View Full Version : Cleaning my down bag
Bulldawg
02-07-2008, 20:51
OK, don't beat me down on this, but I just got a 20 degree down bag off eBay. I know it probably ain't the best in the world since it is used, but hey, $40, I'll give it a try. So don't beat me down on that point.
Anyway, it has a terrible stench (they forgot to mention this in the auction. So ow do I wash this thing? I read all the stuff on the internet about washing it in your bathtub and then drying it at the laundromat. Well, I am not going to the laundromat, too many illegal immigrants there. So, can I just like lay it out in my garage for a day or three and shake it out occasionally?
What's the general consensus here to get this thing cleaned and dried without going to the laundromat? Thanks!
BTW, I also got a down US Army Extreme Cold Issue Down bag as well, no stench, but the thing weighs 5 pounds!!
Nightwalker
02-07-2008, 21:08
Use Woolite and the biggest front-loader at the laundromat. Dry it with 2-3 tennis balls. 25 cents on high, 25 on medium and the rest of the way on low.
I've washed my down bag many times this way, and it's no problem.
Easy; follow the instructions on the Western Mountaineering website.
shelterbuilder
02-07-2008, 21:16
OK, don't beat me down on this, but I just got a 20 degree down bag off eBay. I know it probably ain't the best in the world since it is used, but hey, $40, I'll give it a try. So don't beat me down on that point.
Anyway, it has a terrible stench (they forgot to mention this in the auction. So ow do I wash this thing? I read all the stuff on the internet about washing it in your bathtub and then drying it at the laundromat. Well, I am not going to the laundromat, too many illegal immigrants there. So, can I just like lay it out in my garage for a day or three and shake it out occasionally?
What's the general consensus here to get this thing cleaned and dried without going to the laundromat? Thanks!
BTW, I also got a down US Army Extreme Cold Issue Down bag as well, no stench, but the thing weighs 5 pounds!!
Sorry, John, but you're going to HAVE to go to the laundrymat for both the wash and the dry - here's why:
If the bag smells 1/2 as bad as you indicate, it needs to be THOROUGHLY washed - you need to use a FRONT-LOADING washer for this, since the agitator of a top-loading washer can (even on delicate cycle) rip the internal baffles of the bag, and then it's trash. The front-loader will safely agitate the bag better than you can do in your bathtub. (Besides, do you REALLY want "hiker-funk" ring-around-the-tub???) You can use Woolite, but spend the money and buy a bottle of a really good down cleaner. Once the bag is washed, CAREFULLY lift - do not pull or tug - the bag while supporting it from underneath (wet, even damp, down is heavy, and that weight can tear out those internal baffles) and transfer it to one of those big laundrymat dryers. Add several tennis balls (or a pair of clean sneakers) to break up the clumps of down and generate a slight static charge (which will encourage the down to re-loft) and dry slowly - slowly - slowly.
If you rip an external seam, you'll have down floating all over (either in the washer or in the dryer). Gather up as much of it as possible and SAVE IT because you can re-insert it into the bag and sew up the hole and still get many years of use out of the bag (I know: this happened to me once).
Don't use regular laundry soap - it will strip the natural oils from the down. Don't dry the bag too fast - you don't want to cook it.
Do be prepared for the funny looks on the immigrants' faces when they see you throw tennis balls into the dryer.
Do try NOT to laugh when they stare at the dryer that's making the funny "boom-boom" noises.
Try gentley washing in the bath tub with Woolite, rinse multiple times, again in the bath tub. Drain bath water and let bag "drain" in the bottom of the tub for a couple of hours (pushing down on the bag every so often to help wring out excess water), then carefully stuff it in a large pillow case, take outside and twirl around a bunch to force the remaining water out (kind of like the spin cycle on a washer).
Lay the bag flat on multiple layers of absorbent material (cotton towels, newspaper, etc.) to dry. Carefully turn the bag over every so often onto new absorbent material. A fan will speed drying. Do not let the bag freeze while damp.
When the bag is dry (outside and inside) fluff-up with your hands.
Or, you could just pay someone to take your bag to the laundrymat along with their clothes.
shelterbuilder
02-07-2008, 21:46
...Or, you could just pay someone to take your bag to the laundrymat along with their clothes.
