Everything you need to know about shopping for duvets, pillows, scatter cushion inners and mattress toppers.

ARE LIFSON LINEN PRODUCTS ANTI-ALLERGENIC?
Yes. All down and feather products, when correctly washed, dedusted and sterilised, are anti-allergenic. In most instances, allergies are aggravated when manufacturers fail to adhere to the correct way of treating down and feather raw filling. We do things the right way, so that’s not the case with us. Lifson Linen maintains the best practice regulations of the European Down and Feather Association (EDFA), and as a result all our products are anti-allergenic.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOWN AND FEATHER?
Down is the soft cluster that covers the bird’s breast, regulating its vital organs and body temperature through the seasons. Feathers are the heavier, harder quills that birds use for flight. What does that mean for your duvet? A feather-filled duvet can make you sweat, so you’ll want a duvet (or pillow) that has a high down content. Down regulates to your body temperature (just as it does with the bird). Our Royal Comfort Premium Hungarian Goose Down Duvet, for example, has a 90% down and 10% small feather filling. Down also has a longer lifespan than feather… so that’s another reason to pay close attention to what’s inside your duvets and pillows!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOSE DOWN AND DUCK DOWN?
Geese are larger than ducks, so their down clusters are also larger. This gives goose down a higher filling power. Goose down is also considered better quality than duck down, and has a longer lifespan.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUNGARIAN GOOSE DOWN AND OTHER GOOSE DOWN?
Hungarian goose down provides unparalleled insulation and lightweight luxury. That’s why it’s considered the best down filling available. This is attributed to the specialised breeding heritage of Hungarian geese, and the country’s extremely harsh and long winters, which enhance the thermal properties of Hungarian goose down.

WHAT IS FILLING POWER?
Filling power is the measure of loft of the down or feather filling. This relates to its insulation capability: the higher the filling power, the better the quality of the filling. The higher the filing power, the less filling you need in a finished product to achieve warmth without weight (which is the benchmark of a quality down or feather duvet or pillow). An easy way to check a duvet’s filling power is to press your weight on the filling, and then see how quickly it springs back into shape. The quicker the recovery, the higher the quality!

WHAT IS FINE FIBRE?
Fine Fibre mimics down in terms of feel but is also light, has a high filling power, and moulds to your body. It is exclusive to Lifson Linen.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATURAL AND MAN-MADE FILLINGS?
When you buy a duvet or pillow, you’ll need to decide between a natural (down or down and feather) or man-made (synthetic or down alternative) filling. A down or down and feather duvet and pillow will have a much longer lifespan than a man-made duvet, and can be repurposed as it ages – making it kinder to the environment. A natural filling will also mould to your body better, providing a more comfortable sleeping experience.

WHAT SIZES ARE AVAILABLE?
Lifson Linen duvets come in the following sizes:

Single: 135 x 200 cm
¾: 150 x 200 cm
Double: 200 x 200 cm
Queen: 230 x 200 cm
King: 230 x 220 cm
Super King: 260 x 230 cm

Our pillows are available in:
Standard: 45 x 70 cm
American: 50 x 90 cm
Continental: 78 x 78 cm

WHY DOES LIFSON LINEN FOLLOW EUROPEAN STANDARDS?
South Africa’s down and feather product industry doesn’t have a regulating body, so we manufacture according to the best practice regulations of the European Down and Feather Association (EDFA). Their standards require adherence to a rigorous cleaning, sterilising, dedusting, grading and sorting process for down and feathers. All content must also be traceable back to the farm it came from; and the feather content of each product must be noted on the label to avoid misrepresentation.

WHO MAKES OUR DUVETS?
Lifson Linen is a family business, and some of our team have been with us since we started in 1994. These are the sleep experts who create the quality you receive when you buy a product from the Lifson Linen range. We are a small team, with an artisan’s connection to the products we make. We never mass-produce, so our team focuses on creating a unique product that brings you long-lasting luxury and comfort. As you’ll see, everything that leaves our factory floor is perfect.

WHAT IS TOG RATING?
Tog is a British standard which indicates a duvet’s warmth. (However, it does not indicate how well a duvet will regulate to your body temperature.) Tog ratings run from 1 to 15, and apply to both natural and man-made fibre fillings. It’s a simple formula: the higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet!