Short answer
For most Irish bedrooms, brushed cotton is the best winter duvet cover fabric: it feels warm the second you get in, but it is still cotton, so it breathes and does not leave you clammy at 3 am. Choose 100% cotton flannelette (160 GSM) if your room is draughty and you want the warmest cotton there is. Choose teddy fleece only if the bedroom is properly cold, 13 degrees or below, with the heating off at night, or for the sheet and pillowcases rather than the whole bed. Flannelette and brushed cotton are the same family of fabric; teddy fleece is polyester and plays by different rules.
An Irish winter is not especially cold by European standards, but it is damp, it is long, and most of us turn the heating off at bedtime. By 3 am the bedroom in a typical Irish house built before the 2000s is sitting somewhere between 13 and 16 degrees, the air is heavy with moisture, and the duvet cover you chose in July is suddenly the coldest thing in the room. That is why searches for brushed cotton bedding more than double every November.
Three fabrics compete for the job: brushed cotton, flannelette and teddy fleece. Shops use the first two names interchangeably, which is mostly fair, and treat the third as if it were just a warmer version of the same thing, which is not. This guide explains what each fabric actually is, how warm it really gets, what it does with the moisture your body gives off overnight, and which one suits your bedroom, your sleep style and your washing routine. We sell all three, so we have also been honest about the downsides.
In this article
- Are brushed cotton and flannelette the same thing?
- Brushed cotton vs flannelette vs teddy fleece: the comparison table
- Is brushed cotton good for duvet covers?
- When is 100% cotton flannelette the better buy?
- Is teddy fleece warmer than brushed cotton?
- Which fabric should you choose? (by bedroom, sleeper and budget)
- How to build a warm winter bed in Ireland, layer by layer
- How to wash brushed cotton and teddy fleece without ruining them
- Frequently asked questions
Are brushed cotton and flannelette the same thing?
Almost. Both are cotton fabrics that have been passed over fine wire brushes after weaving, which lifts the surface fibres into a soft nap. That nap is what makes the fabric feel warm: it traps a thin layer of still air against your skin and it stops the cold, smooth face of the cloth touching you directly. Flannelette is the older name, coined because the fabric was a cotton imitation of wool flannel. Brushed cotton is what the same finish has been called since about the 1990s. In Ireland and the UK the words are used for the same products and you can treat them as one fabric.
The useful distinctions are not in the name. They are in the fibre content (100% cotton or a cotton-rich blend), the fabric weight in GSM (grams per square metre) and whether it is brushed on one side or both. Here is how the names you will see on labels map to what you are actually buying.
| Name on the label | What it actually is | Fibre | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brushed cotton | Cotton woven fabric brushed on one or both sides to raise a nap | 100% cotton or cotton-rich blend | 140 to 160 GSM |
| Flannelette | The traditional name for the same brushed cotton fabric | Usually 100% cotton | 140 to 170 GSM |
| Cotton flannel / 100% flannel cotton | Heavier brushed cotton, often brushed on both sides; the usual Dutch and German label | 100% cotton | 160 to 180 GSM |
| Winceyette | Old Irish and British name for a lightweight flannelette, mostly used for nightwear | 100% cotton | 120 to 140 GSM |
| Flannel fleece / coral fleece | Polyester knit with a short velvety pile; feels like flannel, behaves like fleece | 100% polyester | 250 to 360 GSM |
| Teddy fleece / sherpa / borg | Polyester knit with a deep curly pile, usually backed with smooth microfibre | 100% polyester | 200 to 350 GSM |
| Microfleece | Thin, flat polyester fleece; the cheapest and least warm of the fleeces | 100% polyester | 150 to 220 GSM |
Two of the seven are cotton. The rest are polyester with a cosy name, and that one fact explains almost every difference in the rest of this guide.
