What’s your tog? When to change your duvet (plus duvet storage solutions)

You may have already begun to do some Spring Cleaning jobs, and there are the usual ones that can get overlooked with day-to-day cleaning – we’ve already mentioned those blinds and lampshades that are usually forgotten... Let The Spring Cleaning Begin! However, now is the time to also think about changing your duvet to one with a lower tog.

People seem to often fall into two categories here – people who know all about duvet weights and fillings, and those who are clueless. Well for those who don’t know, here are the basics to help when buying and changing your duvet. It’s all about their ability to trap warm air – a natural filled duvet, such as duck feather or goose down have better thermal properties than a synthetic filling, such as polyester. As with everything there are advantages and disadvantages to both – natural fillings last longer and are considered more comfortable because of their lightweight feeling. Synthetic fillings are cheaper and can be machine-washed – natural ones should be professionally cleaned because they need to be thoroughly dried. The tog rating provides an indication of the warmth of the duvet – the higher the tog, the warmer the duvet. As a general guide during Winter months most people would require between 12-13.5 tog weight, in Autumn/Spring a 7-10.5 tog weight is usually adequate and for Summer between 3-4.5.

So now is the time to change your duvet to a lower tog, but what do you do with your out of season duvets? Being bulky items that aren’t used for long periods of time many people put them in the loft or large cupboards, which means space can be an issue. Vacuum storage bags are the ideal solution to storing your duvets when space is at a premium. The ‘Vacuum Storage Jumper/blanket Volume Reducing Chest’ is available in large and jumbo sizes. Just insert your vacuum cleaner's hose into the valve to remove the air from the bag, and just watch the volume of the bag reduce by up to 60%. One large chest has a vacuum bag with the capacity to store jumpers, pillows, blankets, duvets, sheets and/or t-shirts. The chests can be stacked and so makes a wonderful space-saving storage solution!

They can’t be used for feather or down-filled duvets, but for these types of duvets you can get ‘Breathable Duvet Storage Bags’ in both double and king sizes. The new design has a zipped opening at the end which makes it very easy to put duvets / pillows etc into the bag.

There is a strong carry handle on the side and the storage bag can be stored vertically or horizontally. This breathable bag is ideal for storing those luxurious feather / down duvets & pillows. One satisfied customer said:

"For the quality and design of the product it is very good value. It comfortably holds a pretty bulky 12.5Tog duvet and two pillows. I went to the Argos site initially, but the reviews for a non-breathable storage bag would deter anyone from purchasing. Excellent delivery time."

For more duvet storage solutions see the duvet storage solution range on the site.