When you use "blanket" to refer to the cover on your bed you sleep under, what do you mean?

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CurrencyCapital8882@reddit

In the us a duvet is cover for a comforter, often down filled. Goose down comforters are expensive and usually white. The duvet protects it and also is decorative.

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skipperoniandcheese@reddit

a blanket can be any kind of covering--a duvet, comforter, throw, anything.

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azuth89@reddit

A comforter is a big fluffy thing like a duvet except it doesn't have a removable cover, it's a single piece.

"Blanket" is a catch all, so people could be talking about nearly any kind of covering depending on context.

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League-Ill@reddit

Would you say blanket is a blanket term?

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azuth89@reddit

Absolutely. It covers all sorts of things.

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theflamingskull@reddit

It covers all sorts of things.

Except for my left foot. It geeks like I'm roasting if both get are covered.

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Swimming_Tennis6641@reddit

Okay I just literally laughed out loud at “foot snorkel” haha

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freedux4evr1@reddit

I, thankfully, did not as I'm in public in a waiting room at the moment. But I almost did! Lol!

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My grandmother had a duvet and covers in middle of the blue ridge mountains Virginia, and was the only one I knew who had one. She changed the cover and sheets for seasons, and summer put it away for a lighter quilt. She also used those itchy wool blankets with satin borders between the duvet (or quilt where I stayed) and sheet in winter. Ew. I have no idea why.

I Tried a duvet for my child. I figured it would be easier to switch the cover when she grew out of phases. I have no idea how people use them. The Ikea one had no loops. I put some in to help the ties, but my kid always got it tangled up inside somehow. Awe inspiring really. I was always fighting that thing!

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CouchCandy@reddit

I got the duvet cover because top sheets are incredibly uncomfortable minions of Satan. Buuut I don't want to wash my comforter as often as my fitted sheets and pillowcases. So that duvet cover means I only need to wash my sheets once a week and my comforter not quite as often. Aside from all that I'm guessing you wrent aware of the dark history behind top sheets.

They were actually invented in hell as a tool to slowly drive the masses to madness. When humans interfered with this plan by manufacturing top sheets of better quality, satan was absolutely livid. So he started his own campaign to mass produce top sheets that state they have a million count cotton thread. They utilized unique buzz words to keep people on the top sheet train to hell. But I know they're the same itchy top sheets that were initially utilized to drive the masses to madness.

Now here's where a person might come across this completely logical and factual post and think to themselves well I'm not Christian so Satan's top sheets can't get to me? But guess what, just like Christianity stole so many parts of other religions to fit their script, the devil compiled his top sheet tactics by stealing various ideas from NUMEROUS other religions. No one is safe!!!!

Might have to try that! My current technique is to have the cover right-side out, grab two corners of the duvet and bring them to the corresponding corners of the cover from the inside, and then grab those corners from the outside and shake. It’s kind of awkward to do with even a full and I couldn’t imagine managing it with a larger size

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Antioch666@reddit

I've also done that. It works better than that rolling "hack" but I prefer the inside out way. Main reason being it works well wether the covers have those corner holes or not. I have a few without those holes.

As I recall they whole thing came up when I saw a stack of folded duvet covers over there, and they were all inside out, and I wondered why they don't fold them and put away with "the 'right" side out. They told me they did fold it with the "right" side out and explained rhe trick.

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TychaBrahe@reddit

You are probably opening up the duvet cover and sort of stuffing the duvet inside of it, kind of the way you'd open a sock and stuff of foot in. The problem is, your foot has intentionality through you. A duvet just sits there.

Turn the cover inside out.

Put your hands inside it and find the corners on the opposite side. Grasp the corners of the duvet through the corners of the cover.

Shake your arms back-and-forth to cause the cover to slip off your arms over the duvet, maintaining a grip on the corners. Once the cover is off of your arms begin to shake the duvet up and down. The cover will slide down the duvet with each shake.

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Cyber_Punk_87@reddit

Burrito method. Takes less than 5 minutes to get it back together.

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relikter@reddit

duvet tends to get misaligned with the cover

All of my duvet covers have ties in the corner to keep that from happening (and zippers instead of buttons at the bottom).

and the cover is a pain to get on after washing it

Dense-Result509@reddit

Zipper close duvet covers are a game-changer

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shannon_agins@reddit

My first duvet cover (back in the early 2000s) was one of those. I had gotten it at the thrift store and could never find another so I gave up on duvet covers. I would have stuck with it, but purple zebra print did not go with "edgy" teenage me haha. It was too "girly".

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mrggy@reddit

As a child, deciding your comforter was a big decision. You'd be stuck with that one design for years so you'd better make sure you liked it

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MeanTelevision@reddit

Yes a comforter usually was nice to look at and would have something different on each side. So it might be grey on one side, blue on the other, for versatility. Or it might have a pattern on one side, and solid on the other. Or patterns/prints on both.

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ilovjedi@reddit

Yeah. Growing up I had a comforter (like a duvet but you can remove the inside) a blanket either woven cotton or a weird fluffy synthetic material and then sheets. When I went to college I got a duvet cover and a duvet. I honestly prefer them now. It’s a lot easier to clean a duvet cover than a whole comforter. I have a dog that sleeps on my bed during the day.

Would a quilt be a blanket or a comforter? I think of them as thin comforters.

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Rockandroar@reddit

I bought a duvet in 1995 along with a down filled comforter from Bed, Bath & Beyond, after visiting Germany, and realizing that there was more to bedding than a blanket and sheets.

