I wanted to personally thank everyone who participated in our live on-line chat on March 15th. We learned a lot about the questions and suggestions that are on the minds of our viewers. We answered as many questions as possible in the time allotted but there were several that we just didn’t have time to address. Over the next couple of weeks we will try to get to the questions that we didn’t answer during the live chat. We appreciate your patience, and please stay in touch with us.

So many of you asked questions about care and longevity for our Northern Nights products that I thought we should cover it this week. All Northern Nights products use high quality materials that are intended to last, but the specific lifetime will be unique for each item. Many Northern Nights items come with a manufacturer’s warranty inside the box which should give a good indicator of how long the product is intended to last. A good estimate is 3-5 years for pillows, featherbeds, and mattress pads, and 5-10 years for comforters and blankets. Of course, this also depends on how well the product is cared for and how often it is shaken and lofted. Well cared for products can last much longer but these are good estimates. Suzanne can give a range for sheets and flannel products. Caring for featherbeds is easy. Please use your featherbed cover to help protect your investment. Shake and fluff your featherbed regularly, at least once each week, to help it remain fluffy and make it last longer. Wash the cover with regular laundry. The featherbed should be professionally laundered or dry cleaned every 3-5 years. The featherbed can fit under the fitted sheet or rest on top with the cover zipped over.

Comforters and Down Blankets also require regular shaking and lofting in order to maintain their fluffiness. A duvet cover used over your Down Comforter will protect it and help it to last years longer than leaving it uncovered. Duvet covers are a matter of personal choice based on fashion. They usually come with buttons on one side and can be a bit tricky to get over your comforter. If you can get two corners inside the duvet cover and hold them in place, it’s fairly simple to pull the duvet cover down over the remaining two corners of the comforter. Both Comforters and Blankets can be machine washed if you have a large enough machine. Wash on gentle cycle, cold water with mild detergent. Dry on air, no heat, until thoroughly dry so the comforter/blanket doesn’t mildew. Pillows can be shaken and lofted as needed and are also machine washable. Use cold water on a gentle cycle and dry on air without heat and a couple of clean tennis balls. Tennis balls help maintain the fluffiness of the pillow and prevent fill from clumping on one end or the other.

There were also many questions asked concerning how to know which product is right for you. This is such a personal choice that it can be difficult to offer specific suggestions.

Here are some loose guidelines to consider.

Featherbeds are the easiest way to get support, comfort, and an adjustable feel to your mattress. Some featherbeds are firmer and provide more of a mattress extension feeling of support. Others offer sink-in adjustability that contour more and envelope the body while you sleep. Choose the level of firmness or adjustability that best fits your needs and preference.

If a featherbed is too much bulk on the mattress for you, we sometimes offer a down mattress pad in the line. We don’t have any at this moment, but have plans to introduce a new one in fall. We do have a down mattress pad on QVC.com in a few sizes but will not get any additional stock in this item in anticipation of the new down mattress pad that will launch later in the season.

We also plan on bringing back the pet bed for those of you that have expressed how much you miss them. Look for new pet beds this fall.

Comforters come in all types of designs, fill powers, and thread counts. If you prefer less maintenance, choose a design that is closed such as a Baffle Box or Box Stitch. These designs may flatten more quickly than open designs but they will prevent the down from shifting from one area to another and will require less shaking/lofting and less maintenance. If you find that certain areas tend to flatten more quickly, try fluffing the comforter more often or even placing it in the dryer without heat for a few minutes to push air into it. Open designs such as Karo Baffle, Box Step, or 4 Corner Baffle Box usually create a fluffier comforter but will require more regular maintenance and shaking to keep them fluffy. Open designs also tend to stay fluffier a little longer than closed designs without baffling.

If you are looking for a very fluffy comforter, higher fill powers combined with high fill weights and a design that has baffle in the seams is the best choice.

If a lightweight cover is what you seek, take a look at our numerous Down Blankets. We have several to choose from in various colors and fill powers and all will provide a lighter choice than a traditional Down Comforter.

California King size bed owners should order a king size blanket or comforter, and a California king size featherbed. The king size comforter and blanket will drape nicely over either king or California king size beds.

If you are on waitlist for any of our products, we are usually able to fill these orders within 60 days of receipt of the order. There are some exceptions, but 60 days is our average. Pillows are the most difficult product category to suggest because they are such personal choices. I am working on an easy guide of how to purchase the right pillow for you and hope to send it out next week, so please look for it in the near future. In the meantime, I have just a few quick pointers below. Firmer support and a more propped up feel on your pillow is usually provided by pillows that come with a gusset, more feather fill, and an inner construction or design. Softer, more adjustable pillows that offer a contouring feel are usually filled with down and can have a gusset or a regular edge. More to follow on pillows next week…

The final set of questions that I wanted to address this week concerns where our Northern Nights products are manufactured. It is our goal to offer the very best quality possible under the Northern Nights brand, as well as to provide a great value to our customers. As a result, we source product from all over the world, using fabric manufacturers that meet our high quality standards at a value that we can pass on to all of you. Only the manufacturers with the highest level of working standards and quality meet our qualifications. Some of these manufacturers are located in Europe, and others are located throughout Asia. We have been purchasing down and feather from the same family farms for decades in Europe, Asia, and Canada. Our fabric sources also come from strong relationships where quality and high working standards are essential. We will continue to bring you products at a value with the very finest quality in the future.

I hope this helps answer some of the questions that we missed.

Sleep well,
Serine Steinnes