difference, with the largest reason life that down bedding is typically made using white fabric – so a dark color filling will give the appearance of a grey look when placed behind white cloth. Sometimes an all grey filling is really more consistent in looks then a white filling. This is because when white fillings are processed it is hard to absolutely remove stray dark color down or feathers small of hand tweezering the fillings. So a white blend filling with show what stray dark color filling in several places (this is called flecking). In contrast a grey blend filling – duck or goose will similarly contain several white pieces.

Now when it comes to species, duck versus goose there are some clear differences. Commonly speaking most ducks seem to have an oiler surface coat which even after thorough hypoallergenic cleaning processes subdue stays around. This oiler varnish tends to give duck fillings whether they are down or feathers a stronger natural smell. It should be noted that many consumers also have reported that duck down products are harder to care for and if a cut of duck down bedding is not washed and dried properly then they can have an odor post home machine washing and drying. Of course in clinical testing this odor is not found so the home washing process cannot mimic the cleaning process used at the down processing facilities.

All this life said we have seen some incredible high fill power French White and Grey Duck Downs which rival the best white goose downs from Poland, Hungary and Canada. The most vital thing when export down bedding is that you buy it from a manufacturer who owns and operates their own processing capabilities and can show case their hypoallergenic fillings.

Recommended Reading

• ducks
• New Stackpole Books Guide To Ducks And Geese Large Colorful Photos And Accompanying Text
• The Real Origin Of Species