My Western Mountaineering Ultralite lost some of its loft. I measured it and discovered that it was almost an inch less than it should be, even after fluffing it up in the dryer. That explains why it didn't seem very warm on last summer's trips! I think the problem was that I had to stuff it in my pack damp and then had a couple days' drive (with damp down squashed inside a dry bag inside my pack) before getting home. Next time I'll leave the sleeping bag spread out in the car even if it does get full of dog hair!

I'm fortunate in that my son and daughter-in-law have three kids and, a couple of years ago, purchased a large front-loading machine (it's actually bigger than the one at my local laundromat) and a dryer to match. I bought ReviveX Down Cleaner and ReviveX Spray On Water Repellent as recommended on the Western Mountaineering website's product tips and care section.

First I washed my bed quilt, running it through a second full cycle with no detergent in hopes of getting the laundry detergent (not recommended for down because it strips the oils from the feathers) out of the machine. It didn't quite work, so I ran the machine through another cycle empty. This time there was no trace of detergent left in or around the dispenser, so I started the sleeping bag.

First, I put a third of the bottle of down cleaner in the detergent dispenser (that was almost too much for this high-efficiency machine). Then I folded up the sleeping bag, sat on it to squash it, then hurriedly put it in the washing machine. (This supposedly helps the bag soak up water more quickly.) I used the gentle cycle and ran the bag through two complete cycles. When I got done, I found a dripping blue flat blob taking up hardly any room in the machine. Unfortunately, my DIL's machine doesn't have an extra spin cycle, and the bag was dripping water. I therefore very carefully gathered up the blue blob, took it outside, and very gently squeezed out some of the extra moisture (I had previously washed the glass patio table out back). It was still extremely soggy, so I decided to run it in the dryer for half an hour before applying the water repellent spray. This worked out well; the fabric shell was still damp but no longer dripping. I took the bag back out to the patio table, sprayed the shell thoroughly and then returned the blue blob to the dryer (on low heat). I was very encouraged after a couple of dryer cycles to see that the flat blob was beginning to loft. After a couple more cycles, it actually resembled a sleeping bag! For the last two cycles, I alternated between turning the bag inside out and then back with the outside out. This seemed to work fine. There was no evidence of down clumps, so I didn't use any tennis balls.

About 9 hours after starting the process, I have what is essentially a brand new sleeping bag! In fact, the loft measures half an inch higher than when the bag was new! The DWR finish on the outer shell, which I tested with a spray bottle of water, also appears more moisture resistant than when the bag was new. There was no evidence that any down was lost during the process (believe me, I looked, since I was really nervous).

If you don't have a large capacity front-loading washer at home, you will have to spend the day at the laundromat with lots and lots of quarters. Washing in a top-loading machine will tear the delicate baffles (the dividers inside the bag that hold the down in place). You also need a large capacity dryer that will lift and drop the bag--not a big deal when it's a just-washed blob, but important when it's about half dry. As mentioned, this process takes a long time, so take a good book with you!

OM, My Dad used to refluff his bag in a large front loader. He would put in cotton storage bag and run through comercial dryer with no heat? He swore it returned loftier than ever?
I was enlightened to find that a warm dryer,revitalized my old Gore tex gear!. Glad to hear your bag came out well!

Nothing like a down item turning lofty!

Someone told me REI will clean down gear for a small sum. I may have to look into that. Handwashing and drying a down quilt took me all day! (No front loading washer here. )

Good going!

Same bag, same story. My Ultralite was getting flat and funky so I shoved it into our front loader, inside-out, with down soap, ran it through gentle wash cycle then many rinse cycles until no more foam appeared (the window is handy). I spun it at as high a speed as I dared myself to (the bloody thing goes to 1,600 rpm) then tumble dried it for what seemed like ever. Final dry required putting it into the sun for a day.

Didn't do before and after measurements but I could certainly tell it was fluffier. As important, it smelled good too!

Cheers,

REI sends their stuff to Rainy Pass in Seattle. May as well go direct to the source if you want to have the sleeping bag cleaned for you. Probably more expensive than the laundromat, though, so your only saving would be 8 hours of your time--which I know that a lot of folks don't have!

My husband tried to wash a bag himself once; he got to the laudromat when they opened and wasn't done when they closed. He had to drive 10 miles to another laundromat. Now we use Rainy Pass. They do a good job.

Nice Job!! Think that would revive some bags from the 60's?

It has been many years since I washed a bag but I too had good success.

