Buying guide for best queen comforter sets
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The bed is the focal point of any bedroom. With a comforter set, you can play up your bed’s starring role by establishing a vibe for the entire room. Queen comforter sets are meant for queen mattresses, the most popular mattress size for adult bedrooms.
From bright and bohemian to dramatically moody, from whimsical to traditional, there’s a comforter set out there that fits your decorating personality. Most queen comforter sets also come with two pillow shams, making it easy to give your bed a cohesive look. But with so many comforter sets to choose from, how do you find the best match for your style and budget?
Our buying guide details all the factors you’ll need to consider when purchasing a queen comforter set. We also include some helpful tips for washing your comforter and answer some frequently asked questions.
Comforters vs. quilts vs. duvets
When it comes to bedding, you’ll often find some confusion over differentiating a comforter from a quilt from a duvet.
Comforters
A comforter is a heavy bedding topper that keeps the sleeper cozy and warm. Typically, comforters have a thick inner layer of either synthetic batting or feathers and down, and they are usually box-stitched to keep the fill from shifting. Comforters are often sold as a set that includes matching decorative pillow shams. You’ll find comforter sets in an enormous range of solid colors and patterns.
Quilts
Quilts are similar to comforters in that they have an inner filling, but the fill is much thinner than a comforter or a duvet. Quilts are often constructed of many pieces of fabric sewn together, or they are stitched in elaborate and decorative designs.
Duvets
A duvet is a comforter filled with either real down or a synthetic down alternative. They are usually fluffier than comforters or quilts. Duvets are typically protected with a duvet cover, which has buttons or a zipper on one side for easy removal of the duvet when it’s time to wash the cover. Like comforters, duvet covers come in a huge range of colors and patterns.
Did you know?
You’ll find queen comforter sets in just about any color or pattern that you can imagine.
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Key considerations
Outer fabric
There are a few choices of fabric when it comes to the outer layers of a comforter.
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Cotton: It’s hard to beat 100% cotton for breathability, comfort, and durability. Long-fiber cotton – such as Egyptian or pima cotton – is the highest quality and has the softest, smoothest feel, although you’ll pay a bit more for the higher-quality fiber.
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Cotton/polyester blends: Cotton/polyester blends are the most common fabrics used to make inexpensive comforter sets. While cotton/poly fabric is very durable and easy to wash, it can also be hot and is sometimes prone to pilling.
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Microfiber: Microfiber is a type of polyester with exceptionally fine threads, creating a fabric that is very soft and smooth. It’s easy to care for, but it does tend to attract and hold pet hair and lint, which might be a problem if you share your bed with Fido or Fluffy. Like regular polyester, microfiber doesn’t breathe well and can be hot.
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Flannel: When the weather turns nippy, there’s nothing quite as cozy as flannel bedding. Flannel is a cotton fabric that’s been brushed to create a slightly fuzzy nap.
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Bamboo: Unlike cotton, bamboo cannot be directly woven into fabric. Bamboo fabric is actually a form of rayon, which is chemically processed wood pulp. The resulting fabric feels a good deal like cotton and is very soft and breathable.
Fill material
Synthetic comforter fills are the most common and the least expensive. These polyester fills are lightweight, washable, and hypoallergenic. On the downside, polyester doesn’t breathe well and can be hot. Very lofty, soft, and lightweight polyester fills are sometimes sold as down alternatives.
For the lightest weight combined with the coziest warmth, it’s hard to beat 100% down comforters. Less expensive comforters sometimes have a combination of down and feathers. Down is generally pre-washed to remove allergens. However, if you are highly sensitive to feathers, then down could still pose an issue. While most down comforters are washable, the process is not as easy as washing a comforter with a synthetic fill.
Though not as common as down and polyester, cotton is sometimes used as a fill in lightweight comforters. For the ultimate in warmth, look for a comforter filled with wool. On the downside, wool comforters are heavy and very difficult to wash.