Brushed cotton vs flannelette vs teddy fleece: the comparison table
The table uses the three fabrics as we actually stock them: Sleeptime brushed cotton-rich flannel (80% cotton, 20% polyester, 150 GSM, brushed both sides), Dreamhouse 100% cotton flannelette (160 GSM) and Sleeptime teddy fleece (polyester pile on a microfibre back).
| Brushed cotton (cotton-rich) | Flannelette (100% cotton) | Teddy fleece | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fibre | 80% cotton, 20% polyester | 100% cotton | 100% polyester |
| Weight | 150 GSM | 160 GSM | Pile plus backing; feels the heaviest of the three |
| Warmth on contact | Warm straight away | Warm straight away | Warmest; feels like getting into a jumper |
| Warmth by 3 am | Steady; the cotton moves moisture so you stay dry and warm | Steady and slightly warmer than the blend | Very warm, but damp if you sweat because the fibre holds nothing |
| Breathability | Good | Good | Poor |
| Moisture handling | Absorbs and releases | Absorbs the most | Does not absorb; wicks a little, then sits |
| Feel | Soft, matte, like good pyjamas | Softer and thicker, with more drape | Plush and springy; some people find it too much against the face |
| Drying time on an indoor airer | Overnight | A day or more; heaviest when wet | A few hours |
| Lint and pilling | Light lint for the first wash or two | More lint at first; mild pilling with age | No lint; cheaper versions matt and pill |
| Static and clinginess | None | None | Noticeable in dry, heated rooms |
| Washing | 40 degrees, tumble low | 40 degrees, tumble low; may shrink if hotter | 30 to 40 degrees, no fabric softener, cool tumble or airer |
| Looks | Prints and checks; soft rather than crisp | Prints, knits-look and plains | Textured plains: chevron, rib, check, fur |
| Best for | Most Irish bedrooms, couples, people who get warm in the night | Cold or draughty rooms, people who feel the cold, pure cotton only households | Unheated rooms, students, older people who feel the cold, children, spare rooms |
| Our price from | €20.95 a set | €29.95 a set | €30.95 a set |
If you only remember one row, make it moisture handling. A sleeping adult gives off roughly a third of a litre of water vapour and sweat over a night. Cotton takes that in and lets it evaporate out through the duvet. Polyester cannot, so on a mild night or under a 13.5 tog duvet the moisture has nowhere to go but your skin, which is the clammy feeling people describe when they say fleece bedding makes them sweat.
Warmth and breathability pull in opposite directions. Brushed cotton and flannelette sit in the sweet spot for a 13 to 16 degree bedroom. Fleece wins on warmth alone.
Is brushed cotton good for duvet covers?
Yes, and for an Irish winter it is the fabric we would put on our own beds first. The reason is the combination rather than any single quality. A percale or smooth cotton cover is cold to the touch at 14 degrees and takes several minutes of body heat to warm through; brushed cotton skips that stage because the raised nap is already holding a layer of air. But unlike fleece it stays a cotton fabric underneath, so it keeps doing what cotton does: it takes moisture away from your skin, it does not build static, and it does not get that slightly greasy feel polyester picks up after a few weeks.
There are honest disadvantages, and they matter more in Ireland than in a dry climate:
- It dries slowly. A cotton flannel king cover holds a lot of water. If you dry washing indoors on an airer in winter, as most Irish households do, allow a full day for 100% cotton flannelette, or pick the cotton-rich blend, which dries overnight.
- It sheds lint at first. Loose fibres from brushing come off in the first wash or two. Wash it on its own the first time and clean the tumble dryer filter.
- It can shrink. Pure cotton flannel can lose 2 to 4% if washed hot or tumble dried on high. Stick to 40 degrees and a low heat. Blends barely move.
- It is a winter fabric. From roughly May to September most people find it too warm, so budget for a lighter summer set as well.
- It never looks crisp. If you like a sharp, ironed, hotel look, brushed cotton will always look softer and more lived-in. For many people that is the point.
Weight matters more than the name on the pack. A 150 GSM brushed cotton is a good all-rounder; a 160 to 180 GSM flannel is noticeably warmer and heavier; anything sold as brushed cotton under about 130 GSM is a thin fabric with a fuzzy finish and will not feel much warmer than ordinary cotton after a few washes.
80% cotton, 20% polyester, 150 GSM and brushed on both sides. Warm on contact, breathable, dries overnight on an airer. Prints such as Venza, Jason, Gino, Kees and Stone Stripe in single, double and king. Designs and sizes shown are subject to availability.
