How to restore the loft of a down bag.

[Weiyi Wang]

My friend has a bag stored in a compression bag for quite a while (probably over a year). Now the down bag has lost its original loft. Is there a way to restore the loft? Some online websites suggest using a drier with lowest heat for 10-15 min. I want to ask the mighty BPL before trying that.

[EndoftheTrail]

Yes, throw it in the drier and let it tumble for a bit at low heat and see. If that doesn't work and if the bag has been used quite a bit and not been washed in a long time, he can wash (to get rid of accumulated oils and dirt) and dry it. If he's timid about washing, REI can do it for a pretty reasonable fee. If that still doesn't work, then it's time to buy a new bag.

[Bob Gross]

If I discovered one of my own sleeping bags that had been treated that way, I would shake it out to lay on the floor for a day. Then if it still looks too flat, I would put it in the dryer on zero heat, and then throw in some clean and clunky object, like a clean running shoe or a heavy plastic bottle. I would run it for 30 minutes, just to see what happens. You are likely to get some additional loft, but that may or may not be what you expected from its new state. If a good down bag does not recover much of its loft, you have to ask whether it was clean in the first place. If it had body sweat in it, that will knock some loft out.
–B.G.–

[Joe Clement]

Depending on what it cost, I'd probably send it to Rainy Pass and have them wash it.

[Raymond Estrella]

I would just wash it anyway.

I just brought an old Caribou Mountaineering bag that Dave doesn't want any longer to MN with me to see if I can revive it. (It is a monster down bag from the 80's)

Part of what is not allowing that stored bag your friend has to loft could be oils or dirt holding the clumps together, kind of like glue.

[Alex Gilman]

Toss it in the dryer no heat with poker chips.

[Roger Caffin]

> I would just wash it anyway.
+1

Cheers

[Mark McLauchlin]

I hand wash mine in the bath tub as there is a little more space than the sink. Then gently wring it by hand to remove the majority of the water.

Mine is then placed on a clothes rack, draping over the top in a ventilated (warm if possible) room, or outside under the patio until its completely dry.

You can put it in a tumble dryer if you wish, however I find them a little too rough.

Store it hanging up behind the bedroom door.

Cheers

[daltrey park]

I would take it to a laundromat and use one of the commercial washer and dryers. You may damage it using a smaller washer and dryer at home. When you throw it into the dryer add a couple tennis balls to keep the down from lumping. You can also buy special down wash if you want.

[EndoftheTrail]

There is nothing wrong at all with setting the dryer to LOW heat. Using no heat just means many, many hours of sitting and waiting — with no benefit whatsoever to the bag.

[Bradley Danyluk]

I actually melted a small hole in the outer fabric of a Mont-Bell bag in the dryer on LOW. It was where the fabric rubbed up against the air output grille. I think some fabrics are very heat-sensitive, so be careful.

[Nico .]

I washed all of our down sleeping bags and jackets/vests recently.

I used a special "soap" made for down garments/sleeping bags…I think it was the down cleaner/reviver made by McNett, although I've also heard of folks using a gentle soap like Ivory Flakes. The cleaner/reviver is designed to remove all the dirt and human oils without stripping the down of its natural oils.

Either wash the bag by hand in a bath tub or large sink or go to the laundromat and wash in a front-loading commercial size washer on gentle cycle and cool or cold setting. You do not want to wash your bag in a standard washer becuase the agitator will put a lot of wear on the fabric of the bag.

When you're done washing it, wring out by hand as much of the water as you can so that it will dry faster. Then you can either spread it out to dry on something like a laundry rack or throw it in a front-loading commercial dryer on low heat. Keep any eye on it just to make sure it doesn't get too hot (the tag on one of my bags melted believe it or not although the bag appears to be fine). I throw 3-4 clean tennis balls in with the bag to help break up down clumps. Check to make sure it's fully dry and that all down clumps have broken up.

Once dry, store the bag in a loose cotton or similar bag or hang it from a coathanger in your closet, etc.

[Patrick S]

its been said: hand wash, put it in a dryer on no heat with some clean tennis balls.

I like to put mine in the washer and run the spin cycle just to get all the excess water out before I put it in the dryer.

[Roy Staggs]

First, I would not recommend going to the local Laundromat to dry your expensive bag or even most home dryers because the temperature control may not be the best and you can damage your expensive bag. I had a bad experience with a home dryer and the temperature settings on the ones at the Laundromat are even more problematic. Unless you have a fairly new dryer with an extra low setting I would be a little nervous. You also need a large capacity front loading washing machine with a delicate setting. By the way, the tennis ball trick works very well. I have a half dozen in my gear room for that very purpose. I would recommend that you go here ( http://www.nikwax-usa.com ) and look at Tech Wash, Down Wash and Down Proof. I have used their products in the past and have been well satisfied. I bought my wife a new high capacity front loading washer and dryer because I wanted something large enough to clean gear. Please don’t tell her that was why I bought the pair!