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GOTaSMALL1@reddit

We're seeing the duvet cover here more often now but I think it's because the internet opened people up to sharing ideas about everyday things.

We use a duvet and duvet cover and have for many years.

Nothing to do with us being fancy or anything... The dogs sleep on our bed and the thing needs to get washed. A lot. Way easier to keep a couple duvet covers in the rotation than wash and dry an entire comforter.

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ngshafer@reddit

Honestly, I don’t find it that much easier to wash a duvet cover compared with a comforter. Either way, the hardest part is getting the middle dried in the dryer. I definitely don’t wash them as much as I should, however, and all comforters and duvet covers are badly stained from the dog sleeping on them.

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MeanTelevision@reddit

"For many years" might mean something different to different people.

It's good to hear someone else has the same experience/perspective.

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GOTaSMALL1@reddit

I didn't say you were being 'fancy' or anything fwiw. Just different experiences.

Agreed. Was just meaning that it was purely a practical decision. Cheers.

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New_Scientist_1688@reddit

Agreed. My mom gave us her king-sized duvet when she downsized and moved to our city.

Prize_Consequence568@reddit

"When you use "blanket" to refer to the cover on your bed you sleep under, what do you mean?"

Yes.
Depends on the particular person.

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SkydivingSus@reddit

We don’t generally need big heavy down things to sleep under cause it’s hot, so duvet is a bit much. Comforter is a polyfill duvet without a cover that the whole thing can be washed. Blankets are usually thinner material, sometimes knit or crocheted, but heavier than sheets, which are what most people say get twisted up if they even have a top sheet anymore… millennials got tired of them.

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ketamineburner@reddit

I have a duvet and a blanket. And extra blankets.

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ManateeFlamingo@reddit

There's Duvets in the US. My experience with duvets is, "why?" A blanket inside a blanket cover? They're also expensive for something that's technically not a blanket. I live in a hot climate, though so heavy blankets aren't necessary.

Blanket can mean quilt, comforter, bedspread, throw (small couch blanket in our house).

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abbot_x@reddit

I make these distinctions:

Sheets are thin and have little insulative capability; they are mostly for cleanliness. In the summer, you might sleep with sheets only. But you would never go without sheets.
Blankets are pieces of thick cloth used for insulation. A blanket might be used outside of bedding. For example, you might use a blanket in the living room or den while seated on the sofa. You also might tuck a blanket around yourself as an ersatz housecoat. There are specific types of blanket. For example, an army blanket is a thick piece of wool, usually dyed olive drab. My grandparents seemed to have hundreds of them. A camp blanket is usually a somewhat undersized wool or synthetic blanket used outdoors. I always have a red camp blanket in my car in case of breakdowns; it could be used to signal for help or to help conserve warmth. A baby blanket is a small blanket used for holding a baby.
Quilts are a specific type of blanket made by sewing together multiple small pieces of cloth. Quilts like blankets have many uses. Making quilts is a respected art form.
Comforters are basically two sheets of fabric permanently sewn together to hold insulation. I believe this is what you call a duvet.
Duvet cover is a term for the cover that goes over the comforter.
Duvet is a term I personally don't use, but it can mean a comforter (especially one that has a plain outside), the cover for a comforter (duvet cover), or the assembled comforter and cover.

Generically, we can call all of these things linens, bedding, or bedclothes. The warm ones (i.e., not the sheets) can generically be called blankets or covers. You tell a child who is cold to get in bed and snuggle under the blankets or covers, even if their bed is made with only sheets and a comforter.

I am surprised you do not have any blankets! What do you do if you get cold even though you have the sheets and duvet on? What do you do if you want are sitting on the couch and feel cold?

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sonny894@reddit

Agree with all of this except to me a quilt is a combo of your quilt and comforter - the top is a bunch of pieces sewn together, the back is a solid piece, in-between is insulation.

A comforter is like a quilt except both sides are just a solid piece with insulation between.

I actually meant whether you used top sheets top sheets!

I think bottom sheet plus covered duvet (no top sheet, no blankets) is a pretty recent phenomenon worldwide, starting maybe in the 1990s. It’s more prevalent in Europe than the United States. Like if I stay in an Airbnb in Europe, the beds will always be made that way (and I will recognize the linens from IKEA).

I have to say, I hate it and I never make a bed that way! But I’m sure it’s comfortable if you are used to it.

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Infinite_Art_99@reddit

Ok, you made me curious and I did some quick research. Duvets (as in: a "bag" of fabric with some sort of stuffing) is older that old. Archeologist think they may have found bronze age remnants of such a thing. We definitely know stuffing stuff in fabric bags, either for mattress or cover is ancient.

I rummaged around on a website with photos from Copenhagen through history.

https://kbhbilleder.dk

seng is the word for bed.

I found, roughly speaking: In Photoshop from hospitals and barracks, blankets with top sheets were used until after around ww1. At some point before the 1930s, a switch was made to sobers with covers.

Duvers without covers or top sheets were used among the poorest, lowest class working families on the brink of existence in the 1890s, and I vaguely remember reading sources with doctors who were frustrated that these families couldn't afford sheets or covers as using duvets without is less hygienic - again, back in the late 1800s. But this is the ki d of working class families who'd lock their kids in a room or tie them to a table leg while both parents were out working, so they probably would have laundered very often anyway.

