Wool duvets are a healthier option
(24/03/2008)

The very latest science being used to ensure your duvet helps you to get a good nights sleep is being brought to the UK by a couple from Gloucestershire who discovered the benefits of wool bed products when one of their sons couldn’t sleep.

Caroline and Guy Bodger were so impressed by wool duvets when they lived in New Zealand, where they are more popular than feather duvets, that they decided to start importing them when they came back to the UK.

‘We had moved to New Plymouth, North Island, to live and found hot summers meant uncomfortable sleeping, especially for our eldest son Sebastian. He would toss and turn, overheat and find it very difficult to sleep,’ explained Caroline.

That’s when they discovered wool duvets. ‘I had never heard of wool duvets before. I thought there were feather duvets and synthetic duvets and that was it, but many people in New Zealand use wool duvets. It was a revelation. Sebastian slept so well with his new duvet that we bought new duvets and pillows for all the family,’ added Caroline.

When the family returned to Gloucestershire last year so that their children could have an English education, they decided to set up a business importing wool duvets, pillows and underlays.

‘The science behind wool bedding products is fascinating. Wool absorbs up to a third of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet. It creates a micro climate: warm in winter and cool in summer,’ explained Guy.

The manufacturers, Ellis Fibre, have patented an unique manufacturing process which makes the wool for the duvets lighter and softer as well as warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Their New Zealand Supawool© has been developed specially for the bedding market. The company is also using the latest technology to ensure that there is no excess waste in the production process and to maximise recycling.

Caroline and Guy have now converted a barn next to their traditional farmhouse in Newent into a storeroom and are selling a variety of products from their company White Cloud Trading.

Getting to grips with the difference a wool duvet can make means understanding how they are made and where they come from. The duvets have a combination of Merino wool from South Island’s famous high country where the sheep produce fine and dense fleeces and wool from the Corriedale and Romney sheep which are kept at a lower level and have stronger and thicker fleeces.

An added bonus is that wool duvets and pillows discourage the dreaded house dust mite. ‘When you start finding out about dust mites it is quite horrible,’ remarked Caroline. ‘Because we spend about a third of a day in bed we all inhale large quantities of dust mite excretions. The protein in these excretions gets into the respiratory system and can cause perpetual hay fever, watering eyes and eczema in children.’

This is backed up by recent research from the University of Worcester which found all the duvets it tested in its study contained a substantial amount of debris. One duvet that had not been washed for 11 years contained 45g of debris including skin scales and dust mite faeces. ‘This has serious implications for health as these contaminants can cause symptoms of asthma and rhinitis (inflammation of the lining of the nose), can make eczema worse and cause conjunctivitis,’ said Professor Jean Emberlin, director of the university’s National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit.

‘All the research and science points to the fact that wool duvets can be described as a healthier option. With concerns about bird flu surfacing again this winter it is great to be able to offer a natural alternative to feathers,’ added Caroline.

[View all articles about Ellis Fibre]

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Wool duvets are a healthier option (24/03/2008)

Wool duvets are a healthier option
(24/03/2008)