I've never really seen my bed as a sanctuary because I've never been in love with my bedding. That probably makes me a bad Taurus.
Despite the fact that I've never been a person who falls asleep easily, my sleeping preferences aren't finicky. My toes need to be cool and I need to be covered from chin to toe, even if it's a hot summer night. (Everyone knows that sleeping with no cover isn't an option. Someone will grab your ankle and pull you off the bed.) After years of tossing and turning, finding a comforter that's not static-y and hot has felt impossible.
The Buffy Cloud comforter, however, is the first piece of bedding I've used that actually feels kind of dreamy.
Is the Buffy Cloud actually comfortable?
Let's just say it's hard to not flop on the bed face-first. The need to put your toes under the Cloud and swoosh them around is incessant. It's distractingly comfortable.
The Buffy arrives in a very thin box. "No comforter that's actually comfortable can fit in a box this thin," will be your first thought, but it'll quickly fade once you cut the vacuum-sealing and watch the comforter grow before your eyes. When expanded, the Buffy Cloud is medium thick, fluffy, and very lightweight.
I've recently taken on the challenge of finding eco-friendly replacements for the items I use every day. (Bamboo toothbrushes, corn starch floss picks, whatever.) My interest was immediately piqued upon reading that the Buffy Cloud — the self-advertised "most comfortable comforter in the world" — is stuffed with 100% recycled polyester spun from old water bottles. The sustainability factor alone had me on board, but I was skeptical. Would it feel like those crunchy plastic mattresses at summer camp?
Nope. It's glorious. I wouldn't call it a down alternative, because it's not as lumpy or dense. The first thing I noticed was how evenly-spread the stuffing was — a pleasant change from crappy comforters stuffed with balls of cotton. Rubbing the comforter between my thumb and finger, the fibers inside are clearly silky. Scrunching it up also makes for a pretty lofty pillow.
The 300-thread count eucalyptus cover is a halfway point between cotton and silk. It's smooth enough for your skin to glide across without snagging, but not so slippery that it falls off the bed. Thread count has never meant much to me, but after reading that most luxury hotel sheets cap out at a 300 thread count, I was like, "No wonder this feels so luxurious."
You know Buffy comforters are good at temperature regulation because there's always a cold spot to find with your toes.
Plus if you're really into that fancy hotel room energy like I am, Apartment Therapy says all-white bedding is the number one step toward making your bedroom feel five star.
Does the Buffy comforter actually keep you cool?
No matter how "cooling," a comforter is not going to replace air conditioning. But while polyester comforters trap heat, Buffy creates a breeze every time you move. When you compress the comforter, you can feel air puffing out the sides and moving through the fabric.
Along with the feather-light feel, the Cloud really does feel like, well, a cloud floating on top of you. I haven't tried it in summer yet, but Buzzfeed's reviewer was psyched about how it kept her from sweating amidst a heat advisory in NYC.
How is eucalyptus different than cotton?
Organic cotton is the gold standard in the world of sustainable textiles because it doesn't pollute waterways and requires less water to grow than regular cotton. However, it still takes a lot of water.
Lyocell (the process used to process eucalyptus tree fibers) apparently guarantees that 99 percent of the water used can be recovered and reused again. Most of the process is done by hand over machinery, significantly reducing CO2 emissions.
Any complaints?
I wouldn't say no to the Buffy Cloud being even fluffier. This is more of a side note than a complaint: It looks exactly like it does in every single Instagram picture, so I had no reason to think it would be any puffier. It's not flat by any means and definitely lives up to the "Cloud" name.
Natural fibers wrinkle easily, and ironing a comforter could damage the fill. Personally, wrinkled bedding is the least of my worries, but it might bother some people. Just remember that crinkled bedding looks artsier in a photo, anyway.
If you've never splurged on a comforter, I highly suggest crossing that off of your "never have I ever" list with the Buffy Cloud. Spending $160 ($130 if you only need a twin/twin XL or $200 if you go for the king) seems pretty minor when it's for an item that can completely transform your bed — and maybe even the way you sleep.