I know for a fact that mattresses and duvets were widely used for at least a century before that (definitely through the 1800s) in rural Denmark. Mattresses would be beaten and restuffed at least once a year, duvets usually at the same time.

The photos show that in the 1950s even working class families in Copenhagen had switched to duvets with covers.

Washing machines weren't commonly available until the 1960s in Denmark, as far as I remember.

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abbot_x@reddit

Those doctors were very wise.

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Infinite_Art_99@reddit

Edited to fix that my phone decided to go from English to Danish Autocorrect at some point.

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Turbulent_Lab3257@reddit

You are already getting a million (sometimes conflicting) definitions, but I’ll add my two cents, having traveled to England and knowing what your bedding is over there.

We have the big fluffy down comforters that you guys have that are white and come in different heaviness/thickness amounts. Those are called down comforters or comforters. The light cover that they go into and can be washed is the duvet. These have become popular in the last 30 years or so.

We also have comforters that started to become popular in the 80s. These are two pieces of fabric with filling inside. Not as thick as a down comforter, generally. And since it is all one piece (no duvet), these are in different colors and patterns.

Prior to comforters, people had blankets and a bedspread or quilt on top. A blanket is thinner than a quilt or comforter. The blankets in our house seem to multiply somehow, but we have blankets made out of fleece, micro fleece, flannel, etc. And then on top of the blankets, you would put a colorful bedspread or quilt to cover up all the random, mismatched blankets. Right now I have a soft, thin, fuzzy white blanket and a white bedspread, also thin, with a design sewed on it.

That’s how we did it growing up. Then I joined the army and had a bottom sheet, sheet to over that, and then a green blanket made from satans pube stubble as it just starts to grow back in as the top “blanket”. Fast forward from that, when my wife and I lived in cold climates, we’d use the fitted sheet, a “blanket” (used those soft felt ones for a while) and a comforter on top.

We’ve been in warm places for a while now, so it’s just the fitted sheet, regular sheet, and then the comforter. She tends to bring a throw blanket to bed with her in the winter though to toss over her feet, but it goes on top of the comforter.

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dgmilo8085@reddit

You have almost the same bed set-up as I do, sub a duvet comforter for the afghan blanket.

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Street-Baseball8296@reddit

A DUVET is a comforter without a pattern and loops/buttons to attach to a duvet cover.

A DUVET COVER is like a pillowcase for a duvet with buttons/ties at the corners and sometimes edges to attach to the duvet.

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Parking_Champion_740@reddit

Actually it’s a duvet cover. A duvet is another word for comforter

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elvensnowfae@reddit

For me I have an actual blanket (on top of my comforter) that I sleep with. I need weighted blankets and my dogs and husband or I can't sleep lol

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MeanTelevision@reddit

Here, a duvet can mean the sort of slipcover for a comforter or it can mean the entire thing. But usually we mean the slipcover thingy.

We call a padded thing a comforter, a flat decorative cover a bedspread, and a warm thing not meant to be seen when the bed is made, a blanket.

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Emergency-Purpose367@reddit

Those distinctions might apply for marketing but not for every day language. Blanket is a catch all. A comforter, duvet, quilt are all types of blankets.

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RLB4ever@reddit

I do not use it as a catch all. I use “covers” if it’s to describe the bedding. If there’s an actual blanket on the bed, I’ll say blanket. If I’m on the couch, it’s a blanket, or anywhere else I used one like camping

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Trick_Photograph9758@reddit

Really? I would not call a comforter a blanket.

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chameleonsEverywhere@reddit

I would absolutely call a comforter a blanket and this thread has opened my eyes that not everyone sees it the same. What about a quilt?

A quilt is, to me, another "specialized" type of blanket like a comforter in that the name refers to a specific construction, but its still under the category of Blanket.

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Positive-Avocado-881@reddit

Sure, same here but I still think a comforter is a type of blanket lol

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WinterRevolutionary6@reddit

A comforter is 100% a blanket. I’ve also used blanket to describe a sheet if it’s the only thing on the bed

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Youre_ARealJerk@reddit

But if someone said “the blankets on my bed got all twisted” like OP references, you’d be understood as referring to the comforter/sheets/blanket etc. as a catch all for “all the coverings on my bed” I think.

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Trick_Photograph9758@reddit

That's correct, I'd understand what they meant. But again, I personally would use the word "covers" in that situation, not "blankets".

It's not that I'd be shocked at the use of the term "blankets" there, I wouldn't give it a second thought, but my preference is "covers".

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This is my cultural reality, as well. Blanket is a specific type of bedding (thicker than a sheet, usually under the top layer, or used as a throw). I don't usually hear people use it super broadly, but America is huge so I'm guessing it's a regional thing.

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MeanTelevision@reddit

What you are describing is called a comforter. A duvet (for us) is a cover that you would put a comforter in to protect it from tears, dust, and stains/ spills. It’s easier/ less wear and tear, to wash our version of a “duvet” than it is to wash a comforter. On my bed, I have a sheet, and a comforter in a duvet.

A blanket for me is generally smaller and usually fuzzy. Something you keep on the back of the couch for cuddling.

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Status-Biscotti@reddit

As someone else said, a comforter is essentially one piece: it’s fabric with poly-fill inside, sewn together at the seams. A blanket is thinner than a comforter or duvet. Sometimes it goes under the comforter/duvet (I have an electric blanket I put under my winter duvet), or it may be used in the summer, instead of a comforter/duvet.

