down bag washing

[climbnsparky]

i bought a used down sleeping bag and i want to wash it. its got kind of a funky smell to it. i thought about throwing a dryell sheet with it in the dryer for a while to get rid of the smell. but if im gonna go through all that hassel i might as well just wash it.

 

anyone have any tips on how not to wreck it. its a marmot pinacle, so i kind of wanna keep it.

 

thanks

[olyclimber]

Western Mountaineering has some directions here:

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=Product%20Tips%20and%20Care

[ericb]

my two cents.....if you are poor, or have a lot of time on your hands, you can do it yourself. I think its a classic "what's the value of your time" question. I did some research a while back, and many recommend you use special down soap, and commercial washers and dryers. Others recommend hand wash and multiple rinses in a bathtub.

 

If you don't rinse the soap out thoroughly, you might do more harm than good to the down. I think down soap alone is ~ 15 bucks another $5 for a commercial washer/drier...plus sitting for a three hours in a laundromat. You could also spend quite a while carefully massaging it with multiple rinses in your bathtub with uncertain results. If it were my Bathtub, I'd also have to spend an hour cleaning it before I put my sleeping bag in there

 

I decided to drop it off at http://www.rainypass.com/ and have it professionally cleaned for $35....not that much more than the materials to do it per spec yourself, much less time, and proven methods. I personally wouldn't want to ruin a $350 bag (I have a pinnacle as well) to save $20.

 

BTW, the loft is now excellent and it is noticeably warmer.

[featheredfriends]

We recommend using special down soap. Woolite is also acceptable. FF sells down soap- $3.50 gets you a bottle of highly concentrated Thunder Down that will last you several washes.

 

There are 3 ways you can wash your bag depending on how much you want to be involved.

 

1. Wash by hand. Takes a lot of time and effort, but requires the least money. All you need is some soap, a bathtub, and water. The difficult parts are getting the bag completely submerged and thoroughly rinsing it. Be careful drying your bag at home. Smaller volume dryers will not work as well as the big ones at laundromats, and heat can be quite concentrated. Recommended for the most miserly cheapskates or for a rainy afternoon project when you have already color coded your gear.

 

2. Wash with machines. This is the most popular option. Take your bag, down soap, roll of quarters, six tennis balls, and a good book to your local laundromat. Use a front loading machine. The agitator in a top loader can wreck your bag. Turn bag inside out. This is especially important if your bag has some sort of high tech shell fabric. Wash the bag through one cycle, warm water with down soap. Wash the bag for a second cycle, warm water, NO soap. Gently transfer bag to high volume dryer, set to low heat, add tennis balls, and run for a long time. A long time might mean 2 hours. Low heat is important, since you don't want to melt the nylon or delaminate your fancy shell fabric. The tennis balls bouncing around will help break up the down clumps and will loft your bag up nicely.

 

3. Have someone else do it for you. Feathered Friends will wash our bags, jackets, and comforters for $25. If you don't have a FF bag, we recommend you take yours to Rainy Pass or Jack's Comforters/All About Down, both of which charge about the same for a bag wash ($35).

 

Washing your down bag is good for it. A clean bag will loft better, breathe better, and smell better than a dirty one.

 

[featheredfriends]

Oh yeah, a couple other points.

 

1. Don't dryclean your bag. Your bag will be FUBAR.

 

2. Don't use a degergent soap.

[dinomyte]

Thanks FF...just lurking, but always appreciate expert advice.

[climbnsparky]

yeah thanks guys the help is appreciated!!!!

...... anyone know of a good place in p-town to get a bag cleaned??

Edited September 24, 2006 by climbnsparky

[Chad_A]

Mountain Soles in Portland recommends these guys; I have no experience with them, however.

 

Please use Northwest Clean Gear

2038 SE Belmont St. #2

Portland, OR 97214

503-963-9700

www.nwcleangear.com

[northvanclimber]

Use a front loading machine. The agitator in a top loader can wreck your bag.

 

I just recently got a front loader, but it's a new "high efficiency" washer. as a result it doesn't really immerse the contents of the washer in a ton of water... any idea if it'll still work okay?

[dbconlin]

Pay a pro to do it. It is worth it.

[wfinley]

Ditto on the pay a pro. If you do it yourself you'll spend the better part of a day sitting around a laundromat.