Did you know that a quarter of people who own duvets have never washed them? There are others who have never replaced their duvets for more than a decade. If you’re one of these people, you should know that the longer you have your duvets, the more time they have to pick up dust, skin cells, sweat, mites, and other materials.
Besides picking up unpleasant particles, duvets can also start to lose some of their quality over time. So, what are the signs you should buy a new duvet? More than that, what should you look for when choosing among the many options for duvets?
First, let’s look at one of the most important signs that it’s time to go about replacing old duvets: lumpiness.
Your Duvet Is Too Lumpy
Keep in mind that a duvet is meant to be plush and warm. Also, keep in mind the lifespan of duvets rarely goes beyond ten years. Considering both of these factors, if your duvet is getting older and if you notice it has a lot of lumps, you may need to replace it.
Duvet filling springiness has everything to do with the distribution of the filling within the duvet. When you buy a new duvet, you will notice it will seem especially soft, plush, and springy. This is because no one has used that duvet yet, and filling has not yet had the chance to shift around in the duvet.
On the other hand, you may notice your old duvet is very limp and lifeless. In this case, you have likely slept on it a few too many times. The reason your duvet is limp and lumpy is the filling has retreated to certain areas of the duvet. As a consequence, some parts of the duvet have lumps of filling while other parts are completely devoid of filling.
Not only is it uncomfortable to sleep with, but a lumpy duvet may also not provide you with the warmth you need. If you have a lump of duvet filling near your chest but none by your feet, you will find that you will not be able to find the optimal temperature for sleeping.
Instead, you may need to fight with your duvet until you are warm and comfortable. Even if you try to fluff up your duvet, an old duvet will never be able to achieve the fluffiness of a new one.
This, of course, is not ideal, especially if you are someone who really needs their sleep.
Mites and Discoloration
However, the signs that it’s time to replace your duvet don’t stop at lumpiness. No one likes to imagine sleeping with dust mites. However, that is exactly what a lot of us do, especially when we avoid replacing our duvets for many years.
If you have dust mites in your duvets, you might not even realize they’re there. Dust mites are microscopic and leave little to no trace of their existence. However, knowing that millions of little bugs might be crawling around on your duvets while you sleep certainly isn’t a comforting thought.
The only traces you might ever find of dust mites will come in the form of discoloration. You will most easily notice discoloration if your duvets are white, but you may notice with other light colors as well. Discoloration can happen for many reasons.
For example, if you start noticing your duvets are looking gray, it may be because all the dead bodies of dust mites are finally starting to pile up and become visible. More than that, your duvet may be collecting large amounts of dead skin, sweat, dust, and other debris. To avoid discoloration, you should wash your duvets every six months.
However, when it comes to old duvets, you may find that washing them won’t do much to remove the discoloration. This is simply because your duvet has run its course and is too aged and beat-up to resemble its crisp and clean former self. Continuing to wash such a duvet might just be a waste of time, money, and water.
Instead, it might be best to consider getting a new duvet.
Your Allergies Are Acting Up
While some people might have more severe allergies than others, most people have some sort of sensitivity to too much dust. If you’re using a hypoallergenic duvet, you might believe your duvet has nothing to do with the fact that you might be sneezing more than usual. However, though it may be hard to believe, even a hypoallergenic duvet can cause your allergies to act up.
An old duvet will likely be filled with dust, pollen, and other particles that may irritate your allergies. Even if you wash your duvet, years of dust and other particles will still remain within the filling. If you have bad allergies, you will soon find all the sneezing and sniffling to be unbearable.
Fortunately, the solution is simple. By throwing out your old duvet, you can get rid of a major dust magnet in your home. By replacing your old duvet with a new one, you can be confident that you can sleep without being buried under a slab of dust and mites at night.
Why You Should Buy a New Duvet
If you were wondering if you should bother buying a new duvet, you should now know that a new duvet is absolutely worth it. By buying a new duvet, you won’t have to fight with a lumpy duvet full of cold spots and you won’t have to worry about mites and dust either.
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