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hootsie@reddit

Strictly speaking, a "comforter" is the top cover on the bed. Pretty much exactly what you call a "duvet". The difference between the two, in common American parlance, is that a "duvet" consists of a cover that the "comforter" goes inside of. When people, in America, refer to a "duvet", they typically, in my experience, mean simply the putter cover and not both as one thing.

Of course a of this goes out the window when you poll the population as they are used interchangeably and, I'm sure, many people do not know the difference. I didn't even know what a "duvet" was until my mid 20's (I only ever had comforters).

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SpicyMissHiss@reddit

My blanket is actually a quilt. It’s easier to wash than a comforter. When it’s cold I can put another quilt on top.

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seatownquilt-N-plant@reddit

We have a wide variety of blankets.

Comforters are very popular. They are not "baffled". They are made with insulation, they are quilted. They are one durable and washable item. They are usually a bit of loft to them.

Currently on my bed I have a thin blanket. It is quilted like comforter but it has very little loft, I wouldn't call it a comforter. I also have a faux Mexican blanket/serape

My boyfriend uses two plush blankets. They are like fluffier softer velvet.

One of the best christmas presents I ever got growing up was a big velvet blanket. They are warm and soft. My siblings and I each got one and we basically lived in them during the winter.

The duvet/duvet cover combo was never widely popular in the USA. I first learned about them in German class with their Federdecke. We have giant washers and dryers and can was blankets easily at home.

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SaintsFanPA@reddit

Blanket has been in English usage since the 1300s. It is a large piece of material used for insulation.

The British usage of duvet dates only to the mid-1700s, back when they were pretending to be French.

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KittyCubed@reddit

Blanket to me means something like an afghan or throw. Typically something you’d cover up with sitting on a couch.

For my bed, I have sheets and a quilt. I typically just use a top sheet in the summer and add a quilt in the winter.

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CrispyJalepeno@reddit

Sheet - thin covering, often the only thing used in the summer

Blanket - anything that provides a greater degree of warmth or goes over the sheet

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d_ippy@reddit

I have a comforter on my bed. A blanket is the lighter smaller thing I use on my couch

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hobokobo1028@reddit

You got your fitted sheet, then your human, then your sheet, then (if it’s cold season) a blanket, then your comforter or duvet with a duvet cover.

If you’re on the couch or sofa taking a nap, it’s just a blanket. Often wool or fleece

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coccopuffs606@reddit

A duvet here is the decorative cover that goes over the actual quilt or comforter; “blanket” is usually a smaller, thinner cover used for a warming layer or wrapping around one’s self while they sit on the couch

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quietlywatching6@reddit

Blanket is generally an umbrella term for all heavier than a sheet bedding item. So it might reference a comforter (duvet with a permanent cover), quilt, couch throw, etc.

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IAmNotMyName@reddit

Not a sheet and not a comforter.

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Rogerdodger1946@reddit

To me, a blanket is a fabric cover with no filling. Wool blankets can be pretty warm, but mine is a synthetic fabric that is "fluffy". It's what I sleep under, but have, at times used a comforter. We also have quilts which are like thin comforters. It depends on what temperature you keep your bedroom.

Pleasant_Studio9690@reddit

"Blanket" as in, "The British used smallpox blankets to commit biological warfare and genocide against the Native Americans."

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Welder_Subject@reddit

Blankets are knit, duvets are generally woven.

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thereBheck2pay@reddit

Has no one answered the question "what is a blanket"? It is traditionally a heavy bed-sized cloth woven with thick wool yarns, usually felted or brushed so it had a smoother, somewhat fuzzy surface. You could pile several on your bed if the night is cold or just have one or none on warm nights. Recently they are made with polyester or other synthetic, thin and light weight or thick and very fuzzy as you prefer.

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Dalton387@reddit

I think you mostly see duvet in hotels.

For most American homes, the bed order is comforter on top (similar purpose), sheet, fitted sheet.

Occasionally there are more things like a mattress protector, but that’s usually it. You can also have a quilt that’s added on top of its cold.

When we say blanket, it can mean a number of things. Typically, it’s any kind of large cloth that you cover yourself with, when you’re not on the bed.

Like if you’re on a couch, chair, etc watching tv and you throw one over your legs. If I’m hanging in my room, the sheets are too heavy and I don’t want to pull them back when I might not be going to sleep. I have a blanket that’s not part of the bed, that I throw over my legs as they get cold before the rest of me.

To confuse it further, many people will refer to bed sheets as blankets. I think it’s because they’re all so similar. I doubt the same people would tell you they’re going to buy new blankets. They’d say sheets.

I’m sure it’s all semantics and doesn’t really matter. In my mind, blankets are used away from the bed, sheets and comforters (or duvets) are used in bed.

So when they said they twisted the blankets, they probably meant sheets, though if they were sleeping on the couch with a blanket, they could mean what they said. I think I saw the meme you saw, though and I think it meant sheets on a bed.

Funny story, I have never moved in my sleep. I wake up and change position through the night, but I’ve never rolled in my sleep.

windowschick@reddit

Good god almighty. As a woman in the throes of perimenopause, I have NO use for a duvet anymore. Can barely tolerate a blanket. Most nights, even in the dead of winter, I've got just a top sheet covering me. I live in Wisconsin. January was mostly -30F. Bitter, bitter cold.