Color and pattern
When it comes to the color and pattern of your queen comforter set, the only limitations are your preferences. You’ll find a full range of solid colors as well as basic patterns such as stripes, polka dots, paisley, florals, and animal prints. There are also many patterns that go far beyond the basics. So go ahead and choose a color or pattern that pleases you and makes a decorating statement in your bedroom.
Expert Tip
When using a comforter, make your bed with a fitted sheet, a top sheet, and then the comforter. During the winter months, you can add a blanket over the top sheet for extra warmth.
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Features
Size
The standard U.S. dimensions of a queen mattress are 60 inches wide and 80 inches long. But while mattress sizes are standardized, comforter sizes are not. To make it more complicated, many manufacturers offer a full/queen comforter size. As a general rule, most queen comforters fall within a range of 86 to 90 inches in width and 88 to 100 inches in length, with full/queen comforters at the lower end and queen comforters at the higher end of this range.
Stitching
Most comforters have some sort of stitching that keeps the comforter fill from bunching or shifting, usually a baffle-box pattern. Without the reinforcement of stitching, your comforter will be lumpy and misshapen after washing.
Pillow shams
A comforter set will usually include a comforter and two coordinating pillow shams. Most often these will be standard pillow shams, but occasionally the included shams are meant for queen-size pillows, which are a bit longer.
Did you know?
Cotton, microfiber, and cotton/polyester blends are the most common fabrics used to make comforters.
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Queen comforter set prices
Inexpensive: There’s a good range of queen comforter sets for less than $50. At this price point, you’ll mostly find cotton/poly blends or microfiber comforters with synthetic fills. Don’t expect the finest finishing on the seams or the smoothest or softest fabric.
Mid-range: Between $50 and $130, you’ll find the widest selection of queen comforter sets, including down-filled comforters. These comforters should be well-sewn, feel soft to the touch, and hold color well during washing.
High-end: For over $130, you’ll find queen comforter sets with high-quality 100% down fills, wool and cotton fills, Egyptian cotton fabric, and quality construction. In this range, sets are more likely to come with queen-size pillow shams.
Tips
While you won’t need to wash your comforter as often as your sheets, it does need to be laundered periodically, especially if you have pets sharing your bed. Here are some tips for getting the job done.
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Always check the manufacturer’s tag before washing your comforter. While most comforters are machine-washable – even down-filled comforters – some comforters, particularly those filled with wool or covered in silk, must be dry cleaned.
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Don’t cram a queen-size comforter into a small washing machine. Unless you have a large-capacity washer and dryer, you’ll need to head to a laundromat and make use of their oversize machines. Wash and dry the comforter by itself.
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Follow the manufacturer’s directions for water temperature, and set the washer to the gentle setting.
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Pour liquid laundry detergent into the machine before adding your comforter. Make sure the comforter is evenly positioned around the washer’s agitator if it has one. If you have access to a front-load washer, that’s the best option.
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Once the wash cycle finishes, gently remove your comforter from the machine and give it a shake before placing it in the dryer.
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Add a few clean tennis balls or wool dryer balls to the dryer, and set the machine to the low-heat setting. As the comforter tumbles, the balls will help fluff up the fill. This is especially important with a down-filled comforter or duvet.
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Every 20 minutes or so, pause the dryer, remove the comforter, and shake it out so it can dry evenly.
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Once the comforter is completely dry, shake it again to be sure all the filling is evenly distributed before returning it to your bed.
FAQ
Q. Do I have to use a queen-size comforter on a queen-size mattress?
A. While normally it’s best to use a queen comforter on a queen mattress, if you want the comforter to hang down close to the floor like a bedspread, go with a king-size comforter instead.
Q. Do I really need pillow shams?
A. While comforter sets include pillow shams, they aren’t a necessity. Shams are decorative pillowcases that cover throw pillows and are used to coordinate your pillows with your comforter. But if you prefer simplicity, just stick with your sleep pillows.
Q. What should I take into account when buying a queen comforter set for a child’s room?
A. Most often children have twin or full-size beds, but many teens have outgrown their childhood beds and are ready for the move to a queen-size mattress. When shopping for a queen comforter set for a teen’s bedroom, be sure to take his or her opinions and preferences into account.
