A modern-day bed is incomplete without the addition of a cosy cover that keeps your toasty when you snooze after a long day’s urban battle or curl up on the weekend to Netflix and chill.
The Back Story of Blankets
The early humans survived the chilly air with animal hide, woven reeds, and piles of grass. Even in the era of the Bard of Avon, the undistinguished commoner often rested on stray filled pallet beds, while the luxury of feather-filled mattresses and fur quilts were reserved for the bedrooms of affluent.And this was almost a couple of centuries after the Flemish weaver, Thomas Blanket, revolutionised the idea of blankets in 1339. This was the time when Britain’s wool business was booming, and the sagacious weaver took the opportunity to create something that closely represents the modern blanket that we love today.
Since then, with time, this bedroom staple has undergone a significant metamorphosis. And today at the peak of technological and scientific advancement, the once humble and heavy blanket stands as the sophisticated waffle cotton blankets. Further, gracing the glossy pages of the most acclaimed lifestyle magazines, this wonder is getting all the limelight it deserves.
The Physics behind Blankets
Before we start writing ballads about the cotton blankets, let’s decode the way blankets work. Blankets, whether made of fur, wool or cotton, are capable of trapping umpteen tiny pockets of air. If you remember from your middle school physics class, the air is a bad conductor of heat. Meaning it is not easy for heat to travel through the air.
The smart mechanism of our body generates quite a lot of body heat which is dissipated into the surrounding atmosphere, thereby making us feel the chill of the cold air. The blanket is a bad conductor of heat traps our precious body heat creating a cosy bubble for us to snooze-in. Blanket does not produce heat on its own.
The Mechanism of Cotton Waffle Blanket
Wool or fur, unlike cotton, have a fuzzy texture which is excellent for trapping millions of air pockets within then rendering them the quality to keep your warm. However, the soft natural fibres of cotton are too smooth to trap enough air to keep you warm. So, the burning question is, how does the cotton waffle blanket work then?
The answer lies in the unique surface pattern of the waffle blanket. The tiny square dents on the blanket trap just the right amount of air to keep you toasty in the winter months and comfortable in the warmer months because of its breathable fabric. So, that makes this beauty a year-round wonder.
Traditional Blankets vs Cotton Waffle Blankets
Therefore, if you are looking for reasons to ditch the synthetic, fur or wool blanket and opt for modern beauty, then here are five good reasons to do so.
1. Breathable: We have all woken up in the middle of the night all steamed up in our sweat. That’s because most blankets trap our sweat along with the warmth from our body. But not the cotton ones which is extremely breathable.
2. Lightweight: Traditional blanket tends to smother us with their massive weight making it quite an uncomfortable affair. Cotton blankets are much lighter in weight without compromising on the warmth.
3. Durable: The natural fibres of cotton only get better, read softer, with every wash instead of disintegrating like synthetic or fuzzy fibres. So, these beauties will last you forever, thus, making them an astute and sustainable investment.
4. Aesthetically pleasing: Unlike a bulky eyesore sitting on your bed, cotton waffle blankets lend a chic look with their unique texture.
So, this summer invests in your comfort and deep, peaceful slumber.