It didn't take as long as you because the laundramat had a centrifuge (sp?). It was big and spun way faster than the spin cycle of a washer. The bag was almost dry after a few minutes of spinning. It greatly shortened the dryer time.

I returned to that laundramat the other day. Current owners don't have a centrifuge and didn't know what I was talking about. I think the centrifuge was losing them money because it cut down the dryer time so significantly. Too bad because it was a time and energy saver.

I've got to wash my bag and I'm really not looking forward to it. I wish I still had acess to a front load washer, I'm not looking forward to spending 4 or 5 hours at the laundry mat. If anyone is using a front loader and hasn't used one before make sure you cut back on the amount of detergent or cleaner you use depending on the brand of washer, a quater or a third the amount you use in a top load is plenty. I used to install and service them and you wouldn't believe how many people used way to much soap in them then complain when the soap doesn't all rinse out. Also as long as your washing machine has a rotary timer/cycle selector you can manually skip the wash and rinse portions of the cycle and use just the spin portion it works on any washing machine not just front loaders.

The down cleaner (ReviveX) I used was designed for front loading machines. However, in my DIL's high efficiency machine, a third of a bottle was a little too much. It didn't block up seriously, but I was getting a little worried for a while. Maybe 1/4 bottle instead of 1/3 would have been better. The 1/3 bottle should be fine in a commercial (laundromat) front loader.

It's suggested that you feel inside the washer and dryer before using to make sure there are no nicks or whatever that could damage your sleeping bag. You don't want regular laundry detergent in with your precious sleeping bag!

Also, be sure to read and heed the product care instructions on the Western Mountaineering website. They'll work regardless of the brand of your down bag.

Before you start, clean the detergent dispenser and then run a cycle with an empty machine.

Agreed. They sell low-sudsing detergent specifically for front-loaders. The regular stuff just mucks it up. Our water is moderately soft and a little coffee scoop is all we use per load.

Clothes last a lot longer in a front-loader, which was a surprise.

Cheers,

Hi, Guys-

"Mom" now has a front-loader. Before it was acquired, I washed many down bags and other down items in my top loader. However, I used the washer as a large tub. Put int he bag and fill with cool to warm water. I use Atsko Sport-Wash, which does a wonderful job. AGITATE BY HAND, soak briefly, agigate by hand again, drain, spin, rinse, spin, rinse. Get out as much water as is practical. I have mostly line-dried well spun bags and then fluffed them in the dryer. I'm not abaout to spend the day and a bucket-load of quarters at the laundromat.

Good Luck!

CamperMom

I've been cleaning my way through my old down bags and jackets using ReviveX trying to get ready for winter. We have a front end loader and everything seems to be working out fine for me following the directions. The hardest part is drying the item...this takes a while. I also have been running the item through the gentile wash cycle twice to remove all the cleanser before moving on to drying.

I have always heard from my parents to put a few tennis balls in with down comforters and sleeping bags when drying them in the dryer. I think this helps fluff the bag. Anyone else use this technique?

Great story on the bag, glad you had success, down is so great but needs constant care, I have had no real success with the expensive down bags but I loved the warm comfort, I spend over a hundred days a year in the outdoors and every bag I tried went bad for some reason or another after the season. Like zipper, a hole, stitches or smelled real bad. I don't know how some folks keep them for 20 years. I ended up getting a wally world totally synthetic long mummie for about $49. with liner for $19. I hand washed in bathtub in warm water with some dish soap and hung it on the line. The bag says good to 20F. When it gets worn and tagged and loses its fluff I'll just replace it with a new one.

??????

I wash my down quilts every other year, don't baby them, but take care not to leave them on the ground or take them out near fires. Air them out thoroughly after each trip, wipe off any visible dirt. No holes, tears, or other damage. No smells. No problems. They loft up great every time. No clue why it has to be hard to do this. After nearly ongoing use they are fine. No constant care by a long stretch - pack them, use them, air them, put them on the hangers, some weeks they go right back in the pack and go on the next trip.

My down bags have lasted for a long time. My first lasted seventeen years (until it was stolen). Its replacement has served well in pretty regular use for better than twenty-five years. It probably has lost a bit of loft, but it is still very serviceable. Since I had a fair amount of money invested in them, I tried to take reasonable care of them.

I just got a down sleeping bag (REI sub kilo) this past March and always have it hanging up instead of stuffed for storage. It doesn't take up much space and seems to help a lot!

Allison

http://4000-footers.blogspot.com/