Washing down, insulated clothing in a top loading machine WITHOUT a central agitator

The main danger in washing a down sleeping bag in a standard top loader WITH a central agitator is that the twisting action could damage the internal baffles that keep the down compartmentalized inside the bag.
That is why they recommend a front loader washer since they don't have agitators.
That being said, some top loader washing machines have a "delicate" setting that locks the agitator in place. In this mode the drum simply sloshes forwards and backwards with the agitator fixed to the drum.
I have succesfully used a top loader washer in the "delicate" or no-agitate mode to wash my WM zero degree bag and my WM ultralight 20 degree down bags.
This is a huge "Your Mileage May Vary" statement.
I can only say it worked for me without any damage but i also made sure the washer did not agitate on that setting BEFORE i risked either bag. I watched the washer through a complete cycle to be sure first.. yea.. i had a lot of time that day.
I recommend soaking the down bag in the bathtub first before putting it into the washer.
This way the bag is already nearly neutrally bouyant in the washing machine and and parts are not being twisted or balloning out of the water with air pockets.
You can of course soak the bag in the washer but i found it much easier to pat down the bag in the tub to soak it completely. It was a lot easier to get all the air out in the tub than in the washer.
Be VERY careful handling a wet down sleeping bag in any case.

> Be VERY careful handling a wet down sleeping bag in any case.

Why is that? Are they particularly prone to damage when wet?

Is a pre-soaking still a good idea with a front-loader?

I don't need to wash my down quilt right now, but I will sooner or later :)

The wet down will be very heavy. The internal baffles are very thin material and the weight of the wet down can damage the baffles or the stitching holding them together.
I only presoak my bag in the tub because it is such a pain to do in the top loader.
I suppose with a front loader there is not really a need to do so.
The presoak just gets the air pockets out of the shell.

Gotcha, that makes sense.

Thanks for the explanation!

After watching a down sleeping bag expand in a commercial front loader (add with glass door to see the process inside), spend the time to get all the air bubbles out of your down bag. Think a few rinses afterwards are recommended to get the detergent completely out… oh deng.

Any machine WITHOUT AN AGITATOR will work. As has been explained in prior postings, the twisting can cause some damage. A LOCKED agitator is likely OK. I don't have one so it is hard to say. I have a newer machine without one, though it is a top loader. It is on delicate whenever I was my down stuff.

I didn't care for the front loaders, so didn't get one. The physics are wrong leading to amplified vibration and noise…premature wear. Gravity assists going spinning up(heavy) and resists going down(light.) They really want a concrete floor and heavy duty bearings…hence the term commercial.

I wash down fairly often. Once about every two weeks of use, depending. I dry it on a low heat setting in an electric dryer. Depends on your dryer. Heat is not that bad for down, but can easily destroy the shell material. Less than 140F is likely safe.

Use about 1/2-1/3 the mfg recommended soap. And a MILD, non-detergent soap. Well, most soaps are detergents to some degree. Woolite I have heard about being good, never tried it. I usually use down wash because it is cheap enough and insurance. Using small amounts means it will last a year or two. I often just add a couple tablespoons, since the bag is not usually dirty, it is more a little oily from my body, 'specially the hood. Sometimes my feet get pretty bad on longer trips, so, the bag will smell bad, too. Mostly water will wash that out.

Use the bag, but when you get back and start unpacking, it gets dropped in the dryer till I get the pack unloaded, replenished and a new "need to get" list thrown in for next time. Again, on a low setting…hmmm, also with three or four porcupine dryer balls. (Tennis balls work just about well.)

@ James.
You wash down gear every couple of weeks!
I'm actually amazed at that. The only down garment i've washed is my Montbell UL Down pants when they got dirty.
I've never felt the need to wash a down bag, despite some of them being around 20 years old.
Why do you wash them so often? Will that not strip the protective oils from the down?