Devon Duvets Blog

We are all increasingly aware of the importance of doing what we can to help protect our beautiful planet. So, in the spirit of building a more sustainable life, we can all do our bit to be more eco-friendly this Christmas season. With that in mind, we’ve found some great ideas to share - all of which will help give planet Earth a gift this Christmas.

Wrap your presents with recycled paper or fabric

While we all love glittery wrapping paper (although not the vacuuming after using it!), most of it isn't biodegradable or recyclable, so you can probably imagine how much is left to sit in landfill after every Christmas. Try the scrunch test to see if your paper is recyclable or not: scrunch the paper in your hands and let it go - if it stays scrunched, it's recyclable, if it unfolds, it's not. You could re-use old wrapping paper (iron it out on the reverse side if it’s looking a bit crumpled!) or use plain brown paper that you can decorate yourself and then tie

We are now discussing menopause openly at last and bringing the discussion into the mainframe, but there’s a part of it that is often misunderstood – and that’s perimenopause. Perimenopause is the first stage of the menopause process and can start several months, or as much as 8 – 10 years, before menopause. Symptoms of perimenopause start before your periods stop - and can begin earlier than you would expect. For most women this starts in their 40s, although it can be earlier. Menopause is the point where a woman no longer has menstrual periods for at least 12 months.

Because perimenopause can start several years in the lead up to menopause, many of us don’t realise or recognise that our symptoms are associated with perimenopause, and instead attribute what we are feeling to ageing, stress, anxiety or depression.  Some of the symptoms, like ‘brain fog’ can leave us feeling as if we aren’t coping at work (concentration can be tricky on some days!) and so we start to lose c

One of the biggest causes of allergies are dust mites, those tiny insects found in household dust. According to a report by the charity Allergy UK, they are the UK’s most common indoor allergen. The report has also revealed that there could be as many as 12 million of us who have a reaction to them, in varying degrees. Signs of an allergic reaction to dust mites include sneezing, runny nose, coughing, itchy eyes and congestion. Dust mite allergies can also aggravate the symptoms of asthma. What’s more, if you also have eczema, a severe allergy reaction can cause a flare-up of the condition. 

The report has also found that over half of indoor allergy sufferers said their symptoms were worse in the bedroom, with allergic reactions leading to disrupted sleep, which in turn will exacerbate the symptoms. Continued disruption to sleep patterns will eventually impact on daily life. It’s hard to concentrate on those all-important tasks at home or work if you are feeling tired and g

We’re all aware of ‘fake news’ and so-called ‘experts’ giving advice on social media. There are quite a few myths about sleep – and we’ve found eight common ones that we’ve tackled below!

Myth One: You Swallow Spiders While You Sleep

This myth claims that you will swallow about 8 spiders a year whilst you sleep! This is very unlikely, as spiders are very wary critters and the noise and vibrations you give off whilst you sleep are more likely to keep spiders away.

Myth Two: Sleeping On Your Front Is Bad For You

This is often blamed for increasing facial wrinkles and contributing to neck aches. According to research, there is no significant difference between sleeping on your back, side or front. A slide sleeping position is best for snorers though. Whichever way you prefer to sleep, it’s important to ensure that you have the right pillow to provide support for your head and neck. At Devon Duvets, we do a

When we were small, bedtime tended to be a well organised routine! Bathtime, maybe a glass of warm milk…then 7pm, up to bed! Brush teeth, wash face and if you were lucky, being read to for half an hour.

However we get older, those routines change and certain habits creep in, such as checking your mobile in bed, bingeing on the latest box set or eating late. Not ‘winding down’ before bedtime can lead to sleep problems like insomnia, which in turn affects our ability to perform our daily and/or work tasks. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, impairing your abilities  to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories. Over time, lack of sleep leads to anxiety, and stress, whereas sleeping well helps you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

Sleep is also an essential function to keep physically healthy. This is the time that your body goes into ‘repair’ mode, as well as keeping your immune system in good shape. Lack of sleep makes us

Here at Devon Duvets, we’ve always been committed to a Zero Waste policy and we’re very close to achieving it! We wrote a blog last year about how some of our fabric ‘waste’ is used by other companies to create products -  and now we’ve found a wonderful local business who can turn our old pallets into fabulous garden furniture and a range of useful household items.

Keith & Keith Restoration was founded just down the road from us in Devon by Alan O’Livey, just before the pandemic in 2020. Having always enjoyed watching programmes about furniture restoration and upcycling, he was inspired to start his own business doing the same thing. He started out small, working from home, and using old pallets to make garden furniture, coffee tables and benches.

The business has grown rapidly in the past 18 months, and so Alan now has a workshop based in Pl

Many of us want to know where our products are made, and what materials are used, so we’ve always been proud that our award-wining products are made right here, in Devon - and only ever using 100% natural products that are responsibly sourced and sustainable. It’s also especially important to us that, through our commitment to use only British wool, we are helping to support British farmers.

The wool inside our duvets, pillows and toppers is certified as traceable, high quality 100% British wool, by the British Wool organisation (formerly the British Wool Marketing Board). This is currently the only independent organisation that can certify wool as being 100% British and therefore the only way you can be sure that you are buying a 100% British wool product.

Working in collaboration with the British Wool organisation, we are able to take this process one step further. A new scheme means that we can fully trace our certified 100

Here, at Devon Duvets, we know all about wool and how amazing it is!  It’s been at the heart of our business for over 11 years and we’re proud that the wool we use for our duvets, pillows and toppers is 100% British wool, from our hard-working British farmers - and that each product is individually handcrafted by our brilliant seamstresses, here in Devon.

Wool is a wonderful and versatile fibre that has many uses, other than for the more common ones you will know about, such as bedding, carpets, furniture and clothes. We thought we’d share some of these with you – and there are some surprises along the way!

Mulch: Wool can be made into pads that have been designed to mulch your garden. The wool will help to supress weeds, retain moisture and regulate the temperature of the soil. As wool is 100% natural, it will biodegrade harmlessly over time, releasing valuable nutrients into the soil. You can also protect more delicate trees and larger plants in wint

Sheep are amazing animals, producing fleeces that continually grow throughout their lives. Humans have been farming sheep for thousands of years, especially for their wool, which is a wonderful fibre. Temperature regulating and breathable, it makes the perfect fibre for clothing and bedding.

In fact, sheep are ‘woolly wonders’ and here are twelve facts about them that you might not have known:

ONE: There are over 1,000 different breeds of sheep and the UK has the highest number of breeds in the world – over 60! Wool from British sheep has been prized for over 2,000 years.

TWO: Sheep are naturally friendly. They can wag their tails, like dogs, and they form strong bonds with other sheep, goats…and people.

THREE: Sheep are known to self-medicate when they have some illnesses. They instinctively choose and eat specific plants that they know will help them feel better.

FOUR: Sheep are int

Although we do give care instructions on our website, we often hear from customers who want to chat to us about their wool duvets and asking how they can put as much love into taking care of them as we do in making them!

We thought it would be a good idea to talk about that here, in our blog, and also pass on some helpful information and advice.

Your Devon Duvets certified 100% British wool duvet is individually handcrafted by our talented seamstresses and only using high quality materials. As with any high quality wool product, it does need some extra TLC - but it is worth it to ensure that your investment in night after night of healthy sleep lasts as long as possible.

We only ever use certified 100% British wool in our duvets because we are committed to supporting British farmers - and the British wool we’ve selected is of excellent quality. This wool is carefully washed (known as ‘scouring’) in British mills without the use of bleach or chemicals, so it remai