Diamond Bedding's Quality Control Process for Ensuring Top Quality Goose Down
Ever wondered how Diamond Bedding’s goose down products are so top notch in quality?
Well, that’s because we are awesome!
Also, we have a rigorous quality control process that ensures that every goose down product that we source from our carefully chosen manufacturers meet our supreme quality standards. No, we do not follow the industry standards. Our bar for high quality is higher than standard! You don’t need to be told that; if you have used any of our products then you already know it.
But, do you want to know how we manage to keep the quality of our products so high? Here is a sneak peek into our quality checking process.
Fill Power and Insulating Power
Goose down creates air pockets between itself. These air pockets form an insulating layer between you and the cold. The thicker is the layer of this air, the better are its insulating properties. How do you get a thicker layer of air pockets? It’s quite simple – by using goose down with higher fill power.
Now, what really is fill power? Fill power is the volume occupied by goose down of one ounce in weight.
We ascertain the fill power of the goose down we source by subjecting it to a special quality test. We fill up a Lorch-cylinder with the goose down and subject it to a particular level of pressure. The volume of the goose down at that pressure point signifies the fill power. Goose down typically has a fill power of 500 to 850. All Diamond Bedding goose down products have a fill power of around 800, which is the sweet spot between weight and maximum insulation.
Purity Check
The fresh goose down that is obtained from the birds is quite dirty. It needs to be thoroughly washed multiple times until it becomes odorless and completely white in color. At the same time, we don’t use harsh chemicals which could damage the down.
But, how do you determine that the down is clean? By following a simple test.
The goose down used in our products is subjected to a purity test. We immerse the cleaned goose down in clean water and rinse it again. We then pour the used water in a transparent glass cylinder, which has a black cross marked at the bottom. The industry standard is that if the cross at the bottom of the cylinder is clearly visible even at a depth of 30cms of water, then the down is deemed to be pure.
But, remember we told you about our standards being a little stricter? Here is the proof.
We, at Diamond Bedding, aren’t satisfied until the cross is clearly visible under 90cms of down-cleaned water. How is that for quality?
Specific Cleanliness Tests
It is impossible to eliminate all the impurities in any product and this is true for goose down as well. There are bound to be some percentage of impurities left in the down, despite repeated cleaning and a thorough purification process. However, Diamond Bedding focuses on reducing the level of impurities in the down to such a small percentage that it does not pose any kind of discomfort or inconvenience to our customers. Here are 3 of the vital tests that we conduct on our goose down to ascertain its quality.
· Oxygen Number
Oxygen Number is a term used in this industry to denote the quantity of organic matter present in a specific amount of material. This could be decaying organic matter from the atmosphere, skin cells from the bird itself, mildew, or any other kind of organic material. We subject a small quantity of down material to a chemical testing procedure that gives us the exact oxygen number for the goose down. If the goose down does not meet our requirements for acceptable impurity levels, then it the entire shipment is rejected immediately.
· Turbidity Reading
This testing procedure provides us a good idea about the amount of dirt and dust present in the goose down we are testing. The turbidity reading has to be extremely low in order to qualify our quality standards. If the goose down has an extremely low turbidity reading, then it is deemed to be hypoallergenic.
· Residual Fat Content
Residual fat content is an important factor that determines the quality of goose down. The amount of residual fat in the goose down should be just perfect, somewhere in between 0.7% and 2%. If the residual fat is more than 2%, then the down will have unpleasant odors that may make you feel nauseated. On the other hand, if the residual fat content is less than 0.7%, then the down will be too fragile to be used for duvets and pillows. It will break down fast with usage, and will lose its insulation and fluffiness with time.
Differentiating Between Goose and Duck Down
For an untrained eye, it is almost impossible to differentiate between the goose down and the duck down. But, we are the experts. So, we know how to differentiate between the two. In fact, we will share that trick with you right now.
You need a magnifying glass for this. When you look at the down through a magnifying glass, you will notice tiny barbs on the down hair. These barbs are present on both goose down as well as duck down. However, their size and position of these barbs are different. The barbs on goose down hair are larger in size and are located in the middle of the hair. The barbs on the duck down hair are smaller in size and are located near the end of the hair.
Well done! Now you are an official expert in differentiating goose down from the duck down.
Final Thoughts
In addition to these tests, we also conduct multiple proprietary quality checks that help us ensure that the goose down products that we feature are made from supreme quality, 100% goose down.
If you haven't already read our article on why Diamond Bedding is the best source for goose down duvets in the entire UK, click here to read it now!
- Alana Williams