When it comes down to blankets, the best choice entirely depends on your preferences. This article won’t be striving to provide a universal answer or solution to your questions, but rather educate you on the different blanket types and materials and what effects they are known to bring about.
By understanding the various options, you can make a more informed decision. Whether you prioritize warmth, softness, or breathability, knowing these details will guide you in choosing the best blanket. For further details, you can refer to a “choosing the best blanket guide,” which provides a comprehensive overview of all considerations.
Ultimately, the perfect blanket aligns with your comfort and lifestyle needs. Take your time exploring and experimenting until you find the one that feels just right for you.
The Best Blanket Choosing Guide for a Cozy Winter Night Snuggle
What constitutes a good blanket really depends on your aesthetic and warmth preferences. Some people like a huge weighted blanket, others like to feel like they’re in a cloud and go for a more universal down, quilted blanket – it all really depends on your needs, preferences, and season. Here is a comprehensive guide on choosing the best blanket guide to meet your cozy needs.
1. If you are looking for an electric blanket
Electric blankets have a useful nature which allows you to quickly increase the head under the covers. These types of blankets are more often than not heavier than most natural fibered blankets and require a direct connection to an electrical outlet.
These types are quite useful when there is a need for immediate heat or when there’s an injury and heat treatment will work in that particular case. They come in handy in extreme conditions where frost-bite and other frost-related issues occur.
You don’t need to be an arctic explorer to enjoy the comfort that the instant warmth of an electric blanket will bring you. Due to their universal nature, it could be said that every home in the US has at least one of them on hand. This is why it is essential to include them in choosing the best blanket guide.
2. What sort of material you prefer
Some people have a more sensitive skin and can only take synthetic materials. Most synthetic blanket covers are neutral and can be washed repeatedly without any issues. This means that even the most sensitive of blanket-lovers can enjoy a cozy night, without feeling skin discomfort.
These blanket materials can house many different filling materials, from down to cotton and even wool. What makes them great is that they are easy to maintain and keep their comfort for quite a long time.
One of their biggest downside is that they may start deconstructing if used regularly and may retain a lot of the bodily heat making you sweat during the night. Therefore, it’s important to consider this in choosing the best blanket guide.
3. If you prefer natural or synthetic filling
Natural and synthetic filling will provide a different level of comfort with varying degrees of hypoallergenic properties. This means that some materials will be more prone to causing skin discomfort than others.
However, there are naturally hypoallergenic materials like goose down which alleviate discomfort rather than cause it. It means that your choice should be tailored with any pre-existing allergies in mind.
Synthetic blanket filling has the most hypoallergenic properties and it is the least expensive, however, it may lead to sweating and overheating, especially during the warmer periods of the year.
Natural materials tend to breathe more and allow for good air circulation to occur without losing the heat which you create under the blanket. If you are not allergic to any particular type of material, then it’s recommended that you go for a more natural-feeling material with a natural feeling.
This way you can accumulate, retain and circulate the heat your body builds up under the blanket. If you are not allergic to any particular type of material, then it’s recommended that you go for a more natural-feeling material.
This will help you accumulate, retain, and circulate the heat your body builds up under the blanket, making it a key factor in choosing the best blanket guide.
4. The size of the blanket does matter
There are standardized sizes which allow you to get a bed cover which fits your particular mattress size. There’s nothing more disappointing than to have a newly ordered blanket come out as too short.
We recommend that you get a blanket size which complements the size of your mattress and bed size.
It’s also good to note that if there’s more than one person using said blanket, it should be wide and long enough to accommodate both users, without perpetuating the all too common argument of who stole the blanket.
Getting an appropriately sized blanket can have its own issues – mainly the maintenance. With a king-sized bed’s blanket size, it can be difficult to clean it properly, especially if it’s made from natural materials which are sensitive to high heat.
Wool and cashmere don’t really like high heat so they either have to be washed by hand or in a washing machine with a big capacity. Down really suffers from over-heating and the top layer may also suffer, unless it’s an acrylic-based fabric. Thus, considering size and maintenance is essential when choosing the best blanket guide.
5. How heavy you want the blanket to be
There are weighted blankets which preserve body heat extremely well and have seen wide usage all around the world. The thing with weighted blankets is that they are – you guessed it – heavier than normal blankets.
Some individuals prefer having a heavier blanket, especially during a chilly winter evening, however, other’s prefer to feel lighter and cannot stand the weight. Granted, such a blanket will not crush you, but some more claustrophobic individuals may feel suffocated due to their weight.
These types of blankets are more often made from natural materials, both filling and cover. The best candidate for a weighted blanket is wool, as it can be both quite heavy, and provides excellent isolation.
