The swine flu vaccine, like the regular flu vaccine, is made using chicken’s eggs. It’s a complicated scientific process that there is no need to go into here, but the thing to know is the vaccine contains remnants of egg proteins. Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in infants and young children. (Most children will outgrow their allergy to eggs – one study found that half of infants with an egg allergy outgrew it after 35 months and 66% after 5 years.)

Children are considered particularly susceptible to the swine flu. This gives them top priority in receiving the vaccine. If you have a child that is high risk for allergies, talk to your doctor. They can test for allergies prior to giving the vaccine. I am not an expert, so please talk to your family physician regularly to ensure the continued health of your child.

There are ways you can help prevent food allergies from developing and so you would not have to worry about this recent development. Basically if boils down to avoiding high risk foods, especially if your child is at high risk (meaning they already have a known food allergy, eczema, hay fever, or asthma – or has a family member with these problems.) Breastfeeding is vital and so is avoiding foods that are common food allergies in children while you are doing so. Your doctor can give you specific guidelines as far as your and your child’s diets; as well as when it is safe to introduce foods.

The vaccine is important; as is good sanitation around your home. Be sure that you use your UV-C sanitizer wand to disinfect surfaces and objects at home. Wash your bedding, towels and other linens regularly. The best way to keep yourself safe and healthy this flu season is by being aware of your surroundings and being extra diligent with sanitation. This flu season is just starting; make sure you are equipped with the latest and greatest tools.

Above is just one scenario when having a soft luxurious robe would save the day. I could come up with hundreds more scenarios, but I am sure you have thought of an instance from your own life.

We carry two lines of robes: waffle weave and minke.

Christy’s Waffle Weave Robes are 100% cotton and available in three colors: white, black, and ivory. This is a fantastic basic robe; ideal to send your kids off to college in and to pack on trips. It is lightweight and soft.

Karen Luu’s Minke Robe is made from ultra soft double sided velour. Velour is a fabric similar to velvet, with a thick soft nap which makes the fabric luxurious to the touch. Unlike velvet, however, velour is a knit, which changes the properties of the fabric rather dramatically. There are no words to explain how incredible these robes feel - honestly. This line is available in 5 different styles and 24 colors.

Whether basic is best or luxurious is a must, we have the robe for you.

• Renaissance Collection
• Organic Towels
• Prism: Color for Living
• Hotel Collection
• Waffle Organic Line
• Opera Jacquard Line

Care of each of these lines is detailed here:

Laundering- Wash similar colors together with soft water and detergent but not fabric softeners, which contain silicons that will cause the towels to repel water. Deep colors should be washed separately. Avoid detergents that contain brighteners and whiteners as these will affect the color of your towels. Avoid contact with bleach and bleach-related products. These will remove the color from your towels permanently. These can be present in facial cleansers, cosmetics, skin treatments, and bathroom cleaners.

Drying- Tumble drying on a medium heat will give towels the softest finish.

Everyone has different needs. After reading through the links above, you should have a better idea which line matches your needs and desires the best.

The sizes available are bath towel, hand towel, and wash cloth. Opera Jacquard is available in Charcoal, Satsuma, Palm, and Teal.

Back to Bath Towel Basics.

The sizes available are oversized bath towel, hand towel and wash color. The Waffle Organic colors available are white, ivory and taupe.

Back to Bath Towel Basics.

This line has 4 sizes: bath sheet, oversized bath towel, hand towel, and wash cloth. (Coordinating tub mats and bath rugs are available.) Prism towels are available in 11 colors: white, vanilla, flax, moss, splash, smoke, spice, chili, deep orchid, merlot, and java.

Back to Bath Towel Basics.

This line has a bath sheet, oversized bath towel, hand towel, and wash cloth. Organic Towels are available in 10 colors: white, cream, oatmeal, wheat, sage, mist blue, ocean blue, desert sand, mulberry, and deep taupe.

Back to Bath Towel Basics.

The items in this line are bath sheet, over-sized bath towel, hand towel, finger tip, and wash cloth. (Coordinating tub mats and bath rugsare available.) The Renaissance collection has the most colors options with 18 choices: white, parchment, honestly pink, vintage rose, crystal, tweed, midas, alabaster, gingersnap, driftwood, walnut, frost, smoke, soft chambray, navy, mauve, damson plum, and black.

Back to Bath Towel Basics.

The pieces offered in this line are an oversized bath towel, hand towel, and wash cloth. (A coordinating tub mat is also available.) The Hotel Collection is available in 4 colors: white, ivory, linen, and slate blue.

Back to Bath Towel Basics.

“Down” Defined
Down is the undercoating of duckling and geese. A single unit of down is referred to as a ‘cluster’. Where feathers are flat with a quill, and two-dimensional, a down cluster is round, three-dimensional and resembles a dandelion pod. The shape of the cluster gives it loft - so it holds and traps air, keeping you warm.

Duck or Goose
Duck and goose are the species of down. The insulating properties are of equal value, however, the duck down cluster is slightly smaller than that of the goose down cluster. To compensate for this differential, higher fill ounces are offered to offset the disparity.

Down, Inc’s fills are cleaned using our DOWNGUARD℠ process, making the fill pure and odor-free.

Insulation Explained
Down warms without weight due to the fact that each down cluster traps more air for its weight than any synthetic fiber. Every ounce of down has millions of filaments that interlock and form a protective layer filled with air. Trapping the air keeps you warm, and the cold out.

Natural down provides three times the warmth per ounce versus synthetic fibers. A synthetic fiber will clump-up, creating cold spots. Down remains evenly distributed, and can be fluffed to remain loft. Due to it’s natural properties, down breathes and wicks moisture away from the body, keeping you warmer and providing restful sleep.

Sources for down:

Domestic White Down – Born and bred in the USA. They obtain the raw materials which are washed and separated to exact specifications using our DOWNGUARD℠ process, and leaving the fills clean and odor-free. Fill power of 550.

Premium White Goose Down – Procured from the Far East, this item is washed and separated using our DOWNGUARD℠ process leaving the fill clean and without odor. Fill power of 575 to 600.

Hungarian Goose Down – Hand-picked in Hungary from mature geese this fill is used mainly in our high thread count assortment. Fill power of 750.

Comforter Construction
Advanced construction methods are used in manufacturing our comforter shells. The quilted patterns used keep the fill evenly distributed and improve insulation. The “baffle wall” construction uses an inner wall of fabric joining the top and bottom layers of fabric which lets the down loft to achieve its maximum capacity.
Box-stitch and baffled box-stitch designs continue to be the most popular constructions.

Care for Natural Fill Products
Protect your bedding from direct sunlight, which may cause the fabric covering to fade. DOWN, INC recommends that you Dry Clean your down products professionally. Shake your down products every day to revitalize and re-fluff. For storage, cover and store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area.

Now that you know the basics, you can better select the down comforters and pillows that will work the best for your needs. Sleep happy.