Before this hellish rollercoaster began, I had thick polar fleece blankets, a nice thick comforter (duvet), and a heated mattress pad. Night sweats have rendered all of that obsolete. I did spring for Muslin blankets. Also largely unnecessary.

Now I'm naked (although I was before), between the fitted sheet and the top sheet. On really bad nights, I've also got an oscillating fan going.

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Minute_Box3852@reddit

We have lots of options. We use duvets with comforters inside them as well but we also have printed comforters so a duvet is not needed.

The "blanket" twisting in your feet is almost always actually the top sheet.

I know in the uk y'all usually only have a bottom, fitted sheet but most us homes have a bottom fitted sheet and a top sheet. So you have from bottom to top: mattress-bottom fitted sheet-people-top sheet-comforter. The top sheet is tucked in at the end of the bed so it stays in place.

With this top sheet we dont need to wash the duvet/comforter much bc it's a barrier. Its nice having a nice cool top sheet between you and the duvet also when you get a little hot at night yet you still have some light cover.

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terryaugiesaws@reddit

I think what I call blanket is what the Brits call their duvet. Honestly for me it's just a term I use for whatever I am sleeping under.

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Communal-Lipstick@reddit

Blankets are thinner and we often keep them on the soda for when we get cold. Duvets are for bed.

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bramblefish@reddit

Blankets are typically woven fabric, the weight/thickness/insulating rating can vary significantly. But also is a used as a generic reference to a bed cover over the top sheet. I have various blankets, the summer blanket is woven cotton, rather light weight, I use this year around, and will add a second as needed.

-TheDyingMeme6-@reddit

Blankets are what you toss on the bed if you need more warmth, what you have on the couch for colder days, or what your dog yeets to the floor to make a lil nest for themselves

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ProtozoaPatriot@reddit

I use a comforter on top of my sheet. It has filling while blankets do not.

I was raised that a duvet is a fabric cover that protects a hard-to-clean item such as a real down comforter. The duvet is like a massive pillowcase - no insulation of its down. It's machine washable.

Blankets are woven or polyester, all one layer.

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whatevertoad@reddit

Generally you have a blanket above the sheets and a bedspread, comforter, or duvet above that.

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bunkumsmorsel@reddit

A blanket any large piece of cloth that is designed to throw over you to keep yourself warm. A comforter is a kind of blanket that’s puffy with some sort of filling, often down. A duvet is a cover you put the comforter in to keep it nice.

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Adorable_Ad_7639@reddit

I refer to the main cover as just the duvet and then anything else like a thinner one for layering or my dog’s designated fleece one as a blanket.

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LadyOfTheNutTree@reddit

My bed has the following strata: - fitted sheet against the mattress - flat sheet on top of me - duvet—I have two options, a light down one and a heavy down one

I had not encountered duvets until I lived in Poland in the 90’s. Prior to that all blankets were either woven or quilted.

I use the term blanket for all warm bed coverings whether it’s a duvet, fleece, quilt, etc

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Irresponsable_Frog@reddit

A comforter. Some call it a duvet. I call it a blanket. That’s the umbrella term right? Because comforter isn’t a duvet exactly, and neither are sheets. But between the 2 are blankets. It’s a “blanket” term…. Buh-dumt-dum. (My dad joke for the day, I take drinks as tips)

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Silent-Bet-336@reddit

We have a quilt.

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AilanthusHydra@reddit

A duvet to me is the cover that goes over a comforter. The comforter is filled with some kind of insulating material (the good ones are down), and kind of a pain to wash, so the cover makes it less necessary to wash them as frequently.

A blanket is any bed covering heavier than a sheet, but typically woven and not filled with anything. It could be one layer of fabric or more. It might also be knit or crocheted, though depending on size these might be characterized as afghans instead.

A quilt is, well, quilted, and usually at least somewhat decorative.

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Decent_Cow@reddit

To me, a blanket can refer to any piece of cloth on the bed of sufficient thickness or insulation. Sheets are not blankets, they're too thin and you sleep on top of them. A comforter or bedspread is two pieces of fabric sewn together with insulation between them. I'm not sure if or how that's different than a duvet. I still consider it to be a type of blanket, though. To me, a bed should have two sheets, one or more blankets on top of that, and a comforter (also a type of blanket) on top of everything.

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LurkerByNatureGT@reddit

Blanket is a blanket term, but also pre-polyester filling getting popular, many people wouldn’t have down/feather duvets or comforters. It would be common to have several layers of top sheet, blanket (cotton or wool depending on the temperature) and bedspread or quilt on top.

Sensible for large temperature variations and the insulation of air trapped between multiple layers. But annoying to make the bed in the morning, and yes if you toss and turn the layers can get tangled up or one slide one way and another the other direction.

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ngshafer@reddit

As others have said, “blankets” can be a general term for bed covers. However, we also have a specific type of cover called a “blanket.” It’s typically a piece of woven will, cotton, or sometimes synthetic fleece, not puffy like a comforter or duvet. It’s typically added between the top sheet and comforter in the winter, to provide additional warmth. It sounds like in the UK people would just put on a thicker duvet when it’s cold.

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Imaginary_Ladder_917@reddit

It’s a fuzzy, plush, somewhat thick fabric covering. We use small ones just sitting reading or whatever. It is common to have a bottom fitted sheet on the bed, then a top sheet, then a blanket (both of these tucked under the mattress at the foot of the bed to keep secure, and then a decorative comforter or quilt. That is changing a bit as people have started using duvets more. My son always shoved his top sheet and blanket down and slept under the comforter, which is thick and hard to wash, so I finally bought him a duvet with an insert like you describe. I’m not sure why people get tangled up in blankets as you mentioned. Maybe they don’t tuck them in at the bottom.

