Older Down bag, needs new life...

[House of Payne]

I spoke to a sales rep at a local outfitter today, part of the conversation leaned towards my gear and this came up. My bag is a 1983 WM summerlite and I know it has been cleaned in the past but maybe 70 uses ago and the loft seems to have suffered over time.

His suggestion is; using nik wax for down bags, fill the bathtub 1/4 full with warm water and cleaner, wash the bag thouroughly and rinse a minimum of 2x. Next he said I can use the clothes washer, using the spin cycle to work out some of the extra water. Then using low heat in a clothes dryer and using about 6 tennis balls to work the feathers from bunching, dry the bag.

Anyone else to comment? does this sound safe enough not to compromise the down power?

[Ironbelly]

Thats pretty much the jist of it. However, DO NOT use a top loading washer. Wash bag by hand, the nikwax for down is good there are also other options. Then rinse bag thoroughly to ensure all soap is out. DO NOT WRING the bag. Just gently squeeze/press it and let it drip most of the excess water out, then into the front loading washer on spin cycle to get more out. Then place in dryer on the low/delicate setting with a few tennis balls and let it go until dry.

Be careful when moving the wet bag, you can easily tear/damage the internal baffles when its wet because of the weight. So dont try and pick it up by one area, scoop it up instead and carry as much bag as possible when moving if that makes sense.

[Snowleopard]

I'm not sure about using the spin cycle of a washer unless it's a front loader, otherwise he's right. You can wash down a front loader on gentle cycle, but doing by hand might be safer. Be very gentle with it, don't twist it to get it dry, don't lift it while it's heavy with water, squeeze the water out gently.

[theoilman]

Just a thought, when you have to lift and move it heavy with water, use a couple of beach towels. That way you are spreading the load out, not lifting at a single point, and helping to dry excess water at the same time. Pat and press gently with at least 2 beach towels, do not wring. (I have never had to do this with a down bag, but used this idea when having to clean an antique comforter that was beginning to fall apart. Washed in a bathtub with woolite. Would woolite work with a down bag?)

[Jonnycat]

Before you put the bag into the water, stuff it into it's stuffsack. Put the stuffsack and bag into the water, then remove the bag from the stuffsack while it is submerged; this way the bag will pull in the water as it expands (otherwise you are fighting to push out all of the air).

As to the bathtub method, it works, but going to the local laundromat and using their largest capacity front-loader is SO much easier. Don't forget to run the machine through a rinse cycle before you use it in order to clear out whatever was left from the previous user.

[Sly]

If you wash it by hand in a bath tub and spin it in a washer (using only the spin cycle) I don't see what harm it can do. But like others said a large front loader at the laundromat is the easiest way to go. You'll also have the advantage of using a large dryer, be careful that it's on low heat. I've taken clothes out of dryer set on high I could hardly touch. That temperature would surely melt a bag.

[atraildreamer]

Washed in a bathtub with woolite. Would woolite work with a down bag?)

Use Ivory Flakes, made of pure soap, no detergent additives that can damage the down. Not that easy to find, but probably at the larger grocery stores.

[Linesman]

Would the 'hand wash" setting on a new top loader be safe to use?

[Toolshed]

OK, So I have a 1983 EMS Robson Long -25d Down Bag and I won't take it anywhere near a washing machine. This is nylon fabric and seams that are 30 years old - Nylon that old may start to disintegrated quicker if you use a spin cycle on a washing machine.
I agree on the bathtub method and I especially like the beach towel idea to support the weight. I would get it outside after washing it and let it dry in the shade (Sun also breaks down nylon). Evey so often, I would roll it over, run my fingers thru the down to unclump. It might take a day or 2 to dry, but it beats a blown seam or shredded section of nylon.

[Sly]

Would the 'hand wash" setting on a new top loader be safe to use?

I wouldn't try it, even with a new bag.

Also, it may be overkill, but I'd use a soap especially made for down. They claim it works better than normal soaps or detergents, and probably worth the money to protect your investment.

[bigcranky]

The problem with a top-loading washer is the agitator -- that big column in the middle with the blades that moves the clothing around during the wash and rinse cycles. That will shred a down bag's baffles, so that's why a front loader is recommended.

However, if you wash in a bath tub, you can use the spin cycle of a top-loader to get more water out of a bag, as long as you are careful and have as much water out as possible before putting it in the washer (and of course make sure you do the spin only.) Then put the bag in a drier on no-heat cycle for the rest of the day. I did all this with my WM Megalite this spring and it worked perfectly. YMMV.

[WalksInDark]

Having had inconsistent results in the past with hand washing down products, I recently used this commercial service: http://www.rainypass.com/services.htm and was very happy with the results.

When my bag came back, the bag was completely clean and the down's loft appeared to be exactly as tall as when the bag was new. What more could you ask?

[skinewmexico]

I was going to say Rainy Pass. Other than that, I'd follow the directions on the Western Mountaineering web site.

[ShaneP]

I had good success relofting down in the dryer employing static to make the fibers of the down stand up. In addition to the tennis balls, I added a fleece sweater and a bunch of old ragg wool socks. When I took it out it had as much as or more loft than new

[House of Payne]

Picked up some Nik Wax for down tonight. Appreciate the heads up on checking with WM Skin and I like the ragg wool socks with the tenis balls Shane. Gonna give it a go in the tub tomorrow.

[House of Payne]

Picked up some Nik Wax for down tonight. Appreciate the heads up on checking with WM Skin and I like the ragg wool socks with the tenis balls Shane. Gonna give it a go in the tub tomorrow.

So far so good! I have worked with the bag for a few hours now, mostly drying. The wash worked well, along with the color of the bag (a rich red color) there was also a hint of brown in the tub with it, trail dirt no doubt...

The tennis balls and wool socks are on the job now. Low heat and probably 2 hours into drying now the bag seems maybe 2/3 dry.