Sorting out claims part deux

[eliskimo]

Hypoallergenic down - is it really?

Comments

[macman47]

I've never heard of Hypoallergenic down. Interesting.

[eliskimo]

I'm in the market for a duvet. I'd really like down (I have a thing about polyester), but Jay is allergic. However, quite a few of the down duvets I've looked at advertise "hypoallergenic down" on their packaging. I'm not sure what that means exactly and whether or not to believe it.

[the_nita]

You might want to also look for wool duvets - they're pricier and a bigger pain to keep clean, but was a solution for us.

[yvonne_rogers]

have you thought about asking the manufactuer's customer service what, "hypoallergenic down" means?

[sandra_sk]

do you now what are really, really nice? Silk duvets. We had just bought a really nice, really expensive down duvet when I found the silk ones, otherwise I'd own a silk one. Sorry, can't remember the vendor's name though....

[ginamary]

It may refer to the fabric containing the down. There is a fabric that blocks alergens. It's just a thought.

[eliskimo]

No, the statements definately refer to the down itself: "hypoallergenic down". There are usually separate statements about how tightly the fabric is woven to prevent down escape.

[lametiger]

My best guess was that they used some kind of cleaning process on the down before they used it as a filler. This website seems to confirm that: http://www.allergyasthmatech.com/C/Mite_Free_Down_Comforters/302_286_2. It seems the idea is that it is not the material of the feathers themselves so much as it is the stuff on them that causes the allergic responses. What I wondered about, however, when I was first considering the idea of treating the down, is: "Will whatever they use for the cleaning process cause unexpected problems for some people?" I am a huge believer in the Law of Unexpected Consequences.