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missplaced24@reddit

A comforter is a duvet with the outer fabric sewn to it instead of a slip cover, sometimes they're also called a puff.

I use "blanket" specifically to refer to a blanket -- a piece of fabric designed for warmth. Not a duvet or a comforter.

I my homes, beds usually have a bottom sheet, a top sheet, a blanket, and a comforter. You sleep between the sheets, and the layers can get tangled up if you move around a lot at night. In the summer, we might.leave off the blanket and just have the comforter (which is more decorative than a blanket but could be thicker or thinner than a blanket). When it's really cold, we might add an extra blanket or two.

We had a duvet for a few years, but duvets aren't as common in the States as they are in Europe.

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jimmywhereareya@reddit

It's just a throwback. People used blankets, usually made from wool for everything from bedding to keeping livestock warm

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Ham_Ah0y@reddit

It seems like nearly everyone is skirting the question of what IS a blanket. Although it can be a "blanket" term to cover many of these things mentioned. . . As I understand it. . .

A blanket is a (generally) woven cotton item roughly the same size as your sheet that would be used under your duvet for colder times. The blanket could be flannel, or fleece, but on MY bed, the blanket is a woven cotton item. I use a quilt (small squares sewed together with small amounts of batting between the squares). I used to use a "comforter," an America term that refers to a duvet filled with cotton batting, not feathers. Duvet/ comforter are very interchangable in the USA. Some may refer to a duvet as a "feather tick" in my area (western Pennsylvania) and yes, they would have a cover/slip over them for style.

But to go back to blankets. . . A bed sized thin but heavy-ish item, yes, any warm fabric can do but in my parlance it is woven from cotton OR, crocheted/knitted. A fleece or flannel "blanket" would be a "throw"

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MulysaSemp@reddit

Blanket is anything that's not a sheet

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funny_bunny33@reddit

All duvets are blankets, not all blankets are duvets

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Sleepygirl57@reddit

Anything I can wrap myself up in like a burrito and hide from the world is a blanket to me.

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Sparky-Malarky@reddit

I don’t understand the appeal of duvets.

It’s like saying "Oh, it’s getting cooler. Eventually it’s going to get cold. No no, I don’t need a sweater or a light jacket, I’ll just buy this heavy thermal parka."

My bed has a sheet, a blanket, and in winter, a quilt. If I get too warm I remove a layer. If I’m still cold I add a layer. If I had a duvet I’d be too hot much of the time.

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Quix66@reddit

Generally a heavier cover used between the top sheet and the outer cover such as a quilt or comforter. It's usually not for show but for warmth.

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bananapanqueques@reddit

All duvets are blankets, but not all blankets are duvets.

A blanket can be a top sheet, duvet, comforter, throw, traditional woven or knit blanket, quilt, bedspread, or coverlet.

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smartfbrankings@reddit

Sheet, Blanket, Comforter is the order.

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GreatestState@reddit

This is an easy one!

Step one: open google image search

Step two: type “blanket” in the search field

Step three: look at the first picture at the top

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Anything thicker than a sheet I would call a blanket.

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Fun-Yellow-6576@reddit

Google is your friend. In the UK you’d call it a rug.

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MunchAClock@reddit

Blanket isn’t as thick as a cover. Covers are like duvets without the removable covers

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soulmatesmate@reddit

In my mom's opinion (and therefore mine):

A quilt has a bunch of square patches, and batting material inside. A comforter should not be quilted, but otherwise would be one: sheet like above and below, batting, and a stitched pattern to keep it stable.

A blanket is a single or double layer with no batting and no quilt. It must hold in heat better than a sheet, but is more effective if on top of a sheet. My current blanket (while fully artificial) has a fur-like texture.

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Humbler-Mumbler@reddit

Blanket is basically anything you cover yourself with that’s warmer than a sheet. A bedspread or comforter is the thick top layer, but people will also just call that a blanket. But blanket is a broader, more generic term. A fleece thing you keep on the couch could be called a blanket too.

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Embarrassed-Lead6471@reddit

To me, blanket is a comparatively thing sheet designed for keeping you warm on the couch or used in addition to a comforter or a duvet in bed.

I would refer to all of these as blankets. I would also call any big piece of cloth of various thicknesses meant to cover a person or a bed as a blanket with the exception of sheets.

Sheets are a thin piece of fabric meant to be nearest a person in bed, either between you and a top blanket or between you and the mattress.

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Lovebeingadad54321@reddit

Blanket can refer to a duvet, comforter, quilt, or just a plain blanket.see also “Bedspread”. A plain blanket being a rectangular covering of 1 layer that is thicker than a sheet.

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Bluemonogi@reddit

A duvet and a comforter are the same except a duvet might have a removable cover.

A blanket is usually a single layer knitted or woven item. It is not filled or put in a cover. It might be made of cotton, a blend of cotton/polyester or wool.

Someone might use the term blanket to refer to any bed covering though.

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tkecanuck341@reddit

Not sure it's universal, but here's what it means in my family.

"Sheets" - The layer that touches your skin. Fitted sheet wraps the mattress. Top sheet goes over you. Usually includes pillowcases.