Depending on width of the weave, some weighted blankets may allow for more air flow, while others may be designed for cold weather.
6. What sort of fabric material should the blanket be made out of
There are generally 7 accepted fabric materials for blankets with some being natural – other synthetic. The most common types are:
- Fleece – It is super useful with children as it’s extremely good at wicking away moisture. It’s quite cozy and warm, priding enough heat, but not too much as to make the user feel uncomfortable. Fleece is not too heavy and provides all of the necessary comforts a blanket should.
- Cashmere – This is by far the most luxurious type of blanket fabric out there. Its woven fibers intermingle to create and extremely soft and comfortable blanket. If you want to feel as if you are inside a cloud, without feeling overburdened, then cashmere is the material for you.
- Down – It’s a universally recognized bedding material which provides quite of lot of comfort. Some people say that there’s nothing more comfortable than a down blanket. It’s thin, easy to clean and has some hypoallergenic properties. The biggest pro of this material is that it’s extremely light yet warm.
- Wool – Wool is heavy, itching and very, very warm. It does not burn and it’s really good at evaporating moisture and taking it away from the body. If overdone, wool can make a person sweat quite a lot, however, it will quickly draw away any moisture – due to its natural origin wool is extremely resilient if kept well – it does not like heat and should be washed in a bellow 30 degrees washing machine.
- Cotton – The most readily available material for fabrics in the world is cotton. It provides excellent comfort, is able to absorb moisture and retain heat and it’s quite soft to the touch. The only issue with cotton is that is does not provide that much wind resistance and can become victim to easy staining – good news is that it’s easy to wash.
- Synthetic blankets – These are the most inexpensive and common in this list. They have hypoallergenic properties and can be washed even at high temperatures. This means that even if there are allergens on or in them, they can be safely removed – synthetic blankets tend not to last that long and readily fall victims to unknotting and fabric degradation.
- Velux blankets – Maybe the oddest choice in this list. Most often seen in commercial use, these types of blankets are not as soft as some of the other choices, however, they are easy to clean and quite affordable. They are comprised of two main layers which sandwich insulating foam – this provides its excellent heat retention and allows it to stay soft for such a long time.
7. If you have sensitive skin and allergies
Allergy season can be quite a pain. The only comfort can come for a suitably soft and cozy blanket. However, if you blanket is a source of allergies as is the air around you, then you are in a vortex of discomfort.
Your best bet is to choose a blanket which is tailored to your needs and first the profile of your allergies. The most hypoallergenic blankets are the velux ones as well as the synthetic materials – both can be washed at high temperatures killing any sneeze-inducing particulates. This is crucial information for anyone choosing the best blanket guide.
8. Should be affordable
Yes, we do love blankets, especially when they are comfortable and make us feel safe – as if in the arms of a goddess. However, one shouldn’t break the bank for one blanket. As the high price is not a guarantee for quality, this should not be your main criteria when choosing a blanket.
Your best bet is to go for something which you will feel comfortable under, there are some very affordable choices. It should be durable, comfortable, warm and not too heavy – it seems that there is a consensus in the community regarding the fundamentals of blanket etiquette.
9. Should not be too cumbersome
A cumbersome blanket is a blanket which is both too heavy and quite stuffy. Those are most often a combination of wool and synthetic fabrics which provide great heat preservation but will not provide adequate insulation and this can be quite unpleasant, especially during a warmer night.
These blankets are large, heavy and quite stiff and are suitable only for the most cold of winter nights – they should be treated as a last resort not as an everyday blanket. Avoiding cumbersome blankets is a significant factor in choosing the best blanket guide.
10. Blanket should be your best friend
What can be gathered from this list so far is something which consoles you, gives you the necessary comfort and makes you feel better. By the sound of it, it’s something which resembles the properties of a friend – so you should treat it as such.
From when we were little and the blanket was the only thing that kept the monsters at bay, to when we are adults and want nothing more than to sleep in on a Saturday morning snuggled in a blanket-shaped cloud – blankets have always been there for us. Finding a blanket that feels like a best friend is the ultimate goal in choosing the best blanket guide.
In summary, when choosing the best blanket guide, it’s essential to consider factors such as material, size, weight, fabric, and hypoallergenic properties, as well as affordability and comfort. A well-chosen blanket can provide years of warmth and comfort, making those cozy winter nights even more enjoyable.
I love traveling and writing. I’ve lived in different places across the world – Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Bulgaria – and also traveled to many countries in Europe, Asia and South America.
At last I decided that the US was the best place for me and returned to my hometown.
Now I’m enjoying my time in Columbus, Ohio and I’ve turned to a new page in my life – blogging.