Night Lark Review
A duvet with no cover, washed whole in a domestic machine, which removes the single most hated job in a house.
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Verdict
A duvet with no cover, washed whole in a domestic machine, which removes the single most hated job in a house. It is a narrower product than it looks and for the right household it is one of the better bedding purchases available.
Buy it if
There are children, a dog, or anyone who is sick with any regularity. Or you simply loathe changing duvet covers.
Avoid it if
You want a particular look in a bedroom, or you already have covers you like and a washing machine that will not take a duvet.
See the current Night Lark offer
Night Lark sells coverless duvets direct and through retailers.
No code needed. The discount is applied automatically at checkout. Opening the site in a new tab.
Night Lark on Amazon UK
Widely listed. Confirm the tog and size.
No code needed. Prices on Amazon change frequently, so check the seller and the returns terms before you buy. Opening in a new tab.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Coverless duvet, washed whole |
| No cover needed | The duvet is the finished item |
| Washing | Domestic machine, provided the drum is large enough |
| Check first | Your machine's capacity against the duvet's washed weight |
| Best for | Children's rooms, guest rooms, anywhere bedding needs washing often |
The scores
A narrow product that is excellent for the households it suits.
No covers to buy, which is a real saving people forget to count.
Warm without weight, which is what high loft buys you.
Moves moisture out rather than trapping it, which is what stops a duvet feeling hot.
The whole point, and it depends on your machine's capacity.
Fewer options than a cover, which is the genuine trade.
Strong on this, and it is one of the reasons to buy it.
The reason to buy. Changing a duvet cover is the job everyone puts off.
Check the tog against your bedroom rather than the season.
Who this is genuinely for
The case is narrower and stronger than the marketing suggests.
Children's rooms. Children are sick, have accidents and spill things, and a child's duvet needs washing far more often than an adult's. Being able to put the whole thing in the machine at 9pm rather than stripping a cover is the difference between a quick job and an evening.
Guest rooms. Bedding that sits unused for months and then needs freshening before someone arrives. One item in, one item out.
Anyone who loathes duvet covers. This is a real preference and it is underrated. Wrestling a king duvet into a cover is a genuinely unpleasant task and removing it entirely is worth money to some people.
Who it is not for: anyone who wants a particular look in a bedroom, because you are choosing from duvets rather than from covers, and the range is far narrower.
Check your machine before you buy
The thing that decides whether this works
A coverless duvet is only convenient if your washing machine will take it.
As a rough guide, a 7kg drum will usually manage a single duvet, an 8 to 9kg drum a double, and you generally want 10kg or more for a king. A duvet also absorbs water and gets considerably heavier wet, so a drum that fits it dry may not spin it.
If you have to take it to a launderette, the convenience argument has gone and a cover is easier.
Drying matters too. A duvet that is not fully dry will go musty from the inside and there is no fixing it. Tumble dry with a couple of clean tennis balls to break up clumping, and give it longer than you think.
Choose the tog for your bedroom, not the season
The usual advice is a summer duvet and a winter duvet, and for most modern UK homes that is wrong.
Thirteen and a half tog duvets suited poorly insulated houses. A well-insulated modern flat frequently does not drop far enough at night to need one, and people end up throwing off a duvet they paid extra for.
Seven to 10.5 tog is the most broadly useful single duvet for a UK home.
And the point worth repeating: if you wake up hot, change the duvet before you blame the mattress. It is a fraction of the cost and it is more often the cause.
A correction worth making
Commonly repeated, and wrong
Duvets are sold as a summer and winter pair on the assumption that a 13.5 tog is needed in a British winter, and that advice predates modern insulation. A well-insulated flat or a newer house frequently does not drop far enough at night to need one, and 7 to 10.5 tog is the most broadly useful single duvet for a UK home. Waking up hot is more often a duvet problem than a mattress problem, and it costs a fraction as much to fix.
Should you buy it?
Yes for children's rooms, guest rooms, or if you simply hate duvet covers. Check your washing machine capacity first, because the whole argument rests on it.
Choose 7 to 10.5 tog unless your bedroom genuinely gets cold, and dry it thoroughly.
Questions people ask
Are coverless duvets any good?
For the right household, yes. Children's rooms, guest rooms, or anyone who loathes changing covers. The whole argument rests on your washing machine taking it: roughly a 7kg drum for a single, 8 to 9kg for a double, 10kg or more for a king.
What tog duvet do I need?
Seven to 10.5 is the most broadly useful for a UK home. Thirteen and a half tog suited poorly insulated houses, and many modern homes never drop far enough at night to need one. If you wake up hot, change the duvet before blaming the mattress.