Sleeping Bag Care Instructions
"You should only wash a sleeping bag when absolutely necessary; just a couple of times over the life of the bag. Bag insulations are fragile and their performance can be adversely affected if not washed correctly. If you have a bag with 750 down fill or higher, we recommend using a professional cleaner (such as) the following businesses:
Home Cleaning
All bags should be washed and dried in an oversized, commercial washer and dryer. Use a front load, tumble washer, not a top loading, agitator machine. Agitator washers can eat your bag! Wash all insulations in cold or warm water, not to exceed 140f. 'Dawn' dishwashing liquid is good for washing bags (insulated) with down or Polarguard insulation. Just be careful not to use too much dish soap because it is very sudsy.
"Down bags should be dried thoroughly at a medium heat setting. Pull the bag out during the drying process and break up the wet clumps of down so that they can dry completely. Be careful when pulling the clumps apart so you don’t damage the down. Make sure the bag is completely dry to avoid mildew. This could take two to three hours.
"Synthetic fibers won’t clump together during washing like down so there aren’t any clumps to break apart while drying. We recommend adding a fabric softener to the final rinse cycle to retain the aesthetics of synthetic fibers. Dry at a low heat setting and make sure the bag is completely dry.
"Do not dry clean bags. Dry cleaning solution is a petroleum-based solvent that will 'coat' the insulation and prevent it from re-lofting."
Thanks to BAP for this information!
