Some sort of disinfectant designed to kill off oriental microbes? I don't know, but that seems plausable since so many asian "imports" have wrought such havoc with our native flora.

I've bought bedding from domestic sources and haven't noticed the smell, but I don't dry clean very much, either; any chance that's the source of the residual scent?

I actually wash things; yup! even down comfortors and pillows (some were pretty nasty looking, too).

I once bought a comforter years ago that I'm sure was toxic in some way. It smelled sooooo bad. It wasn't down, but jaquard. I wound up returning it after two days. I loved the way it looked and feeled, but no bedding should smell like that.

After that, from now on, I open and sniff blankets and comforters before I buy them. I must look like a nut in stores, but oh well...

I have just a few things, domestic and Chinese down.

My Chinese down coat (gift from DH) has never smelled, isn't toxic and was treated with some sort of anti-microbial thing.

My domestic down pillows have always stunk to high heaven when wet... good and natural, I suppose. They smell like a dry, clean duck after a wash and dry though - they don't smell bad, anyway. All down in our house (except the jacket) gets an allergen barrier cover, anywho.

Thanks!

These smell when dry--I've never wetted them. The coats and pillows smell that way in the store, before I bought them!

Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

It's from the humidity. Air them outdoors in the sun on a non humid day.

Years ago I bought an inexpensive (in other words, cheap) feather pillow at K-Mart but had to toss it because my cat kept 'hunting' it! I think it still smelled like whatever bird it had been plucked from.

The smell can vary depending on the process of how the down was cleaned after harvesting, and the ratio of feathers to down. The more feathers there are, the stronger the smell.

Check the label on the pillow stuffings that have an odor and I'll bet you'll find it has more feathers than down.

Hmmm. I own quite a few 100% down-filled things - coats, comforters, pillows, etc. I have never noticed any of them to have a bad smell - I have a good nose, too. I wash mine in the washing machine also.

Usually the more down, the higher the price but lower the odor. Buy good products which may nor may not mean the most expensive based on the vendor, but usually that is the case. If there are too many feathers it is going to smell. There are probably chemicals that you can treat it with, but I choose not to and bought the best down quantity/quality and we do sun them if possible weekly and wash them several times per year. Body dander and dust mites, too, will cause them to smell if you do not sun and/or "bathe" them. No, my cats are not inclined to seek them out but they do like to watch birds out the window.

aflac

LOL...softfurn. You silly goose! ;-)

This must be why Northern Nights brags that they triple wash their down before blowing it into comforters, etc. Do you have a sensitive nose to start with?

The coats and decorative pillows were pricey, I just got them on sale...
The Northern Nights feather bed was one of the worst offenders.

I still see thos cool pillows on the shelves and I pick them up and they smell horrid!

I guess it's one of life's mysteries--or there are probably mor feathers than down. Not talking about bed pillows, here. :)

Thanks!

When you purchase down filled items, you should look to make sure it says goose down and not just down. Listed as down pillow or down comforter, doesn't always mean "goose" down. Goose down doesn't have an odor. Duck down, however, do.

And even when it said "goose down", you need to make sure that it is filled with 100% goose downs. The lower quality item would be filled with some goose down and mixed with other materials such as duck down, cotton fiber, poly fiber, feathers, etc.

My goose down doesn't smell. I agree that it is important to read the label carefully. Lots of socalled down in the marketplace mixed with fillers.

Down gets that smell when packaged in plastic. It is never suppose to be packed air tight. I think it is the oils in the feathers go rancid. I remember buying some Martha pillows that were packed in plastic and then reading just days later in HER magazine that down should never be packed in plastic. I took the pillows back because of the stink.

Just read on the down association website that the odor is due to improper processing and cleaning.

I have a down coat. It stunk. It was a nice Steve Madden coat and I liked wearing it. After a few washings I noticed that it did not stink anymore. I must have eventually washed whtever it was that was stinking out of the coat. Maybe run the item through the wash a few times?

I recently bought a down alternative comforter partly out of a fear of allergies, but also because my last down comforter had the odor you speak of. I washed and dried it to no avail. A down sofa pillow I picked up at Marshall's also has this smell. You have to stick your nose in it to smell it, but it's there.
I do think that some people have a more sensitive sense of smell than others, so the odor might not be as apparent to someone else.

Yes, it's from the feathers/down. I've also had this problem and the smell can last for yrs. QVC has excellent down bedding from Northern Nights. They use a multiple cleaning process to get the dirt off the feathers and down so it ends up being cleaner and... no smell! I bought my DD one of their baffle comforters and WOW, really nice, excellent quality and price and best of all.... no stink.

Really, reading comments gets my feathers ruffled... pun intended! I truly choose to believe that there is no ill-will when some use the term ”oriental microbe”. Yet, I am compelled to speak up and reply, ”I wonder if it’s Caucasian-American microbes that’s causing the down bedding to smell. They are of their own kind afterall.” See how ridiculous inserting the descriptor is? It’s identical to inserting the word ”oriental” as a descriptor. Try this at home with any phrase where one might catch oneself inserting such descriptors... it may take a while before the brain unlocks. Unlock we must. Not ALL down feathers are from one country, thus my dust-up. Best, Bunny

I know exactly what you mean about the down smell. It seems that many of the new decorator pillows are filled with the sticky stuff. I have purchased some. Some of them stink up the room, while others only smell if I stick my nose into the item. One of the worse offenders were pillows that I ended up putting out on my porch. The smell gives me a headache and stuffs my nose up.

DH and I once rented a beautifully decorated and remodeled beach house. As soon as I walked into the main bedroom, the smell hit me! There were two brand new white down filled couches in there. I knew that there was little chance of me being able to sleep in the room, but I had to find a way. We could not move the couches out of the room. Of course my DH could not smell the odor! I ended up having to get an odor disk for the room, which was a feat in itself because I don't like perfume-y smells. Had to get one that smelled like Gain. Yuk!!!

Bnny Slpprs, Do you realize you are replying to comments that are 14 years old? The people who wrote them have moved into a different phase of adulthood since then.

I've always loved the scent or feathers and down. Always found it comforting. On the other hand, I've never cared for the smell of woolen bedding.