There you go, John - the best of both worlds!:D
Bulldawg
02-07-2008, 22:27
Well, let me guys tell you this. The army extreme cold bag, I weighed it a little over an hour ago. It weighs 5 1/2 pounds. But let me tell you this. I went outside on the open back porch. I got in this thing. I laid there almost an hour. It is 34 here according to my thermometer, I was cold in my shorts and tshirt until I got inside this bag. And I am laying here on my porch, no pad or nothing, and an hour later, I'm literally sweating.
I am lying there the last half hour thinking, what other weight can I cut back on to be able to carry this heavy sleeping bag, because this is awesome. So I have some thinking to do on the whole thing.
Bulldawg
02-07-2008, 22:29
Oh yeah, I think this thing is so heavy because it's shell is not nylon. It is a fabric almost like denim on the outside, I'm not real sure what it is. The inside is nylon, but man it is thick, you can feel it and tell it is heavy. On top of that it has the draft tube up the zipper on the inside and on the outside it has another tube of down that snaps over the zipper. Heavy, but I've never been so warm.
superman
02-07-2008, 22:37
Use Woolite and the biggest front-loader at the laundromat. Dry it with 2-3 tennis balls. 25 cents on high, 25 on medium and the rest of the way on low.
I've washed my down bag many times this way, and it's no problem.
Go with what works. Go to a different laundromat.
Bulldawg
02-07-2008, 23:15
We have no rain here for a few days. I'm gonna hang it out on the back deck for a few days to see if that may help. It sort of smells like it may have been hung in a basement. I am thinking of hanging my bags in my attic on the rafters. How's that gonna work out for me?
envirodiver
02-08-2008, 12:30
Removed
OK, now.... we need to get this bag clean... if you have a suggestion, please post, otherwise shut up.
Bulldawg
02-08-2008, 21:36
It has been outside on the porch since last night and it is a WHOLE lot better. I am going to let it spend the weekend out there. Then I may make an overnighter with it. If the smell bothers me after that, I will either go to a laundromat or find a dry cleaner who is experienced with down. Thanks!
Oh yeah, I think this thing is so heavy because it's shell is not nylon. It is a fabric almost like denim on the outside, I'm not real sure what it is. The inside is nylon, but man it is thick, you can feel it and tell it is heavy. On top of that it has the draft tube up the zipper on the inside and on the outside it has another tube of down that snaps over the zipper. Heavy, but I've never been so warm.
Are you sure it's a down bag? Usually "down" and "heavy" aren't in the same sentance.
I just got a new down bag and was amazed at how light it was. I was warm yet could not feel that which made me warm.
shelterbuilder
02-09-2008, 11:29
Are you sure it's a down bag? Usually "down" and "heavy" aren't in the same sentance.
I just got a new down bag and was amazed at how light it was. I was warm yet could not feel that which made me warm.
The outer shell is probably some type of cotton duck or twill fabric - I don't know about the newer surplus bags, but I know the older ones used to use HEAVY (high thread-count) cotton to keep the down and/or feathers from working their way out. The military is not known for quickly embracing new technology in its clothing.
shelterbuilder
02-09-2008, 11:34
It has been outside on the porch since last night and it is a WHOLE lot better. I am going to let it spend the weekend out there. Then I may make an overnighter with it. If the smell bothers me after that, I will either go to a laundromat or find a dry cleaner who is experienced with down. Thanks!
John - FYI - there are 2 types of dry cleaning solvents that have been in common use for years. One will strip the natural oils out of the down, the other will not. I don't remember which is which, but you don't want to use a dry cleaner that uses the solvents that will strip the oils out. The dry cleaner may have experience cleaning down, but ask them which chemicals they use before you commit to this.
I have had great kuck over the yaers with using a down cleaner that I bought off of the Campmor site. I bet it would clean the heavy outside part of this bag as well.
Just clean it in the tub with Woolite already. I'm sure it's less trouble than this thread has been.
Egads
envirodiver
02-10-2008, 22:07
...........
shelterbuilder
02-10-2008, 23:04
How did this guy get off the hook so easily? How about an apology, or admission regarding his bigotry against mexicans.
Let it go - sometimes, you have to know which battles to pick. Ain't nobody gonna win this one....;)