Washing a down bag

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Ivor Tingting
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 9:57pm

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by Ivor Tingting »

Psamathe wrote:Article about the (potential) health impacts of dry cleaning https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/18/dry-cleaning-toxic-process-carcinogen-cancer

Ian


DO NOT DRY CLEAN A DOWN SLEEPING BAG OR JACKET AS IT WILL RUIN IT.
"Zat is ze reel prowoking qwestion Mr Paxman." - Peer Steinbruck, German Finance Minister 31/03/2009.
Ivor Tingting
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 9:57pm

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by Ivor Tingting »

leftpoole wrote:Hello,
I have machine washed (at home) a very expensive 4 season down bag. Used down wash liquid and tumble dried in the machine. I recall the drying took around 60 minutes and I took the bag out of the machine around 6 times to shake it up. The bag turned out clean and seems as good as new.
John


What my seem dry to the touch on the surface is likely still damp in the middle of the down. Down bags rot from the inside. It is unlikely that after 60 minutes of drying your bag was properly dry ALL the way through. You could tumble dry one for a whole day in a domestic dryer and it will cost a fortune and still not get the bag dry in the middle. A specialist cleaner would be my choice.
"Zat is ze reel prowoking qwestion Mr Paxman." - Peer Steinbruck, German Finance Minister 31/03/2009.
Ivor Tingting
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 9:57pm

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by Ivor Tingting »

pjclinch wrote:I have been using down kit for the best part of 40 years, so have been known to wash it from time to time and I did a web page on it.

DIY works okay, but I've absolutely never regretted going to the extra expense of using a professional specialist down cleaner (I used to use Franklins, but they're sadly no more AFAICT). They do a better job, and in respect of the time = money equations you don't need to value your time very much to at least break even.

By using liners to help keep the bag cleaner in use I go several years between cleans. For down jackets I make a point of only using them in Proper Cold, and mine loft noticeably better than similar examples regularly used as day-to-day and pub coats. Prevention is better (and cheaper!) than cure.

Pete.



This ^^^^^^. For an expensive or precious bag synthetic or down, a liner is a must. Easier to clean a liner than the bag.
"Zat is ze reel prowoking qwestion Mr Paxman." - Peer Steinbruck, German Finance Minister 31/03/2009.
Ivor Tingting
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 9:57pm

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by Ivor Tingting »

robing wrote:It's not dirty at all, just gets a bit pongy by the end of a cycle tour. I guess I could go to cotswolds where I bought it from to see what they say. When I'm not using it I hang it up to air and it seems ok. So I might just leave it! I've been careful never to get it wet and use a liner.


What make of bag is it? If it's a Rab bag, Rab offer a cleaning service which has been about £35 this year for their bags and a bit less for down jackets or coats. They will clean any of their bags or jackets even non down if you so wish. They have large industrial dryers so your bag or jacket comes back like brand new if there is no damage to it. Rab also deflock all the down so it lofts properly therefore keeping you warm as it should. Also them washing it means it is done properly and their life time warranty is maintained. These days hydrophobic down is pretty moisture repellent. If you get a sleeping bag wet whether synthetic or down you have a problem getting them dry as they take an age to dry even in the height of UK summer. Don't even bother trying to clean one in a UK winter as you will NEVER get it dry. If you are going to clean it yourself do it in summer.
"Zat is ze reel prowoking qwestion Mr Paxman." - Peer Steinbruck, German Finance Minister 31/03/2009.
Bonefishblues
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Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by Bonefishblues »

Ivor Tingting wrote:
leftpoole wrote:Hello,
I have machine washed (at home) a very expensive 4 season down bag. Used down wash liquid and tumble dried in the machine. I recall the drying took around 60 minutes and I took the bag out of the machine around 6 times to shake it up. The bag turned out clean and seems as good as new.
John


What my seem dry to the touch on the surface is likely still damp in the middle of the down. Down bags rot from the inside. It is unlikely that after 60 minutes of drying your bag was properly dry ALL the way through. You could tumble dry one for a whole day in a domestic dryer and it will cost a fortune and still not get the bag dry in the middle. A specialist cleaner would be my choice.

It's a good point, I had meant to reply thus when I saw this drying estimate. My wife's 3/4 length down coat took way longer than this to dry, I recall.
thirdcrank
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Re: Washing a down bag

Post by thirdcrank »

Ill repeat my point above that the only way to ensure that something is as dry when you have finished as it was when you started is to weigh it. Especially when still warm to the touch straight out of s dryer, something that feels dry may still be holding quite a lot of water.
Bonefishblues
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Re: Washing a down bag

Post by Bonefishblues »

Good tip
leftpoole
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Re: Washing a down bag

Post by leftpoole »

Bonefishblues wrote:
Ivor Tingting wrote:
leftpoole wrote:Hello,
I have machine washed (at home) a very expensive 4 season down bag. Used down wash liquid and tumble dried in the machine. I recall the drying took around 60 minutes and I took the bag out of the machine around 6 times to shake it up. The bag turned out clean and seems as good as new.
John


What my seem dry to the touch on the surface is likely still damp in the middle of the down. Down bags rot from the inside. It is unlikely that after 60 minutes of drying your bag was properly dry ALL the way through. You could tumble dry one for a whole day in a domestic dryer and it will cost a fortune and still not get the bag dry in the middle. A specialist cleaner would be my choice.

