Time to wash my quilt?

Try tumbling cool to mildly warm first and see what happens. That said washing bags is no big deal in summer, by hand in a bath tub, drain well; then line dry in the shade for a week or so before tumbling. Use a proper down wash not laundry detergent. If you like dry down you can add the Nikwax at the rinse stage.

wash it. Chili smell 🤣🤮

Wash it according to mfr spec and it will be great. Guarantee the down will be happy.

I’ve washed mine okay.

Down wash – I used Graingers, but any brand is good.  Or Woolite.

Hand wash in tub.  If you use a machine you’re supposed to do a cycle with just water to clean out any detergent.

Multiple rinse cycles to get all the detergent out.

Dry in a machine.  Multiple cycles.  If you put in tennis balls it will break up the down clusters.

Remove from dryer.  Fluff it up really good.  Examine all the baffles to see that the down is evenly distributed.  Maybe put it dryer again.  Let it sit out for a few days to make sure it’s dry.  Re-fluff and make sure the down is all evenly distributed.

Or something like that

There are historical threads that talk about this

Before anything I’ll wipe the inside lining clean then follow-up with a little enzyme odor remover (more for the enzymes than anything else).

Then I pick a night at a nearby car campsite where the expected non-windy low is the same as that my quilt is rated at … and test it.  If it “passes”, then I don’t feel the need to further wash it.  Why risk a baffle blow out if not needed?

Granted I use dedicated sleeping layers after at least a bird bath followed by a couple wet wipes, even on long distance hikes.

I almost never wash my quilt

I wear long sleeve shirt and pants, even in summer.  Let them soak up any body oils and dirt so the quilt doesn’t get dirty.

Sometimes I notice the down has shifted from the top to the sides so it’s cold.  Then, shake it out and get the down back to where it belongs.

Down is twice as warm for the same weight as synthetic, but it has this drawback.

. ENLIGHTED EQUIPMENT How To Wash Your Quilt | Cleaning & Care .

I have never had a problem on the occasions I have washed a bag

The Woolite of today is not the Woolite of yesteryear.  I’d stick with Graingers, Nikwax, etc.       – my 2 cents.

yeah, down wash product better, good point

I wonder if using hard or soft water makes a difference for down? I’ve googled, but found no direct info on the topic. I imagine that harder water will require more down wash, and therefore more rinsing as well.

Anyone here have experience with this?

I agree with hand washing in a tub with purpose-built down cleaner. Rinse very, very thoroughly. Squeeze and push water out, don’t wring. When you  pick up the wet quilt out of the tub support it from underneath with your hands ans forearms or put  it in a laundry basket, don’t let any of it hang down (the wet weight can tear the baffles). I  prefer air only  / no heat in the dryer, which will take a while. Some clean tennis balls or dryer balls in the dryer will fluff it up.

Depending on where you live, you could always send it to a professional sleeping bag cleaning place like Rainy Pass Repair in Seattle if you don’t want to wash it yourself.

Thanks for the links and advice.