Washing a down bag
Washing a down bag
My down sleeping bag could do with a wash but it won't fit in the washing machine. Any ideas? And what are the washing and drying recommendations?
Re: Washing a down bag
I quite like the information supplied with Alpkit bags.
https://www.alpkit.com/support/stickies ... eping-bags
https://www.alpkit.com/support/stickies ... eping-bags
Yma o Hyd
Re: Washing a down bag
I would send it off to be cleaned by a specialist. If you try doing it yourself you are likely to ruin it unless you have both the luck of the Irish and the patience of Job.
Re: Washing a down bag
I washed one myself, in the bath, basically the instructions on the Alpkit website, it went OK but took the best part of a week by the time I'd got it dry. It came out as good as new. I know someone who ruined a good bag, so it is a risk, I don't know what they did wrong, maybe they tried to rush it, which you just can't do. By the time you've paid postage it's £50 to have it done professionally, weather you think that's worth it might depend on how you value your bag. I might have a go myself on a £100 bag but not a £400 one!
The other thing of course its to minimise how often it needs doing, I'm not great at that, but I do sometime give it a wipe down at the end of a tour. It's such a pain that if I were buying again I'd get synthetic, I'd take the weight/bulk hit for the convenience.
The other thing of course its to minimise how often it needs doing, I'm not great at that, but I do sometime give it a wipe down at the end of a tour. It's such a pain that if I were buying again I'd get synthetic, I'd take the weight/bulk hit for the convenience.
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Re: Washing a down bag
meic wrote:I quite like the information supplied with Alpkit bags.
https://www.alpkit.com/support/stickies ... eping-bags
I've never owned a down sleeping bag, even less washed one, but I have washed other down-filled stuff with what I judged to be complete success. That's in spite of assuming that washing it would inevitably wreck it. The stuff I've washed - a posh coat belonging to one of my sons, and several goose-down pillows - was all small enough to go in domestic-size washers and tumble driers, so I can't comment on laundrettes in this context.
One thing I would add to that alpkit advice is that I checked that mine was properly dry by weighing it before and after. I found that a pillow which felt dry to the touch could have a couple of hundred grammes of water still in there.
So, I'd suggest that meic's link is an excellent one and I'd suggest that anybody worried like I was about having their stuff take the plunge, might try it out on a smaller item.
- Heltor Chasca
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Re: Washing a down bag
Bath for me too. With our down stuff I prefer to do it in the summer on a windy day. Keep shaking the down so it doesn't dry in clumps. In the winter, things aren't as sweaty, but can be muddy, and you can just wipe that off. I choose not to do washing of expensive stuff in the winter. The exception is my 7yod's down coat which gets grubby. But it's so small and was very cheap. I can dry it properly inside or in a cool tumble dryer. That worked surprisingly well. Are you brave enough to take your stuff to a professional cleaner or laundromat? Doable, but I have heard one horror story with a friend's Ajanjulak (?) sleeping bag.
Unrelated, but I also only wash our sheepskins and wool blankets in the summer.
Unrelated, but I also only wash our sheepskins and wool blankets in the summer.
Re: Washing a down bag
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.
Re: Washing a down bag
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.
There's plenty of advice on the web about removing smells, from vinegar to charcoal, I haven't tried any of them, but I can't see you've anything to lose by trying some of them.
EDIT - Here's an example
http://www.getsmellout.com/how-to-get-s ... eping-bag/
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Re: Washing a down bag
For the money, send away to a specialist every time, I'd suggest.
Re: Washing a down bag
I have not washed mine yet. The manufacturer, Enlightened Equipment from US, does use a very thin and lightly coated fabric that does not seem to grab much dirt.
After several nights, it has a faint smell like grass, but that is pleasant to me. Perhaps the reason why it didn't catch body odour is also because I sleep with the emergency baselayer, which is clean and dry, and merino boxers.
By the way, mine are all "sleeping quilts", so they are a lot easier to deal with and especially better to hang out to dry. When I washed one of the synthetic ones (because it got muddy) it took very little, but that is also because the Climashield Apex insulation does not absorb water
When will be time to wash the down filled quilt, I will follow the instructions like Alpkit says. I think is very important to not crush or squeeze the down.
After several nights, it has a faint smell like grass, but that is pleasant to me. Perhaps the reason why it didn't catch body odour is also because I sleep with the emergency baselayer, which is clean and dry, and merino boxers.
By the way, mine are all "sleeping quilts", so they are a lot easier to deal with and especially better to hang out to dry. When I washed one of the synthetic ones (because it got muddy) it took very little, but that is also because the Climashield Apex insulation does not absorb water
When will be time to wash the down filled quilt, I will follow the instructions like Alpkit says. I think is very important to not crush or squeeze the down.
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since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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Re: Washing a down bag
Perhaps there's a balancing act between the risk of failure and the cost of professional cleaning (which I suspect will come with a big disclaimer anyway.)
It's quite a while now since I did my son's coat. IIRC, he was going to buy it with his first wage when he started his apprenticeship and I bought it for him and he's into his 40's now. When he wanted me to wash it, I predicted disappointment, as in "Don't blame me if it comes out a mess" in spite of the sewn-in washing instructions. After washing, the filling really did seem as good as new. When I washed the down pillows, my wife had been intending chucking them out because the ticking was grubby. She was pleasantly surprised with the results. I'm a reluctant tumble drier user, and generally only switch it on, on bright sunny days when my solar panels are churning out 3kw+ so the washing line is nearly as good, but tumbling dry seems to be part of the secret of success here. For anybody who had to use a laundrette to get a big enough drier, the cost of feeding it with whatever coins they now take would eat into the economies of D-I-Y vs professional care.
It's quite a while now since I did my son's coat. IIRC, he was going to buy it with his first wage when he started his apprenticeship and I bought it for him and he's into his 40's now. When he wanted me to wash it, I predicted disappointment, as in "Don't blame me if it comes out a mess" in spite of the sewn-in washing instructions. After washing, the filling really did seem as good as new. When I washed the down pillows, my wife had been intending chucking them out because the ticking was grubby. She was pleasantly surprised with the results. I'm a reluctant tumble drier user, and generally only switch it on, on bright sunny days when my solar panels are churning out 3kw+ so the washing line is nearly as good, but tumbling dry seems to be part of the secret of success here. For anybody who had to use a laundrette to get a big enough drier, the cost of feeding it with whatever coins they now take would eat into the economies of D-I-Y vs professional care.
Re: Washing a down bag
Article about the (potential) health impacts of dry cleaning https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/18/dry-cleaning-toxic-process-carcinogen-cancer
Ian
Ian
Re: Washing a down bag
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
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
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Re: Washing a down bag
I used to get mine done by my local Dry Cleaners (although washed, not dry cleaned) at a cost of about £20. However, after successfully washing and drying my down jackets I now wash my down sleeping bags myself. I can wash the 1-2 & 2-3 season bags in my own washing machine (8 kg load), on 'hand-wash' using 'down wash' or non-bio and leave outside to dry for most of the day before transferring to my tumble dryer. I do the same with my other sleeping bags except I use the industrial size machines in the nearest laundry.
I've never had a problem and feel more confident to wash after every trip rather than just once a year with a specialist!
I've never had a problem and feel more confident to wash after every trip rather than just once a year with a specialist!
Re: Washing a down bag
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.
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.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...