AllerGuard and down
Did you know:
Repeated studies have measured the level of Der p 1 on pillows with synthetic filling and pillows with down filling that had been in the same bed for more than six months. Up to seven to eight times higher levels of Der p 1 were found on synthetic pillows compared with feather pillows. In another study of house dust mite allergens in individual parts of bedding, dust samples were collected from 65 duvets, 81 pillows and 65 mattresses from 34 children and 31 adults. The study again showed that synthetic pillows contained much higher levels of Der p 1 than down pillows, and synthetic duvets also had significantly higher Der p 1 levels – up to 15 times more than down duvets.
British studies, however, found exactly the same results in the UK, where the level of house dust mite allergens is around 20 times lower than in New Zealand. They also found that feather pillows contained much lower amounts of cat and dog allergens than synthetic pillows.
The use of synthetic duvets has increased significantly in recent years, and today the vast majority of duvets in use are synthetic – probably because of the price. But this comes at a cost, with greater risks for allergy sufferers.
AllerGuard allergen-proof pillows and duvets with down filling.
We use the high density of the fabric twice. It acts as a barrier against allergens and house dust mites, which do not penetrate the duvet, but it also blocks 100% of the down used as filling.
Thanks to AllerGuard, microparticles from down that can cause allergic reactions in allergy sufferers are trapped inside the duvet/pillow, and you can benefit from the unique properties of natural 100% goose down.
Every body temperature, season and room temperature requires its own duvet.
There are two criteria that must be met when choosing your duvet: the quality of the down filling and the filling weight in the duvet.
The higher the filling weight, the greater the down filling’s ability to insulate and therefore keep you warm. Consequently, the higher the filling weight, the higher the duvet’s warmth class.
Seasonal choice of filling for duvet
Winter: Warm Filling. 190g/m2
Our winter duvets are available with a warmth class of 6 or 7 and a filling weight of up to 250 g/m² – and higher if desired. These duvets keep you warm on cold winter nights and are perfect for room temperatures below 18°C or for those who tend to feel cold at night.
Year-round: Medium Filling. 130g/m2
Our all-year duvets offer the perfect balance between warmth and comfort, so they can be used all year round. Depending on the filling weight, these duvets are between 3 and 5 on our warmth scale. Our all-year duvets are perfect for room temperatures between 18–22°C and a moderate climate such as the Danish climate.
Pillows
AllerGuard pillows with Light, Semi-Firm or Firm filling are available to suit the individual’s body type, sleeping position and personal preferences.
FIRM Filling (firm filling)
For those who most often sleep on their side: 74% of all people often sleep on their side. In this sleeping position, you will feel most comfortable with a firm pillow that can keep your ears in line with your shoulder. This reduces the strain on your neck and brings your spine into a straight position.
SEMI-FIRM Filling (semi-solid filling)
For those who typically sleep on their back: 10% of all people often sleep on their back. As a back sleeper, a pillow with medium support will help you keep your neck and back in a neutral and comfortable position, providing perfect alignment with your spine.
AllerGuard Semi-Firm – a soft pillow with a generous amount of filling that provides medium/high head support. This is the pillow most commonly chosen by adults. Ideal when you usually sleep on your side.
AllerGuard Firm – a very soft pillow with more down in the inner chamber, allowing it to adapt to the shape of the head and neck. This versatile pillow provides medium support.
AllerGuard® down duvets are exclusive products made from materials of the highest quality, making them exceptionally soft, elastic and durable.
They are designed to provide the highest level of sleeping comfort while minimising contact with allergenic microparticles.
All AllerGuard pillows have 3 chambers.
The outer chambers are always filled with new, white, polished 90% goose down.
The inner chamber is filled with 15% and 30% goose feathers.
Labelling of pillows with down filling
Firm version: 3 chambers (90% + 15%).
This means that there is 90% down in the outer layer. There is 15% down and therefore 85% fine feathers in the inner chamber (the feather percentage is not shown).
