Care Instructions for Down Sleeping Bags

Washing and Drying

A quality down sleeping bag can last for decades if cared for properly! Washing a down bag is an involved and time-consuming job. If you have any doubt about washing it yourself, please send your bag to a down cleaning service. The washing cycle can be done in most large household washing machines. The most difficult part of this process is the drying.

Your down sleeping bag should not be washed frequently, especially after just a few uses. Many people will never wash their sleeping bag during its lifetime. If your bag smells or has lost significant loft due to sweat and grease, it’s time for a wash.

Sleeping bags should be washed in a front-loading washing machine only (do not wash in machines with an agitator), though we recommend hand washing in a bath.

Machine Wash

Bags should be washed with warm water (not hot) on a delicate cycle using a specialist down cleaning product such as Nikwax Down Wash. The spin cycle should be on low. The bag will require up to 3 additional rinses. Make sure no trace of soap remains in the sleeping bag before starting the drying process.

Remove your sleeping bag from the washing machine very carefully. The extra weight of the wet down can cause internal stitching to fail. At this point bag may look flat, empty, and with the down collected into little hard lumps. Don’t worry.

The next stage is to allow the sleeping bag to drip dry and air dry for a while to start the drying process – don’t hang it over a line but lie it flat on a rack or across a rotary washing line.

Drying Instructions

Dry the sleeping bag in a tumble drier. The tumble drier should be as large as possible but do not use a laundromat unless you really trust the temperature setting. Use the lowest heat setting. You can use clean tennis balls or other soft objects to help break up lumps of down. The drying process may take many hours and should be checked occasionally to ensure the bag is not getting too hot. Once much of the bag seems dry, begin to break apart any small lumps of wet down. Once the lumps are loosened, continue drying and repeat this process until the bag is completely dry and no further lumps can be found. When you are sure that the bag is thoroughly dry, leave it to air on a flat surface for 24 to 48 hours.

To Hand Wash a Bag

Fill a bath tub with lukewarm water and add your down cleaning solution. If the sleeping bag has an outer Durable Water Repellent (DWR) – turn it inside out.

Place the bag in the water and gently immerse it, gently agitate it to mix the water through the filling and fabrics. Leave it to soak for a little while then agitate again.

When the bag is wet you risk tearing the internal baffles that keep the down in place so treat it gently. To minimize this risk lay the bag flat in the bath and press the water through the bag.

After the wash process, make sure the bag a thoroughly rinsed of any soap! Rinse up to 3 times.

Once rinsed thoroughly, carefully slide the bag out of the bath into a container to avoid straining the baffles.

Then spread the bag out in warm, well aired place to dry, turning it over regularly. A rotary washing line is ideal.

Finally, follow the tumble dry instructions from above.

Care Tips

We recommend using a sleeping bag liner whenever possible. A bag liner keeps sleeping bags cleaner, thus reducing the number of washes. Liners also increase the warmth of your bag by adding an extra layer!

During a trip air your bag by laying it out once you’ve got the tent up rather than leaving it until you go to bed. This allow the bag to collect air which creates it’s amazing loft and warmth.

Small stains and spills can usually be cleaned up with a damp soapy cloth.

Storage

During long storage times, down sleeping bags should be kept uncompressed mesh storage bag rather than in a tight stuff sack.