"Comforter" - The insulated top cover on the bed. Often decorative. No removable cover.

"Duvet" - A cover for your comforter. Mostly for decorative purposes. Removable for laundering purposes.

"Blanket" - An insulating layer that goes between the sheets and comforter. Optional. Sometimes put on the bed just for colder months and removed in warmer months.

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Far_Winner5508@reddit

I (grew up southern US) refer to blankets as single later thick-ish pieces of fabric. I always had a scratchy wool military blanket my mom had in the Air Force.

A Coverlet or bedspread is a decorative "blanket" that is much longer and wider and it is meant to cover the whole bed and look nice doing it.

For a very long time, Americans tended to use blankets and bedspreads. The use of duvets is growing.

But, if someone says they got tangled up in the blankets, they are most likely using the term generically - and could be referencing a duvet, a blanket, a comforter, a coverlet, the sheets, or any combo of these. I think it is just that blanket is so ubiquitous that people use that word to just mean their covers (covers=anything on the bed that would cover the person in it).

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Infinite-Dinner-9707@reddit

I use blanket to mean anything I'm sleeping under. It could be a quilt, an actual blanket, comforter, a duvet. It's kind of an all-encompassing word for me.

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Obtuse-Angel@reddit

Most of my life I’ve had quilts in place of a comforter or duvet. In the winter a blanket, usually wool, fleece, or waffle-weave cotton, goes between the quilt and the top sheet. If it’s really cold, sometimes an additional blanket goes on top of the quilt across your feet.

Only the blanket gets called a blanket, never the quilt or comforter.

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machagogo@reddit

Blanket is a blanket term... meaning it covers all, bother figuratively and literally.

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Odd-Help-4293@reddit

A comforter is like a duvet I think, but the cover is sewn on instead of being replaceable. I'm not sure why we do it that way, but that's common in the US.

We also usually have a flat sheet underneath the comforter, so you don't need to wash it as often.

Some people will also have another blanket for more warmth, especially in winter.

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AdFinancial8924@reddit

We use sheets. Get over it.

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Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit

"Blanket" is a catch all term for any type of warmth-providing bedding. It can also refer to a 'throw' blanket, which is a thinner blanket used on a sofa while awake.

Okay fine but blankets and sheets are not the same things. 😏

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ExistentialistOwl8@reddit

It is perhaps... a blanket term?

But for clarity, it refers to everything but the sheets. Comforter, quilt, bedspread, duvet, throws, afghan are all considered types of blankets. Usually, it's the part on top of the sheets that keeps you warm.

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relikter@reddit

the part on top of the sheets that keeps you warm

Is my dog a blanket then?

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pestoqueen784@reddit

No. A comforter is similar to a duvet but does not have a removable cover

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Complete_Aerie_6908@reddit

I’ve never referred to my sheets as a blanket. That doesn’t seem common.

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asexualrhino@reddit

Blanket is a blanket statement 😉

It could be used for duvet, comforter, quilt, afghan, throw, etc

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rawbface@reddit

I have heard that duvets are standard in the UK and all over Europe, and I don't get it. I don't want a blanket inside of sleeve, just give me the blanket in one piece.

"Blanket" is a catch-all term for any bed covering that's not a sheet. I call knit ones blankets, I call my comforter a blanket, I call fleece blankets, etc.

I use a bed spread l, when possible, because I have to wash the whole thing since I'm allergic to dust mites. They like to hide in duvets.

However, "blanket" does cover duvets, bedspreads, throw blankets, and so on. We do have duvets in the US.

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oswin13@reddit

Duvet is a down filled (usually) heavy bed covering that requires a "duvet cover" as the duvet is difficult to clean

A comforter is similar to a duvet but does not have a separate cover and is usually machine washable.

A quilt is similar to a comforter, but is often "hand pieced" and is usually less "fluffy"

A blanket can be knit, crochet, or woven of various yarns. These are a single layer., and are often used under the thicker quilts so you can adjust your warmth.

Sheets are thin, usually woven cotton but can be knit, microfiber etc. Designed to be washed frequently, they protect your mattress and other bedding from your body oils. Most frequently you have a fitted bottom sheet, a flat top sheet, and pillow cases.

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theRealBLVCKphillip@reddit

Comforters, duvets, friggin bed spreads....

ALL blankets. I make no distinction. I'm 35 and heard "duvet" for the first time last year.

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theRealBLVCKphillip@reddit

Quiet as kept... I make "blanket statements" all the time.

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SonoranRoadRunner@reddit

It gets really cold in some parts of the US so just a comforter (whether it has a duvet cover or not) is not enough so you need an additional blanket over the top flat sheet then the comforter or bedspread to keep warm.

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MuppetManiac@reddit

We know what a duvet is, we just don’t use them ubiquitously. I’ve never owned a duvet.

I sleep with a sheet, a blanket and a quilt. Occasionally when it’s very cold, I swap the quilt for a comforter, like a duvet, but the cover doesn’t come off. All these things collectively can be referred to as “blankets.”

A blanket is generally a heavy thick woven material. It can be made of lots of things, wool, microfiber, cotton, etc. But it’s not stitched together, it’s woven. They can be heavier or lighter, depending. Right now it’s hot weather, so I have a lightweight cotton blanket and a lightweight quilt on my bed over the sheet. In a month or so, I’ll likely ditch the blanket entirely and just sleep with a sheet and a quilt.

