Recently I noticed my WM bag is starting to smell, how to say, like crap. I have heard horror stories about washing sleeping bags. Any help with products and techniques would be appreciated.
BlackRock
10-29-2009, 19:42
Buy some Nikwax or ReviveX then follow the washing instructions on the bottle. When you dry the bag toss in a couple of tennis balls along with it and run it on delicate or air dry. After one dry cycle pull the bag out and try to break up any wet clumps of down in the baffles then toss it back in for another cycle. Repeat breaking up clumps of down until everything is nice and fluffy. Your bag will come out looking like new.
Okie Dokie
10-29-2009, 21:43
Good advice there from BlackRock…
What’s stinking is the (waste products of ) bacteria that’s making a living off the body oils that have (mostly) accumulated on/near your sleeping bag’s liner…some of the odor may have found its way through the liner and “settled” into the fill…this would be true for regular heavy use…if it has been wet repeatedly, or if it’s a cheap bag with a cheap liner/fill, the problem can move into the fill…you might try airing it out for a day and see if it’s habitable, or still seems to need washing…a good airing does wonders for some odors and costs nothing but time…follow the bag maker’s recommendations regarding what soap to use if you’re concerned about your warranty…if you’re adventurous you can use regular laundry detergent…it doesn’t take much soap of any kind to emulsify body oils so they can be washed away…most people use way too much laundry soap…
Here’s what will save you some time (though at first it appears to add time to the process): wash it at home (if you can) or in a residential washer if available, and, after a regular wash cycle, spin it again and again - use the spin cycle alone for about 4 or 5 times…doing that you’ll find that the bag, though it hasn’t even been put in the dryer yet, just keeps getting lighter and lighter and lighter after each spin cycle…you’re slinging that water out vs. using more expensive dryer heat/air to remove it….if your bag has a Gore Tex (or other breathable/waterproof) shell you need to turn it inside out to wash, spin, and dry…ultimately, your goal, after washing, is to get the water back out…get as much out before putting it into a dryer as you can…if you have the time and good weather you can hang it out, doubled over, and let gravity help you…when it stops dripping squeeze the last water out of the low hanging ends and you’re getting close to having it ready to finish drying in a dryer…if your liner or shell is sensitive to heat (which will be hinted at in the bag maker’s cleaning instructions) give commercial dryers a wide berth…many will cook synthetics, and, in commercial dryers that are not in good working order (like many I encountered along the trail) the “low heat” or “no heat” settings may not work properly…take your bag out and check it every few minutes when you start drying it to be sure the dryer is working as you want it to and is not getting too hot…
If you’re at the mercy of commercial washing machines somewhere along the trail and short of time change all your paper money and loose change into quarters, find a good book, and pull up a chair…it’s going to take a while…
Avoid the agitator washers and use the front loading type only. the agitator can catch the bag and tear it up.