here in nz we have duvet (any filling) inners and duvet covers. take off the cover to wash regularly as needed i guess. mine doesnt get washed everytime i change the sheets as i do use a top sheet with the duvet. the inner gets washed couple of times a year but aired about 6 times a year and if it is full of down/feathers gets fluffed up nearly everyday when the bed gets made. just how i do it tho. the inner doesn shift, just the down/feathers inside it, hence the fluffing up. tho we dont use it at all in high summer, too hot. in spring/autumn the feathers are fine if them migrate to the bottom as all fluffed up to the top would again be too warm for us. tho all that said, dh and i have different temp requirements so we have to adjust bedding all year to suit each of us accordingly. j.
"Tia Mary" wrote ... I was taught -- a loooooong time ago -- that a duvet is the *cover* for a comforter which can be filled with feathers, down, down substitute, poly fiber fill, etc. Comforters are quite puffy and are not necessarily pretty but made of plain, serviceable fabric, especially if the filling is feathers or down. They are not usually washed but are professionally cleaned which can be quite expensive. The duvet, OTOH,
*is* washable and provides protection for the comforter which is usually quite pricey, especially if down filled. I wonder what the difference is between the comforters in Europe that keeps them from moving around inside the duvet? Every one I have dealt with will slither around inside the duvet and needs to be nudged and fluffed, etc. to get it back where it belongs! Maybe it's just me, or more likely, the fact that DH sleeps like a wild Indian -- LOLOL! Anyway, when I make duvets for people they are the decorative type that are used as a bedspread, taken off the bed at night, folded up and set aside. As such, the comforter will wriggle all around inside the duvet and needs to be held in place. CiaoMeow >^;;^<