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hankbobbypeggy@reddit

I feel like a blanket is a cover that isn't necessarily a bed cover. It's like a cover that you can take around the house with you to the bed, couch, chair etc. Sometimes I sleep with a blanket if it's cold, but usually I just sleep with sheets and a quilt, neither of which I'd consider a blanket. In our house blankets are usually used on the couch and kept in the family room.

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Anteater_Reasonable@reddit

You could have a top sheet, a quilt, an afghan, a comforter, and a duvet on your bed. They’re all blankets to me.

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UnicornPencils@reddit

Blanket is usually a warm, single layer covering. But some Americans do use this term fairly generally for any kind of bed covering or quilt.

We definitely do use the word "duvet." A comforter is very similar, it's a fabric decorative layer filled with something insulating.

But we usually think of a comforter as a one piece thing (it's not designed for you to take out the inner stuffing). And we call it a "duvet" when the outer layer and inner layers can easily be removed from each other, and different combinations can be made depending how warm you want your stuffing to be, or what you want your outer cover to look like.

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What you described would be called a comforter here. What we call a duvet has another layer that goes over it.

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SummonGreaterLemon@reddit

“Blanket” is usually a blanket (haha) term for a large piece of fabric intended to put over your body for warmth or whatever. Could include sheets, comforters, duvets, afghans, quilts, etc.

“The blankets” and “the covers” are interchangeable terms for whatever collection of those you are sleeping under.

A comforter is a puffy blanket of two layers of fabric filled with some kind of stuffing. Like a puffer jacket for your whole prone body. They typically are machine washable as a single piece.

A duvet is similar, but it has a removable duvet cover that is machine washable. I think duvets usually can’t be machine-washed, but I don’t have much experience with that. A comforter is basically a simplified duvet.

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TsundereLoliDragon@reddit

For a blanket I'm usually referring to a fluffier thing. A duvet and comforter are pretty similar. I think the difference is the inside is removable for a duvet. I just use a quilt. I get too hot under anything else.

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Unsure_Fry@reddit

Comforter and Duvet are the same thing. I would say that most Americans know that but comforter is the more common term.

Comforter means duvet, though sometimes with a removable cover (duvet cover) and sometimes with a non-removable cover.

Blanket could mean just about anything - comforter/duvet, thinner cloth cover, weighted cloth cover, quilt, etc. - but usually doesn't refer to sheets/top sheets.

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SavannahInChicago@reddit

Some people have duvets, some people sleep with comforters, some people sleep with just blankets. And that being said, blanket can just be used as a default for whatever they sleep with at night.

A blanket will be thinner with no fill. Correct.

A comforter is kinda in the middle of a duvet or blanket. It’s pretty much a manufactured quilt. Two blankets put together and sown together with some kind of filling in between.

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fleetiebelle@reddit

To me, "blanket" is not interchangeable with any bedding. I'm a top sheet user, and that's under a blanket, which is under a quilt. In the summer, I might keep the blanket at the foot of the bed, but it's not part of the mix when I make the bed.

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battleofflowers@reddit

A comforter is like what you would call a duvet. I think different dialects use these words differently, so I can only tell you what my dialect uses. In South Texas, I would think of a blanket as a thinner material and without any stuffing. A comforter is like a duvet but with a sewn-on cover. It doesn't use a duvet cover; instead you put a flat sheet underneath it. The type of duvet that is just plain white and has a separate cover is a relatively new piece of bedding around here (last 20 years or so). I generally call that a duvet since it uses a duvet cover, but I've also heard people call those comforters, or more specifically, "down comforters" to clarify it's not the polyester-stuffed kind.

Finally the term "blanket" might be used as a catch-all for any kind of bed covering that isn't a sheet.

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bloodectomy@reddit

A duvet is a comforter

A blanket is thinner but not necessarily lighter than a duvet, while sheets are the thinnest, lightest covering.

You'd typically put a blanket over a comforter.

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Live_Ad8778@reddit

Refers to a cover that's non-quileted or filled. At least to me.

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edman007@reddit

To me, blanket is both, comfortor is only the kind filled with fabric.

I never say anything other than blanket or sheets, which are the thin fabric on the bed.

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CamNewtonsBigToe@reddit

I dint call my bed sheets “blankets”.

The thick top sheet is a “comforter “.

The thinner under sheet is just a “sheet”.

To me a blanket is a cover that you use to get warm that isn’t attached to your bed.

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rockandroller@reddit

Lots of people just have blankets, not duvets, or as we call them, comforters when in one piece without a removable exterior. This could refer to a "quilt," "bedspread," "throw blanket" or any number of other type of covering put on the bed over the sheet. Blanket is the generic term for whatever goes over the sheet. A comforter is a blanket, so is a quilt, bedspread, throw, etc.

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ExtremePotatoFanatic@reddit

A comforter and a duvet are the same thing. Most people use them. However, they might just say “blanket” as a general term, it could mean the comforter or the sheets.

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Stunning-Track8454@reddit

We call a duvet a comforter, but I've noticed that's becoming a dated term and "comforter" has been changed to blanket. Blanket has and is a thinner fabric with no filming.

Bedsheets, as in what you put over your mattress and the matching sheet has always been referred to as "sheets"

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

If I’m talking about my blankets getting twisted during the night I’m referring to anything on top of me. Sheets, duvet/comforter, throw blanket, etc.

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chrisinator9393@reddit

It's the same thing.