My darling spouse sleeps warm, but also needs the feel of a bedspread — she wants more than just a sheet. So we sleep under a medium-weight bedspread, and leave the thermostat at the same temp, day and night.
I’m hoping to find a bedspread with a substantial feel, but with good ventilation. We do let our dogs roam the bed, so loosely woven, claw-catching blankets could be a problem.
Both of us are environmentally aware — Prius-type people — but enjoy comfort. Ideally I’d like to use fans, and a breathable bedspread, and keep the house a few degrees warmer during sleepy time. (Actual numbers: we’re in Missouri where summers are very humid with temperatures 85 to 95 degrees. The AC stays at 73 or 74.)
Is there some sort of bed cover that feels a bit substantial, insulates poorly, and is claw-compatible?
Hmmm, there’s a reason that weight and warmth in a fabric usually go hand in hand. You may have a tough time trying to separate them.
If a smooth 100% cotton plain-weave fabric, like a quilting calico, feels heavy enough to your wife but not too warm, then go with that. (I don’t mean an actual quilt, which of course would be too insulating, but just a single layer of the calico fabric.) Alternatively, cotton seersucker spreads like this one are a traditional hot-weather choice.
If those aren’t heavy-feeling enough, then I’d go in the opposite direction with something like an openwork crochet spread, made of 100% cotton yarn that’s tightly spun and tightly worked. Yes, these fabrics are openwork rather than smooth, so they do have holes in their surface, but the openwork isn’t flimsy and loose as in a loose-weave blanket, so I think claw-catching would be less of a problem.
Hope that helps, good luck!
(P.S. I’m not trying to personally recommend any of the specific items for sale at the above links, I have no experience with any of them and don’t know their brand quality. They are just examples of the types of fiber and fabric that I’m talking about.)
If it was an easy question, I wouldn’t ask the teeming masses. But it doesn’t seem an impossible feat — for example a geometric quilt design with 1/6 of the “tiles” missing.
I know a little about insulation for camping and the quest for warmth with lightness. I know a tiny bit about the concept of weighted blankets for people and pets. But I’ve never read anything about the concept of weighted coolness — but that doesn’t mean it’s never been studied by anyone.
There are AC systems that blow cold air under your blanket. Presumably cheaper than cooling the whole room/house and you could use as heavy a blanket as you want.
I use a cool weighted blanket. The fabric has a very tight weave and no kitty has snagged a nail on it in the three years since I bought it.
The big problem with it is that I can’t wash it without risking damage to my equipment AND it has been puked on. I’ve spot washed it until the water ran clean, but it would be so much easier to be able to just toss it in the washer.
I have a Vintage Matelasse bedspread from L. L. Bean, which is bulky but not “hot”, and fairly densely woven and I don’t think my cat has gotten a claw hooked in it. They’re expensive, but they last almost forever.
Protip: It is always possible, and often good exercise, to wash a washable blanket in a clean bathtub, especially if your dryer is able to handle the (wet) blanket even if your washer isn’t.
Lay blanket in tub, submerge it a few inches deep in appropriate-temperature water with appropriate soap, and give it a good stomping with clean feet. Wearing a poofy white peasant blouse with swirly skirt and singing traditional Italian songs of la vendemmia are optional.
Drain and repeat the process with rinse water until the soap is gone. Drain again and stomp some more to squeeze out excess water. Leave the blanket to drain and dry in the tub a bit longer, but probably not more than a couple of hours because you don’t want to risk mildew formation. Then haul the thing out and shove it in the dryer.
AFAICT, clotheslines aren’t recommended for weighted blankets because the extra weight would strain the fabric too much. But you could air-dry it outdoors spread out on, say, a netting hammock or a row of sawhorses, to distribute the weight.
There are numerous bed spreads on Amazon that push the “cooling” theme, but it’s hard to suss how legitimate the claims are. Bamboo viscose is a buzz phrase.
Than there’s this upscale list of cooling blankets from sleepfoundation.org. Unfortunately that website name was transferred from the original non-profit foundation and is now property of a marketing firm — which offers articles on cooling pillows, sheets, weighted blankets, pajamas, mattress toppers. It’s Affiliate Link Paradise.
Thank you so much! I’ll be shopping for a poofy white peasant blouse at once!
It is going to be in the high 80’s next week so I’ll be able to wash it in the morning and put it out on the back porch to dry in the afternoon. Thank you so much for that great advice, I really appreciate it. I was seriously thinking about replacing the blanket because it’s been on my bed for over two years without being fully washed and I was starting to get a little squicked out.
Duvets are nice, unless kitty pukes on the blanket unnoticed during the day…then you have duvet to wash as well as the blanket. After that happened, I also noticed that the blanket was much cooler without the duvet so I didn’t put it back on.
OP, I think you are looking for linen. It’s not common these days, but it was a big part of how our ancestors survived August. I would recommend getting a linen duvet cover.
In the hot months, you can use the cover by itself as a “blanket.” and in the winter just stuff any old blanket inside of it to keep you warm. You will be surprised at how you are warm without feeling the warmth. It’s a different experience.