What is a weighted blanket made of? A weighted blanket can (and should) resemble a regular blanket. But unlike regular blankets, a weighted blanket is filled with something weighted. Weighted Blankets are comprised of three basic parts: the duvet cover, the inner material, and the weighted filler. Each of these components –if married correctly – will produce a blanket that applies pressure evenly and keeps at ideal body temperature.
Sounds simple, right? Developing the best blend of materials for each of these parts is challenging as there needs to be a perfect amount of weight to provide therapeutic pressure, all while ensuring the blanket is cool enough to sleep with throughout the night. This article will dive into what a weighted blanket is made of by writing about the options found in each of the three parts.
What is a Weighted Blanket Made of: The 3 Parts
1. Weighted Blanket Filler Options
There are a variety of filler options for weighted blankets, the most popular options, however, are plastic poly pellets and glass beads, and sand (a budget choice). The pellets are sewn into self-contained small pockets that are evenly distributed throughout the blanket.
These pellets give the blanket its weight. Larger pockets will cause the filler to shift around and prevent it from applying pressure directly to the body, which is why smaller grids are more preferred for the optimal swaddle.
Plastic Poly Pellets for Weighted Blankets
Plastic poly pellets are small round plastic beads with a pebble-like texture. The best poly pellets for weighted blankets are ABS virgin plastic which means they have not come into contact with toxins and other chemicals. Polyplastic pellets for weighted blankets should be hypoallergenic poly pellets to prevent skin reactions to the blanket.
Note that if you have skin or sound sensitivities, then a weighted blanket with plastic pellets may not be the best option for you. A smoother texture may be better, like the one glass beads provide, for example.
If you choose to use plastic pellets inside a cotton stuffing, it could help a bit with the noise they make but be aware that they might feel a bit uneven if they aren’t carefully constructed. Your weighted blanket might end up being lumpy, and this could irritate you at night.
If you use minky or fleece fabrics with a weighted blanket made of plastic pellets, you’ll have a softer texture due to the thickness of the material. You might still be able to feel the rougher texture of the pellets, but you won’t necessarily see it.
Weighted Blankets Made with Micro Glass Beads
Micro glass beads are one of the highest quality choices, and the choice used by us! These beads are extremely tiny and have a similar look and feel to white beach sand or salt crystals. They will appear much smoother inside your blanket and are probably the best selection for people with any type of auditory, sensory, and physical sensitivities.
Micro glass beads blankets are preferred by most because they are a bit heavier than their plastic counterparts, and therefore you’ll need fewer glass beads to achieve your goal than you would with plastic pellets. Great for someone who wants weight but not an extreme amount of bulk on top of them.
Sand-Filled Weighted Blankets
Sand is lower quality but a cost-effective way of adding weight to your blanket or quilt, though it’s not the favorite, as it can cause a lot of problems. However, with this filling, you can make a budget weighted blanket. Sand doesn’t spread out as easily as glass beads or plastic pellets, and it is much harder to wash and dry than the non-organic fillers.
Sand will also expand when it comes into contact with water and will bundle or cluster up inside the pockets of your blanket, causing large uneven bumps in your fabric, and therefore are not machine washable.
Sand-filled blankets take an extended amount of time to dry and depending on the fabric you use; you may never fully regain their original structure. Long term it is not a good idea to frequently wash or dry a weighted blanket with sand as the filler. Weighted blankets constructed with sand are often some of the least durable.
What is the Best Weighted Blanket Filler?
The best-weighted blanket filler comes down to poly pellets vs glass beads and our weight blanket stuffing utilizes a unique blend of glass beads, which are the best pellets for weighted blankets because they more equally distribute weight and apply better pressure where it’s supposed to be.
Larger beads used by many of our competitors typically put a high strain on their blankets stitching. The cheaper glass used by many of our competitors also has less thermal conductivity (due to size and material selection), decreasing the ability for their blankets to dissipate heat.
If you Google “Glass thermal conductivity”, you will see a range of values dependent on bead size and composition. In addition, the coating used on our glass beads results in 4x decreased friction, resulting in a less noisy and more adaptive sleeping experience.
A totally different consideration, we use glass beads because plastic pellets are larger and make the blanket feel ‘rocky’ and less smooth. We’re also excited that TruHugs TWO, incorporates bamboo filler instead of recycled fiber-fill, as we determined this would further increase the heat dissipation capabilities of our blanket.
2. Weighted Blanket Insert Fabric Options
The inner comforter of a weighted blanket can be produced from any fabric, but not all fabrics are created equal. Here are a few examples of fabric choices for the inner weighted blanket insert.
- Hemp can be used as the material for the inner layer, but as a stand-alone fabric, it is not an appealing texture. For this reason, hemp is often blended with other materials to make them softer. Hemp has excellent breathability, moisture-absorbing properties, and can keep in the heat.
- Wool is not often used as it insulates, which means it traps in heat. Those who live in colder climates may benefit from a wool weighted blanket, but hot sleepers should avoid this as the main fabric choice for a weighted blanket.
- Our TruHugs comforter is constructed from 100% 400-thread count organic cotton, which is among the highest available in the weighted blanket market today. Cotton allows for good airflow and feels soft against the skin. It is important, however, to ensure that the cotton used is organic and sustainable.
3. Weighted Blanket Duvet Cover Materials
Separate weighted blanket duvet covers are becoming more and more popular as there are many benefits associated with a removable weighted blanket duvet cover most obvious pro is that the cover can be easily removed and thrown in the washer. Truhugs’ Two weighted blanket inner is a machine washable weighted blanket, but over-washing weighted blankets can cause havoc on the washer, so there are covers to keep things easy.
Another pro is that customers can mix and match their weighted blanket inner with duvet covers which allows them a greater variety of colors and patterns to fit their mood and style. Similarly, to the weighted blanket inner, the fabric choices for weighted blanket duvet covers are seemingly endless.
- For colorful dyes, patterns, and textures, one may lean more towards a micro-polyester cover. Micro Polyester is known for its versatility but can trap heat. For those of you who sleep cold, this would be a good choice!
- Cotton remains a popular option for weighted blanket duvet covers for obvious reasons.
- A more luxurious weighted blanket enthusiast may opt for a soft silk cover, but this can be pricey and there are ethical concerns with how silk is harvested.
- Our duvet and pillow covers are constructed from 300-thread count bamboo lyocell, a fabric that has won multiple awards for its eco-friendliness, soft feel, wrinkle-resistance, and durability.
- We also have a duvet cover that is constructed from a hemp and linen blend to help keep cold-sleepers warm.
So now you know what a weighted blanket is made of!
When it comes to asking what weighted blankets are made of, we’re always looking for the next way to improve our weighted blankets to make them the best option on the market! We encourage you to check out more of our weighted blanket blog to learn more about how and why we chose the materials that went into truHugs TWO.