When is 100% cotton flannelette the better buy?
Choose pure cotton flannelette over a cotton-rich blend when the bedroom is the problem rather than the sleeper. The extra 10 GSM and the absence of polyester make a 160 GSM flannelette the warmest cotton fabric you can put on a bed, and the thicker nap holds its loft longer. It is the right choice for a north-facing room, a room over a garage or porch, a house with single glazing, or anyone who goes to bed cold and stays cold.
It is also the answer if you want pure cotton for its own sake: for eczema-prone or sensitive skin, for children, or simply because you prefer natural fibres. Our Dreamhouse flannelette sets are OEKO-TEX certified and come in the Dutch extra-long 220 cm drop with a full-width press-stud closure, which is worth knowing if you have ever fought a flannel cover with buttons. The trade-offs are the ones above, only slightly more so: it is heavier when wet, slower to dry and a little more inclined to shrink if you ignore the label.
160 GSM pure cotton flannel, OEKO-TEX certified, 220 cm extra-long drop with full-width press studs. The warmest cotton option we sell and the one to pick for a draughty bedroom. Mendez, Gradient Knits, Dante and Quinn designs. Designs and sizes shown are subject to availability.
Is teddy fleece warmer than brushed cotton?
Yes, considerably. Teddy fleece is a knitted polyester fabric with a deep, curly pile, and that pile traps far more air than a brushed nap can. On a bare mattress in an unheated room it is the difference between a bed you brace yourself for and one you sink into. It is also quick to dry, holds no lint, does not shrink, and costs about the same as flannelette. For a cold room it is a very good product.
The catch is the fibre. Polyester absorbs almost no moisture, so the warmth has no release valve. Under a 13.5 tog duvet in a room that is only mildly cool, many people wake at 3 am too hot and slightly damp, throw the duvet off, get cold, and pull it back. If you have ever done that, a brushed cotton cover will suit you better than teddy. Teddy is at its best in three situations:
- Properly cold rooms. Heating off at night, 13 degrees or below, single glazing, a bedroom nobody heats because it is only used for sleeping. Student houses and older rural homes are the classic cases.
- People who feel the cold. Older people, anyone who is underweight or unwell, and people who are simply cold sleepers. Health advice in Ireland is to keep a bedroom around 18 degrees in winter, and if that is not realistic, bedding has to do the work instead.
- The layers under you. A teddy fleece fitted sheet and pillowcases with a brushed cotton duvet cover on top is the best of both: the warmth is under you and around your head, where you do not sweat as much, and the breathable layer is over you, where you do.
There is a middle ground called flannel fleece or coral fleece, which is polyester with a short velvety pile instead of a curly one. Our Pom Pom sets are this fabric at 360 GSM: flatter and smoother than teddy, nearly as warm, and a little less sweaty because the pile is shallower. If you like the look of fleece but found teddy too much against your face, it is worth a look.
Deep teddy pile on top, smooth microfibre underneath, press-stud closure. The warmest cover in the shop and the one students and anyone in an unheated room keep coming back to. Chevron, Check, Rib and Fur designs. Designs and sizes shown are subject to availability.
Which fabric should you choose?
Find your situation in the left column. Where two fabrics are listed, the first is our pick.
