Washing down sleeping bags

“How to properly was the odor out of down sleeping bags. I read on a google search to always follow the directions on the bag. I have also heard of problems with doing so. I have also heard to bring it to an experienced down bag cleaner.

Can anyone provide us some links for us to follow, advice, experiences, etc....

Maybe airing them out and spraying them with febreeze, although that won't remove the body oils....”

“Is there a blood stain?”

“Inquiring minds want to know.”

“yall seen that bleach commercial where the guy is diving into bed and they show the body sludge of dead cells and oils?

gross huh”

“Who went to Baxter and didn't come back?”

“http://www.fieldandtrek.com/ft1/tech_guide.asp?currency=GBP&mscssid=FAR6KFCFD37F8G29VE2HAV55K2V3D71A" TARGET="_blank">nice gear guide

Although they just tell you to get a pro to do it.
Lizs had her problems washing down.”

“How did you finally make out? I remember you had a thread on this subject, but I am unable to locate it. Can you help?”

“After you clean the funk off, make sure you buy a liner and use it all the time. A simple cotton liner will save the life of the inside of the bag.”

“Don't ever ask liz how she "made out", LOL. You might not get the answer you wanted!”

“well what about synthetic bags...anyone got any easy ways to clean those...”

“i use water to wash it down, but some people use coke or pepsi for a chaser....”

“From Western Mountaineering web site....

... At some point you'll need to clean your bag. Don't let this frighten you! The best way is to hand wash it in a bath tub or you can use a front loading washing machine. Never use a top loading or agitator machine as this can damage the baffle construction. Only use a soap especially prepared for down products. Dry cleaning is not recommended since the solvents can strip away natural oils contained in the down.

When you hand wash, fill the tub with warm water, add down soap and put the bag in the tub. A tip here is to keep your bag in its stuff sack and put the whole thing underwater. That way air has already been forced out of the bag and you won't have to fight air filled baffles floating to the surface. A DryLoft™ bag should first be turned inside out before being put into the tub. Carefully pull the bag from its stuff sack and gently knead the soapy water through the bag.

It may be necessary to change the soapy water more than once, but don't over do it. When you are satisfied that your bag is clean be prepared to rinse it with clear water several times. It is important that all of the soap is removed from the down before it is dried. If in doubt rinse again; five or more rinses are not uncommon. Do not wring water from your sleeping bag, instead roll it up tightly and carefully. A washing machine that will allow you to select the last spin cycle will remove a lot of water and save dryer time. Find a large dryer with good heat control, and set to low heat. Be sure there are no nicks, burrs, or other sharp items inside the dryer that may damage the shell fabric on your bag. Feel around inside the dryer with your hand to be certain. Once you begin drying, watch for hot spots on the dryer drum that could melt the nylon shell. If in doubt use the no heat setting. A couple of clean tennis balls tossed in with the bag will help break up clumps of down and give you something to look at. Be careful! Don't just tumble your bag till it feels dry, that may not be enough. Carefully feel the down insulation. If you still feel lumps, no matter how small, then your down is still wet! Break a twenty and add more quarters. It may take two or more hours depending on your bag, but you will have a clean sleeping bag back to its original loft....”

“yupp, I wash it in my front loader. Walmart has a pretty cheap laundry detergent specially for gore-tex and down. I think I always pay about $4 for 34 fl. oz. Suppose to last 34 washes.

also removes any bad odor your stuff may has.I use this stuff pretty much on all of my hiking gear.

oh, oh, oh...and guess what....it REMOVES BLOOD STAINES!!! Now what more do you want??”

“Synthetic bags can be washed in a manner similar to down bags. Biggest benefit is they don't hold as much water during washing and rinsing, and they will be fairly dry by the time you toss it in the dryer. They dry a lot faster too. You also have to dry them on low as most of the better synthetic insulations (like Polarguard) can be damaged by high heat.”

“wow, I guess my ears musta been ringing!! LOL! So I am infamous for washing down bags. LOL!

I had to look to find the horror story, much as I didn't want to relive it!!!

Here it is *shudder!!*

I think I washed it twice. It still kinda stunk, much to my dismay. I think I put it outside in the sun to air out for days on end. I *may* have put Febreeze on it, the spray kind... don't remember.

Good luck and god bless to anyone washing a down bag!!!!! EEEEK!!”

“REI Loft II Insulation Cleaner $4.75

Nikwax Down Wash - 10 oz. $8.75”

“I used something called Sport Wash, I think (look for a thread on it). You can get it in the WalMart hunting dept.”

“i love my front loader.....”

“I love your front loader, too, stratdewd! >;O”

“White King D.”

“Down Suds made by Olympic Mountain Products. The bottle has instructions on washing (hand or front loader) and drying.”

“I've yet to wash our down bags as they are fairly new and so far we've used a iner with them. As far as washing my at home down blanket... take it to a laudrymat and use a front loader on the delicate/gentle cycle. Only use a very mild detergent, either one specificly made for cleaning down or woolite gentle stuff. No heat/fluff dry, with a pair of clean tennis shoes to agitate. So far so good. I paid more for this down blanket than I did both down bags so... I'll go with this for cleaning the bags when I need to.”

“We have one of those new front loaders. We did take that into account when we bought the expensive thing. We knew we'd want to wash them at home. So.... now we gotta get brave and get the down suds and do it!!!!”

“Just remember my experience with heavy, wet down; tennis balls; and a dryer. A baffle broke on the bag...........”