It's a good point, I had meant to reply thus when I saw this drying estimate. My wife's 3/4 length down coat took way longer than this to dry, I recall.

Hello,
It was some time ago. It was an estimate of poor memory. I had a wife then and she was responsible for doing it. I recall a morning spent on it and so the drying may have been longer. The time of an hour was an 'off the cuff' remark.
AllI know, is that it worked very well.
There are always others who like to make a point!
Regards,
John
Bonefishblues
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Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by Bonefishblues »

leftpoole wrote:
Bonefishblues wrote:
Ivor Tingting wrote:
What my seem dry to the touch on the surface is likely still damp in the middle of the down. Down bags rot from the inside. It is unlikely that after 60 minutes of drying your bag was properly dry ALL the way through. You could tumble dry one for a whole day in a domestic dryer and it will cost a fortune and still not get the bag dry in the middle. A specialist cleaner would be my choice.

It's a good point, I had meant to reply thus when I saw this drying estimate. My wife's 3/4 length down coat took way longer than this to dry, I recall.

Hello,
It was some time ago. It was an estimate of poor memory. I had a wife then and she was responsible for doing it. I recall a morning spent on it and so the drying may have been longer. The time of an hour was an 'off the cuff' remark.
AllI know, is that it worked very well.
There are always others who like to make a point!
Regards,
John

And others who take constructive comments as personal criticism too, perhaps? If not dried properly a down bag can be ruined, which is why the comment was a useful one.
philsknees
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Location: St. Ockport

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by philsknees »

Update for 2021. Not intended to be exhaustive but listing companies which I,or acquaintances, have used successfully or had good reports.
There's mention upthread of Franklin's who's specialist down washing/drying machines went to Elite Cleaning and Aftercare in Rotherham who charge £37 for a standard down clean on a sleeping bag. Details online. I've used Franklin's very satisfactorily but not used Elite.
I've recently used Rab's own laundry/repair service very successfully. Their basic laundry price for a bag is £45 but that includes postage both ways and they mail you a prepaid/addressed heavy duty paper sack to send it off. Repairs are charged by size (mine was a small burn hole and they invisibly replaced half a panel using existing stitch lines - very impressed). Rab products only. Website. online under Rab Service Centre
PHD use & recommend Classiclean at Harrogate who charge £41 including return postage. Initial p&p is down to you. Good service and I can recommend them. Website online.
Also Lancashire Sports Repairs at Burnley offer a basic bag wash for £30. Also bag repairs. No experience of their bag washing service but have had boots repaired satisfactorily by them. Online.
Scottish Mountain Gear, Musselburgh come widely recommended in the hillwalking/climbing sector, charging £35 for a basic wash but also offer down removal/replacement washes for badly soiled bags. Also repairs.
Some of the above will add down waterproofing treatment for about a fiver extra. Those asked to carry out repair work will normally require the bag to be cleaned. All prices show online at May 2021.
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simonineaston
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Re: Washing a down bag

Post by simonineaston »

Thanks for that :-) v. useful
I've had very mixed results DIY-cleaning down kit, varying from The Garment Was Never The Same, to It Came Out Nice And Clean But Didn't Have The Same Loft - I'd be tempted to use Rab's service.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
iandusud
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Joined: 26 Mar 2018, 1:35pm

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by iandusud »

Yes, thank you, especially as Classiclean are just around the corner from me and I didn't know of their existence!
philsknees
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Joined: 14 May 2017, 2:29pm
Location: St. Ockport

Re: Washing a down bag

Post by philsknees »

Thanks for the positive response, guys. I was a bit afraid the prices being quoted would simply bring howls of dismay!
Most of my camping is done in winter, avoiding the crowds and this year's lockdown was an incentive to give my bags a decent check over and "service", possibly with a view to thinning them out. Hence the online research.
Laundry costs do seem expensive but having ruined a couple of bags several years ago, despite very careful home washing and drying, and with a view to the steeply rising cost of decent quality bags, I consider it a price worth paying. (To put it in perspective one quality -5C bag I bought 10 years ago for £292 would now cost £565 to replace like-for-like!)
My experiences put Rab and Classiclean at the top of my list, despite being the two most expensive. Rab, in particular, make the whole procedure so easy for the customer, though they'll only wash their own brand. Classiclean produce similar results for any make of quality down bag and know what they're doing - a no-brainer if you live nearby!
Both firms should return quality down bags lofting as new, though they won't be able to perform miracles on low quality, badly treated or incorrectly stored items.
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