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| Down Comforters Testing and Quality Assurance | 
Before our Williams Loft comforters leave the factory, they undergo testing from a third party , The International Down and Feather Bureau. An inspector comes to the factory to pull sample comforters at random from among the goods waiting to be shipped. He takes them back to their lab and runs tests.
Once all these tests have been passed, the comforters are sent to the Williams Loft warehouse in Little Rock, Arkansas, ready to ship to you. Most other manufacturers do not submit their products to 3rd party testing, resulting in consistantly lower quality. Most down factories will supply lower quality goods when they know their product is not being tested. Williams Loft tests its products, so you can be assured of getting what you pay for.
What Does the IUFB Test?
Size Check- Williams Loft down comforters are oversized, 4" to 8" longer and wider than most comforters. IDFB measures a random sampling of the comforters at the factory, to be sure they were made to proper size.
Down Distribution Test - Williams Loft down comforters are made with either baffle box or box stitch construction which keeps the down evenly distributed and locked in place. The down will not shift to sides with use. There is no need to shake the comforter to push the down back into center of comforter. IDFB inspects a random sampling of the comforters to make sure down is distributed properly. They also weigh the total amount of down inside the comforters to filled with the proper amount of down.
Thread Count and Downproofness - Williams Loft down comforters are covered with 100% cotton fabric, especially crafted to be lightweight, soft, and down proof. IDFB tests the cotton covers for down proofness and thread count. Cutting out a 1 inch square piece of fabric, they closely count the number of threads per square inch to find exactly what thread count our comforters have.
High thread count is not the only factor in determining the softness or quality of a fabric. Cotton fiber length, yarn quality, and fabric construction are also important. Williams Loft cotton covers are made with:
80 single length cotton fibers - industry leading fiber length and quality.
single-ply yarn – threads are made with a single strand of cotton fibers (not several threads twisted together to form 1 thread)
combed and worsted yarn - fibers are combed before spinning, leaving only the longest fibers and producing a more durable fabric
single pick fabric construction – weaving pattern with 1 weft (horizontal) yarn for every warp (vertical) yarn; the most stable and durable fabric construction.
Fill Power - Fill power is the amount of space occupied by 1 ounce of down. It is very important to the function of a comforter and is a sign of high quality and durability. IDFB pulls a sample comforter, randomly from among our finished product at the factory, cuts it apart to remove the down, and measures the fill power. Only comforters that meet the specifications as labeled on the packaging are allowed to ship to our warehouse. This ensures that we do not ship any products to our customers that are lower quality than advertised.
Down Cluster Content Analysis – Down can also include feathers and down fiber (broken down cluster). Whole down clusters are the most desirable part, but there will always be a small amount of feather and down fiber in the mix. IDBF tests our down to be sure that the down is at least 90% of the mixture. This surpasses US labeling law minimum standard of 75%.
Species Identification of Down – Down processing plants include land fowl in a down mix when possible because it is less expensive. But water fowl down is of a higher quality and can achieve higher fill power ratings. IDFB tests ensure that our down is from the right species of bird.
Hypoallergenic / Cleanliness – Williams Loft down comforters are hypoallergenic. They conform to the strictest US standards of law that allow a product to be labeled as “hypoallergenic” or “super clean.” IDBF administers the 2 tests required for a down product to be legally labeled as hypoallergenic in the US:
Oxygen Level - a test that determines the amount of foreign organic matter on the surface of the down and feathers. To qualify as “clean” the oxygen number must be less than 10.
Turbity - a test that determines the amount of dust in feather and down products. Clean products must have turbidity greater than 300 mm.
Williams Loft comforters exceed even these strict standards, and can be legally labeled as hypoallergenic.
Machine Washable - Unlike other cotton bedding, it is important for a down comforter cover to have a very tight weave to make it downproof. Many down comforter fabrics are downproof before being washed, but not after. Williams loft down comforters are downproof before and after washing. You can wash our comforters at home with mild detergent in a front end load washing machine. **Do not use a top load machine with an agitator as this will damage both the down and fabric.
Less Than 2% Shrinkage after Wash – Williams Loft cotton covers are preshrunk so you can wash and dry them at home without them losing size.IDBF washes our cotton fabric to be sure that it is down proof both before and after wash, and that the fabric does not lose size after washing and drying.
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