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Irish bedroom, 13 to 16 degrees at night, heating off at bedtime | Brushed cotton | Warm on contact, breathes, dries overnight. Suits the widest range of sleepers. |
| A-rated or B-rated home, heating on a timer, bedroom 17 degrees or more | Brushed cotton, or a smooth cotton with a warmer duvet | Teddy will be too hot. Flannelette may be more than you need. |
| Draughty or north-facing room, single glazing, you go to bed cold | Flannelette (100% cotton), then teddy | The warmest cotton; teddy if cotton is not enough. |
| Unheated room, 13 degrees or below | Teddy fleece | Nothing else gets the bed warm as fast, and you will not overheat in that room. |
| You wake up hot or sweaty in winter | Brushed cotton | Needs the moisture handling of cotton. Avoid any polyester cover. |
| Night sweats or hot flushes | Brushed cotton or smooth cotton, with a 10.5 tog duvet | Keep every layer breathable; add warmth with a throw you can remove. |
| Couple: one hot sleeper, one cold | Brushed cotton cover; teddy pillowcase and a throw for the cold side | The cover is the shared layer, so it should breathe; personalise with the extras. |
| Student in rented accommodation with no control over heating | Teddy fleece, or a Teddy Lazy Duvet | Fast warmth, quick drying on a radiator or airer, no cover to wrestle. A Lazy Duvet goes straight in the machine. |
| Older person who feels the cold, or who finds changing a duvet cover hard | Teddy fitted sheet and pillowcases, brushed cotton cover; or a Lazy Duvet | Warmth where it is felt most, breathable on top. A coverless duvet removes the hardest job of bed-making. |
| Child over 4 (cot and toddler beds need lighter bedding) | Brushed cotton, then flannelette | Children overheat easily; cotton is safer than fleece. Keep teddy to a throw. |
| Allergies, asthma or dust-mite sensitivity | Brushed cotton or flannelette, washed at 60 degrees if the label allows | Deep fleece pile holds dust; cotton washes hotter. |
| Tightest budget | Brushed cotton-rich flannel | Cheapest set in the comparison and the one that will suit the most nights of the year. |
Whatever the cover, check the duvet under it. A teddy cover over a 4.5 tog summer duvet will still be a cold bed in January. Our duvet tog guide for Ireland explains which tog you need for your bedroom temperature and how to read the GSM and warmth-class labels on Dutch and German duvets.
A duvet and teddy cover sewn into one piece, so there is nothing to wrestle into a cover and the whole thing goes in the wash. Popular with students, in spare rooms and with anyone who finds changing a duvet cover hard work. Designs and sizes shown are subject to availability.
How to build a warm winter bed in Ireland, layer by layer
People buy a warmer duvet cover and change nothing else, then wonder why the bed is still cold. The cover is one of five layers, and the two that touch your skin, the fitted sheet underneath and the cover on top, are the ones that decide how the bed feels when you get in. Here is the order that works, from the mattress up.
- Mattress protector. Not for warmth, for damp. A winter bedroom with the window shut and two people breathing all night is a humid place, and the mattress absorbs what the bedding does not. A washable protector keeps it dry and makes the bed feel fresher. Mattress protectors.
- Fitted sheet in brushed cotton or teddy fleece. This is the layer most people forget. A cold cotton sheet under you steals heat from your back all night. Teddy here is the single cheapest upgrade in this guide, and because you sweat less from your back than your chest, the breathability problem is smaller. Fitted sheets.
- The duvet. 13.5 tog for most Irish bedrooms in winter, 15 tog for a cold room, 10.5 tog in a well-insulated home. This is where most of the insulation lives, so get it right before spending on anything else. Tog guide.
- Duvet cover in brushed cotton, flannelette or teddy. Decide using the table above. If in doubt, brushed cotton.
- A throw across the foot of the bed. Adds one to two tog over your legs and feet, which is where most people feel cold first, and it is the layer you can push off at 3 am without disturbing the rest. Throws.
200 GSM teddy fleece with a 30 cm depth and full elastic. Warms the layer under you, which is the one most people forget. Pair it with a brushed cotton duvet cover if you run hot. Designs and sizes shown are subject to availability.
How to wash brushed cotton and teddy fleece without ruining them
Both fabrics are easy to care for, but they fail in different ways: cotton shrinks and lints, fleece matts and pills. A few habits keep them soft for years.
