[Raymond]

Fact from fiction…(for down sleepinjg bags)

After having suffered from the cold I decided to get my One Planet Dandelion bag refreshed (great sleeping bag). An 0800 phonecall to Melbourne to discuss the requirements and here was the advice: just wash the bag correctly, oh but I had by using the Mt Victoria laundromat that was highly recommended – waste of time!!!

Here’s was what Lee from One Planet advised (she washes 2 bags per week).

Use about two tablespoons of children’s shampoo (very mild) in the pre-wash of a front loader washing washer (not F&P, but try Asko, AEG). Use the wool wash cycle for a gentle clean.

Stuff bag into a reverse cycle dryer (one that changes tumble direction, F&P dryers do this). Throw in a pair of clean thongs (jandals, not g-strings) and dry for 2hrs on a luke warm cycle. Pause for 20 mins or so to cool down.

Start drying cycle again and expect to wait for 4hrs (6 hrs in total). Bag should be out very lofted. If not, call your manuacturer.

By the way, 5 gms of down lofted is equivalent volume to about a 2 litre ice cream container, so a little lost down is no major concern!

[Simon Ward]

Alternatively, don’t burn all that precious electricity – wash your bag by hand in the bath, then dry your bag in fresh air, you know, the fast-moving kind found in Wellington. If you do this, let the washed bag drain in a bath for a while, the wet down is heavy and it’s possible to tear the baffles if you are not careful. A sunny northerly day is needed. The only disadvantage is that the down tends to clump, and a little manual teasing out of the down is needed – here the dryer has a distinct advantage (tennis balls work as well as thongs).

Once done, throw your heater away, snuggle into your nice down bag and smile about all the kilowatts you are saving!

[Lee Williams]

Great instrucions, very succinct. I think I will have to re write the instruction which we enclose with all our bags. Obviously we have a verbosity problem.

For those of you who eve get down to Christchurch there is a great place in Ferrymead who do a brilliant job with cleaning down bags and they are very reasonably priced. Yes I know they are drycleaner but trust me they are great.

Keep warm out there.

[Andrew]

What happens if you lose your last remaining feather in your pit? Is it worth washing it?

[Steve Kohler]

Fairydown have advised me that ordinary drycleaning is what they recommend for bags…..am I or they out of touch?

Apparently, the so called ‘natural oils’ in the down might be removed by drycleaning but the natural oil supplied by your skin over the years is the greater of the two evils and is greater in quantity. So the theory goes anyway.

[Andrew McC]

My time trusted technique is to put in Mum’s F&P machine. When it overflows on the gentle rinse cycle call a technician to replace flooded power unit (a mere $250). Remove unwashed bag (may need a crane for this) and handfuls of feathers. Hang up for a few days to dry then toss in shed until decide to do something with it. Buy a new one at 1/2 price in a sale.

[Author]

Posts