With increasing frequency I keep finding silk bedding on the shelves of retailers and bedding companies alike. Five years ago silk bedding was the territory of specialist bedding shops, sporting a varied image from one of the ultimate luxury to the downright tacky. Nowadays silk bedding is everywhere to be seen †so what’s changed? Well, manufacturing techniques for one. From the harvest of silk all the way through to the finished product the techniques have been honed and mastered. After all the Chinese have had five thousand years of practice in silk production. With the onset of modern machining and technology silk fabric is finer and more durable than ever before. Because of the increased durability, silk bedding can now be offered as a legitimate alternative to cotton or polyester bedding products. Apart from the increased durability silk bedding offers some surprising benefits not found in more conventional bedding. The natural amino acids that occur in silk are sympathetic to our hair and skin, allowing a rejuvenating process to occur throughout the night. In addition to this silk has the amazing ability to keep us warm in when it’s cold and cool when it’s warm. Cotton and polyester act as insulators, whereas silk naturally allows our bodies temperatures remain more constant. Adding to the amazing natural qualities of silk is the benefit of modern manufacture. Silk bedding can now be woven to an almost incredible finish. Thread counts of above 400 are now common in true mulberry silk bedding sets. It is worth noting that quality silk bedding will almost always have a thread count of above 400, and a momme weight of between 12 and 21. Momme is the measurement used to measure the density of silk. Silk, like all other bedding products ranges in quality and price. On the lower end of the scale is Haboati, or wild silk. Although Habotai silk sports many of the advantages of silk fibre, it lacks durability and is therefore more suited to lighter use such as scarves. Habotai silk should not be a first choice for bedding products. At the top end of the market is 100% mulberry silk. Mulberry silk is extremely durable, and ideal for silk bedding. If you would like to know more about what to look for when purchasing silk bedding, the silksleep (dot) com website is a good resource. Part of the reason silk bedding has not been â€main stream†until now has been the difficulty in correctly cleaning the products. Today most washing machines have a silk function and there are a number of excellent silk detergents on the market. Perhaps the best of these is a product called Tenestar, which has been specifically manufactured to maintain the properties of silk while cleaning. Any fine purveyor of silk bedding should offer both advice and products for the care and cleaning of silk. The next time you come across silk bedding, don’t dismiss it out of hand. The enhanced care, benefits and durability of silk bedding in recent years has made these wonderful products well worth a second look.
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