| Brushed cotton and flannelette | Teddy fleece and flannel fleece | |
|---|---|---|
| Wash temperature | 40 degrees normally; 60 degrees only if the label allows and you need it for allergies | 30 to 40 degrees, never hotter |
| First wash | Wash alone; expect lint. Clean the filter. | Wash alone or with other fleece; it attracts lint from cotton |
| Detergent | Any; avoid optical brighteners on dark colours | A little less than usual; residue flattens the pile |
| Fabric softener | Fine, but not needed | No. It coats the fibres, kills the softness and increases static |
| Drying | Tumble low or medium, remove while slightly warm; or airer, allow a day for 100% cotton | Cool tumble, or airer. Dries in a few hours. High heat matts the pile permanently |
| Ironing | Rarely needed; low heat if you must | Never |
| Pilling fix | A fabric shaver removes bobbles on older sets | Shake out while damp; a cool tumble with no heat re-fluffs the pile |
| Storage | Folded, in a dry cupboard; cotton in a damp hot press can smell musty | Folded loosely; do not compress in a vacuum bag for months |
| Life expectancy with weekly winter use | Five winters or more | Three to five winters; cheaper fleece less |
One more Irish-specific tip: both fabrics should go on the bed completely dry. Brushed cotton that is even slightly damp from the airer will feel cold and can leave the mattress damp underneath; fleece that is damp will smell. On a wet week, finish cotton off with twenty minutes in the tumble dryer.
Frequently asked questions
Is brushed cotton good for duvet covers?
Yes, for autumn and winter it is one of the best choices. Brushing raises a soft nap that traps a thin layer of air, so the cover feels warm the moment you get in, but because the fibre is still cotton it keeps breathing and absorbing moisture. That combination is why brushed cotton suits Irish bedrooms better than fleece for most people: warm on contact, without the clammy feeling polyester can give by 3 am.
Are flannelette and brushed cotton the same thing?
In bedding, yes, near enough. Flannelette is the traditional name for a cotton fabric that has been brushed to imitate wool flannel; brushed cotton is the modern name for the same finish. If there is a difference in practice, flannelette is usually 100% cotton and brushed on one side, while fabrics sold as brushed cotton are often cotton-rich blends brushed on both sides. Check the fibre content and the GSM rather than the name.
Is brushed cotton still 100% cotton?
Not always. Brushing is a finish, not a fibre, so a brushed cotton cover can be 100% cotton or a cotton-rich blend. Our Dreamhouse flannelette sets are 100% cotton at 160 GSM; our Sleeptime brushed cotton-rich flannel sets are 80% cotton and 20% polyester at 150 GSM, which makes them lighter, faster to dry and less prone to shrinking. Both are brushed cotton; only one is pure cotton.
What are the disadvantages of brushed cotton?
It sheds a little lint in the first one or two washes, it dries more slowly than polyester on an indoor airer, it can shrink if you wash it hotter than the label says, and it never looks as crisp as percale. It is also too warm for most people from May to September, so you will want a second, lighter set for summer.
What is another name for brushed cotton?
Flannelette, cotton flannel and, in older Irish and British usage, winceyette. In the United States it is usually just called flannel. Teddy fleece goes by sherpa fleece, borg fleece or teddy bear bedding, and flannel fleece is sometimes sold as coral fleece or velvet fleece. None of these are brushed cotton: they are all polyester.
Is teddy fleece too hot to sleep under?
For a cold, unheated Irish bedroom in January, no, it is exactly the right amount of warm. For a well-insulated home with the heating on, or for anyone who wakes up sweating, it is usually too much. Teddy fleece is 100% polyester, which does not absorb moisture, so sweat sits against your skin instead of being wicked away. If you run hot but love the feel, use a teddy fitted sheet or pillowcases with a brushed cotton duvet cover rather than teddy on every layer.
Can you tumble dry brushed cotton and teddy fleece?
Brushed cotton, yes, on a low or medium setting, and take it out while it is still slightly warm to avoid creases and shrinkage. Teddy fleece, only on a cool setting or not at all: high heat flattens and matts the polyester pile and it never recovers. Fleece dries quickly on an airer anyway, usually in a few hours, which is one of its advantages in a damp Irish winter.
Where to go next
Brushed cotton for most bedrooms, 100% cotton flannelette for draughty ones, teddy fleece for cold rooms and for the layers under you. Then check the duvet is warm enough to deserve the cover.
Prices and availability shown are correct at the time of writing and change with stock. For how the fabrics compare with smooth cotton, microfibre and bamboo for the rest of the year, see our duvet cover materials guide.