Semi-Firm version: 3 chambers (90% + 30%).
This means that there is 90% down in the outer layer. There is 30% down and therefore 70% fine feathers in the inner chamber (the feather percentage is not shown).
100% POLISH WHITE GOOSE DOWN
AllerGuard’s down products exclusively use white, hand-sorted Polish goose down in Class I.
100% goose down is highly valued for its extreme lightness and excellent heat-retention properties.
For duvets, you should only choose Class I down. Lower qualities are suitable for filling decorative pillows or upholstered furniture and should not be used in the production of bedding. Unfortunately, such products are still available on the market.
Our supplier is one of Poland’s large poultry slaughterhouses, so none of AllerGuard’s down is plucked from live animals.
There are two types of down on the market: new down and recycled down. Only new down guarantees a long product life and safety, and AllerGuard therefore exclusively uses new down.
Recycled down is unfortunately widely used in inexpensive products. It may contain residues from its previous use, which can create a breeding ground for bacteria and odours if they are not removed:
House dust mites and skin flakes: Residues from human skin and microorganisms that have been present in the bedding.
Sweat and fats: Natural body oils that the down has absorbed over time.
Organic dust: Broken-down keratin particles from the feathers that have turned into fine dust due to wear.
Old detergent residues: Accumulated residues of detergent and fabric softener from previous washes.
The channels in AllerGuard duvets are always thermally welded at a minimum of 140°C and not sewn, to prevent house dust mite allergens from passing through sewing holes.
At the same time, the welding reduces the extent of cold zones and increases sleeping comfort compared with duvets with sewn channel walls.
The duvets are made with bolsters in AllerGuard fabric, so you do not need to buy an allergen-proof duvet cover. You can simply use a cotton duvet cover for comfort and longevity.
Remember, you are normally not allergic to feathers or down, but rather to dust in the down/feathers and residues of biological material. This can cause symptoms, which is why the oxidation number is so important.
The down in our pillows and duvets has a fill power of 850 CUIN. The oxidation number is < 4.2 mg/100 g, which is an indication of the purity of the down and the thorough washing and rinsing process.
All our products are OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified, so you can be sure that the product is completely free from harmful chemical substances and can be used by adults and children with allergies and sensitive skin.
Originally reserved for the Japanese high-end market, down is now available to European consumers and is supplied by recognised German, Scandinavian and Asian bedding manufacturers.
Production and factory quality control are carried out in full compliance with ISO standards – quality control systems (ISO 9001 certificate no. 0198100 00171). Our down and feathers are supplied by our Polish supplier, which is the main recipient of raw material from breeders in Poland.
The down first undergoes an intensive cleaning process until it achieves a level of transparency in the purity test that meets the requirements of the Japanese JIS K0102 1981 standards. This is followed by sterilisation and drying at 120°C and 4 bar.
Down is a unique material produced in accordance with the highest Japanese standards of quality and purity, and 100% goose down is highly valued for its lightness and excellent heat-retention properties. Even a very small amount of down in the duvet provides this level of comfort and sufficient insulation.
At AllerGuard, we do not use down and feathers from live-plucked animals.
AllerGuard's standard for down quality
1. AllerGuard goose down quality – 300 g
2. Duck down – 300 g
Difference: Different volume at the same weight. Because of its size, goose down is more elastic and retains more air than duck down. This allows us to use less down while maintaining the same volume.
We only use hand-sorted down from Polish white geese, continuously supplied by our affiliated down laboratory, which, together with our manufacturer, is located in Eastern Europe.
We use Class I down of “Exceptional Quality” and therefore also appeal to allergy sufferers. They can use our down products because our technology does not contain dust or other contaminants.
Down consists of keratin covered with lanolin – substances that are also found in our bodies and are not allergens.
All forms of biological contaminants such as bacteria, dust, mould, etc., which can cause allergies to anything, are usually found in poorly washed down or recycled material.
