We don’t (sadly) all sleep in a five-star hotel bed every day, but oh, the times that you do, you invariably think: how do I create this in my own bedroom? We will tell you the chef’s secret. It is… the featherbed. 

A featherbed? Absolutely. In America they will look at you strangely if you say you have never heard of this product - there, the featherbed is by now just as popular as Lululemon’s leggings. Both are possessions you will never want to give up again. 

History of the featherbed

The funny thing is: although featherbeds are one of the best-kept secrets of five-star hotels, they have actually existed for centuries. In the past they were a luxury item reserved for the rich. You know - the Downton Abbey types among us. These families kept and cherished their secret for years, but that has (fortunately) changed by now. 

As mentioned, Americans are going wild for it, or well - figuratively speaking, because the featherbed is a kind of extra mattress that you lay on top of your bed and that gives you exactly that luxurious ‘I never want to get out of this bed again, because cocoon’ feeling. 

3 types of featherbed

Okay, so a featherbed. Of course you now want to know everything about it. Understandable, and we are going to tell you everything. A featherbed is literally a mattress topper filled with down and feathers that you lay on top of your base mattress. 

Featherbed already in your shopping basket? Hold on a moment. Before you make the best purchase of your life, there is something you need to know about its care. It is not that bad, mind you, but as we said, we were going to tell you everything. The care differs per model. Our featherbeds plus their care requirements at a glance: 

1. The Comfort Featherbed: fluff it up often

The Comfort Featherbed from DOUXE, in other words the hotel model, needs to be fluffed up regularly to stay in good condition and keep the feathers in place. Think of hotels, for example, where they make the beds every day for good reason and, above all, fluff them up. 

2. Original Featherbed: fluffing it up once a week is enough

Not much desire to wave your hands about every day? Then choose the Original Featherbed. This model contains a mix of 70% feathers and 30% down in the filling, and is more user-friendly for home use. Fluffing it up once a week is enough to keep its cloud-like composition. 

3. The Prestige Featherbed: also fluff it up once a week

The Prestige Featherbed, like the Original Featherbed, is happy to be fluffed up once a week. But how do you choose between the Original and the Prestige? Good question. Both provide a heavenly night’s sleep. What may help is to tell you that the Prestige topper is 5 cm thick, and the Original topper 10 cm thick. Perhaps you have a preference there. 

4 ways to care for your featherbed

Okay, load it up, that heavenly featherbed. Done? Then of course you want to look after this product as well as possible so that it lasts a nice long time. A few grandmother’s tips for the best care? We naturally have those for you as well.

1. Shake that down

As we said, fluffing it up is keyword number 1. This job is easiest done with two of you. Each take one side, and shake away. It doesn’t get more old-fashioned than that, but it does the job. Of course we understand you don’t have the time every day to stand there flapping together. So: if you have to do it alone and you suffer from weak arms? Hanging it outside and beating it out the old-school way also works wonders.

2. Protect your treasure

The quills at the end of the feathers will sometimes poke through the fabric or stick to the mattress. You will never be able to prevent this completely, but you can certainly limit it by using a featherbed protector (a kind of duvet cover). Pillow and mattress protectors also extend the life of your bed products anyway. So definitely get mattress protectors - yes, for your pillows too - they make sure house dust mites and dirt don’t stand a chance.

3. Give it a bit of air 

Something else you should do regularly to make sure allergens don’t build up is to air your mattress, blankets and pillows. The fresh air and direct sunlight help with drying and let bad smells escape.

4. Washing: better not

When it comes to washing, less really is more. Water and soap can remove the natural oils and cause them to break down. The very reason, then, to use good mattress and pillow protectors. You can wash those as often as you like, so that you dive into a fresh bed every single day.