A high quality mattress as well as a fine comforter are needed for getting restful sleep. But some have found that adding one more layer over the mattress can make the bed even more comfortable, as well as warmer, for the occupant. During the winter months additional layers help save energy by reducing the heating costs.

The extra layer is served by something called a fiberbed. Appearance-wise, it resembles something between a portable mattress and a comforter. Like a comforter, it’s very soft and filled with insulating material. However, like a mattress, it’s inserted beneath a sleeper. The fill has a higher top feather content than a regular comforter for added stiffness.

While quite a lot of people want to try out the fiberbed, the problem is that these people are allergic to irritants in the fill. The irritants can come from the water fowl which are the source of the down undercoat, or from dust-mites which coexist with people. Dust-mites have been established as a leading producer of allergens that accumulate in bedding.

Using a fiberbed with a down alternative fill is the solution to these problems. There are many kinds of fills that can mimic the three great qualities of down: its lightness, its loft (or softness) and its high insulating properties. Chief amongst these are synthetic and polyester down alternatives, and natural alternatives such as silk. While none of the alternatives will match down equally in all three criteria, some of them come very close. The brand name Primaloft, for example, is thought to be the finest synthetic available today.

In addition to the possibility of reducing allergens, down alternative fiberbeds are also priced lower than down. This is because synthetics can be manufactured in greater volume and at lower cost. Harvesting down from water fowl is labor intensive, as well as time intensive. For example, raising water fowl takes months at least, whereas culling wild ones requires seeking them out. The prices of down alternatives are not fixed either. There are low cost varieties and premium varieties which vary in their closeness to reproducing the properties of down.

One thing to watch out for is that down alternative fiberbeds can be made with various kinds of stitching designs. If the stitching were purely aesthetic, there is no problem. In the case of fiberbeds (as well as comforters), the stitching can have a dramatic effect on how the fill shifts over time. Baffle-box stitching for example helps keep all the fill spread out evenly.

The last point to keep in mind when trying to choose between down alternatives and traditional down fiberbeds is that maintenance is much easier in the case of synthetics. Household detergents and appliances will suffice. Dry cleaning is a permissible alternative but not absolutely required.

The site discusses how to select down alternative. If you are interested in the purchase of down alternative comforter, come check out our site.