Down purity test
The method used to determine the purity of down is generally established in Europe and Japan through the recognised “purity test”. The test involves placing a certain amount of down in a glass cylinder, filling it with distilled water and determining the transparency of the water after the rinsing process.
Transparency depends on the ability to visually recognise the standardised 30 × 30 mm cross at the bottom of the glass cylinder.
In our down laboratory, three glass cylinders with a height of 1,000 mm are used (according to the JIS K0102 1981 standard, followed by sterilisation and drying at 120°C and 4 bar). Three grams of down and 300 ml of distilled water are added to them. The whole mixture is shaken vigorously, after which a further 700 ml of distilled water is added and the cylinders are placed in a shaker for 45 minutes. The visibility is then read.
In Europe, the down quality of “standard down” is determined using 300 ml glass cylinders and “down quality” using cylinders 500 mm high. The AllerGuard test is performed only with 1,000 mm high glass cylinders and will therefore be one of the few down products classified as “Super Clean Down”.
Many down manufacturers add optical whiteners to the cleaning process to give the impression that the product is cleaner and of higher quality than it actually is.
AllerGuard down naturally contains no optical bleaches!
100% POLISH WHITE GOOSE DOWN
Is it possible? Down consists of millions of microscopic filaments that are good at retaining air and heat. But over time and after several years of intensive use, the filaments begin to break down into microscopically small particles. These micrometre-sized particles escape from traditionally manufactured cotton down duvets and pillows and enter our airways. They can cause irritation and allergic reactions in sensitive people.
However, the AllerGuard fabric traps this so-called “down fluff” inside the duvet. Thanks to this, we do not come into contact with it, and the duvets and pillows retain their anti-allergic properties throughout their period of use, even after 50 washes.
In addition, the channels in AllerGuard duvets are thermally welded, so there are no needle holes – potential places where dirt can enter and escape. This is unique to AllerGuard.
Longevity is another extremely important feature of AllerGuard products, as they are intended to serve us for a very long time. We provide a 10-year guarantee on AllerGuard products!
We recommend replacing duvets every 5–7 years and pillows every 4–5 years for hygiene reasons.
However, the products are often still in very good condition after this time. To help ensure this, you should not lie on top of the duvets, and they should be aired frequently and washed regularly. Pillows should also be washed regularly and shaken every morning.
The products’ long life and high level of comfort are due to the very high quality of the down we use, combined with the extremely strong and durable AllerGuard fabric.
AllerGuard down is new, polished, 100% Class I goose down that undergoes additional cleaning processes. It is a unique raw material with many advantages and no disadvantages.
The basic properties and parameters of down are:
NEW DOWN – two types of down are available on the market: new down and recycled (used) down. Only new down guarantees a long product life and safety. Recycled down is usually widely used in other, cheaper products. It has a very large number of harmful emissions, and its origin and plucking can be downright shocking. Therefore, you should deliberately look for new goose down.
POLISH GOOSE DOWN – is one of the most highly valued types of down in the world. Because of the suitable climate for birds in Poland, Polish goose down has very high quality parameters. It is exceptionally light and durable and provides excellent insulation. Its fill power is 850 CUIN.
100% DOWN – the percentage value means the “down content”. There are blends in different proportions on the market, and for example 70% down consists of 30% feathers and 70% down.
Feathers are not needed as filling in duvets. They have no insulating properties and are relatively heavy, but work well as pillow filling. Naturally, 100% down is selected down and is the best insulating material available.
DOWN, CLASS I – the down class tells us directly about its quality. In duvets, you should only look for Class I down. Lower classes are suitable for filling decorative pillows or upholstered furniture. They should not be used to produce bedding, but unfortunately such products are still available on the market.
SUPER CLEAN DOWN – Down is a material of animal origin, so it is especially important that it is thoroughly washed, cleaned and disinfected.
Our down is washed and cleaned in accordance with the highest Japanese standards, making it completely safe even for people who are prone to allergies.
Laboratory tests and thousands of satisfied customers confirm the effectiveness of AllerGuard products.
