Useful information Kapok pillows and quilts – what kind of filling is Kapok?

Kapok pillows and quilts – what kind of filling is Kapok?

In Ukraine, and in the world as a whole, kapok filling, or kapok silk, has been known not so long ago. What is kapok and where is it from? Characteristics of kapok filling: kapok quilt or kapok pillow => advantages and differences.

KAPOK is a fiber (down) covering the seeds of huge (about 20 cm) fruits of baobab trees of the family Malvaceae.

So many names the plant is not called: cotton tree (pillow with cotton filling, quilt with cotton filling), silk tree (silk pillow, silk quilt), cashmere tree, ceiba, etc. All these names are an attempt to describe the essence of the unique down of its fruits.

West Africa is considered to be the homeland of the kapok tree, but some species grow in Central and South America. In other regions, including Asia and Indonesia, people have helped spread the tree. Beautiful large flowers of a kapok tree turn into pear-shaped fruits. The ripened fruits unfold, releasing weightless down, resembling fiber of silk and cotton at the same time.

What are the advantages of kapok filling? How is it superior to other fibers for filling bedding?

This is a unique natural raw material, which also has the best properties of synthetic materials:

Environmental friendliness, safety: kapok tree (ceiba) does not require chemicals, so they are not used at any stage of growing, ripening, and collecting fiber.
Lightness (kapok is 8 times lighter than cotton), elasticity, durability, resistance to stalling during operation.
Water-resistant and moisture resistant, as fiber hairs are coated with vegetable wax.
Antiallergenicity, which is provided not only due to the non-use of chemicals during cultivation, but also because the fiber contains a natural antiseptic that prevents the growth of microorganisms, dust mites, and fungi. Thanks to water-repellent and antistatic properties, kapok does not decay.
An excellent alternative to natural silk produced by a silkworm caterpillar, according to the thermo-regulating properties. Like silk, it is warm in winter, cool in summer and comfortable even in hot weather. At the same time, the price of vegetable silk (kapok) is several times lower than the price of silkworm silk.

Obviously, buying a kapok pillow (buying pillow kapok) or buying a kapok quilt (buying quilt kapok) is the perfect solution for people who are allergic, with sensitive skin, and especially if you want to buy a baby quilt and buy a baby pillow.

Kapok is used not only as a filler for pillows and quilts (by the way, the Maya Indians were the first to think of this), but also for other purposes. The best life jackets for sailors are from kapok. 350 grams of kapok can save a human life. The best polar explorers' jackets are made from kapok: warm, like eiderdown. Substitute kapok does not exist.

Why is such an ideal filler for pillows and quilts is not widely used?

First of all, this is due to the complexity of growing, cultivating trees and collecting raw materials, because kapok trees (Ceiba) have a height of 50 m and above, grow in the wild, and fruits with fiber are harvested manually. Only recently in Asia, the plantations of kapok trees have been established for the production of plant silk, but collecting fruits and separating the fibers from the seeds and peel of the fruit remains manual and expensive.

Kapok is also difficult for production, since the fibers have different lengths and thicknesses, breaking and slipping.

Nevertheless, bedding manufacturers around the world have appreciated this unique natural material, and are increasingly using it in the production of pillows and quilts. To buy a kapok pillow, to buy a baby kapok pillow, to buy a kapok quilt, to buy a baby quilt from kapok - you can do it already in Ukraine. And if you want to make this purchase at the best prices - call Vash Textile online store!