[Eric Blumensaadt]

…try washing it in Nik Wax waterproofing to see if the waterproofing gives the down plumes more loft. Use a more concentrated amount, say 2 X as much as normal.

I have NOT tried this and I recommend it only as a last ditch effort.

BTW, Be SURE to wash the bag 1st, before waterproofing is applied in the next wash.

[Dave T]

western mountaineering has some info on washing bags. in general, i'd be really careful with machine washing a UL down bag, due to the thin fabrics, baffles, etc.

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=product-tips-and-care

[Curt Peterson]

I washed a down bag last night. Not only was the loft more impressive than I expected afterward, it lost a little over 2 ounces in weight! Must be accumulated dirt or moisture.

1. Weigh your sleeping bag on an accurate scale.

2. Wash in a front loader on delicate setting, add an extra rinse and extra spin if your machine has the option. I use Nikwax Down Wash and it works very well. There are others, but I'd stick with something made for the purpose.

3. Dry on low heat and check it every half hour. Break up clumps. Shake it around a bit. I don't think tennis balls are necessary, but they probably can't hurt.

4. Weigh the bag to determine when it's dry – NOT when it feels dry. You want to get all the moisture out, and your hands will never be able to determine this accurately. Use a scale and when the weight reaches its original weight (or even a little less) and stabilizes, it's done. Get it out and don't let it sit on the drum of the dryer. This may take a few hours.

I've done this several times with down bags and down jackets and never had a problem and the results are almost always amazing. Down is indeed an incredible thing as far as durability and performance.

[James D Buch]

There actually is an International Down and Feather Laboratory which promotes international tests and standards.

http://www.idfl.com/

http://www.idfl.com/articles/cleanliness.asp

Their discussion of care labels for down and feather items is below.

CARE LABEL — DOWN AND FEATHER PRODUCTS
Washing vs. Dry Cleaning

INTERNATIONAL DOWN AND FEATHER LABORATORY AND INSTITUTE Page 1 15 January 2008

Salt Lake City, UT 84105 USA CH-8500
Fax: +1 801 467 7711 Fax: +41 52 770 1574 Fax: +86 571 8389 9179 Cosultant ADFS/HFPA (USA)
email: [email protected]

Many companies and consumers are perplexed about care labels for down and feather products.
IDFL offers the following information.

Is Dry Cleaning or Washing better for the down & feather filling?

For the down & feather filling itself, washing is the better cleaning process for the following reasons:
• Down is very resilient. High temperatures and mild detergent do not affect the structure and
performance of down.
• The process of washing and tumble drying maintain the “puffiness” and Fill Power performance of
down. Fill Power is one measure of insulation quality for down. Good Fill Power is maintained and
improved by moisture, heat, and air circulation. The washing and tumbling process adds moisture,
heat, and air circulation to the down.
• Dry Cleaning may remove necessary fat & oils which can lower resiliency of down and possibly
make the down more brittle. Water and mild soaps can remove sweat and sweat residues, salts
and other material found in the fill material after long use (source: Rainer Weckmann, Hohenstein
Institute, Germany).

Are there cases when down products should be dry-cleaned?

The fabric is the most important consideration in the decision. If the shell fabric can only be dry-cleaned,
then the down product should be dry-cleaned. The consumer should discuss the cleaning with a reputable
dry-cleaning professional who has experience cleaning down products.
General Guides for different products
• Pillows: Pillows are the easiest product to wash in a home washer, unless the fabric requires dry
cleaning. The problem is proper drying. A pillow may take hours to dry.
• Comforters: Large comforters may not fit in most home washers. They should be washed in a
large scale laundromat washer or taken to a professional cleaner for washing.
• Jackets and Vests: Jackets and vests can successfully be washed, unless the fabric will not allow
it. Again proper drying is critical.
• Featherbeds: These are too large to be cleaned at home. These should be taken to a professional
who can help determine the best method of cleaning.
Are there alternatives to washing and dry-cleaning?
• The use of duvet covers reduces the need for frequent cleaning.
• Spot cleaning is a good idea for large comforters and feather beds.
• The European habit of regular shaking and airing out comforters can maintain loft.

What is the best possible care label instruction?

• There is no one best answer to this question.
• Warm water washing with mild soap and tumble drying until COMPLETELY DRY is ideal but does
not work in many cases because of fabric type or size of the product.
• The best thing for a consumer to do is to discuss cleaning with a cleaning professional

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