Gear Care - Down
Ok, this is a safe space. You can be honest with us. How often do you wash your down jacket? How about your sleeping bag? Once a month? Once a season? Uhm… never?
When I got my first down jacket, for some reason I was under the impression that I was never supposed to wash it. Maybe it had to do with my lifestyle at the time- living out of my car, sleeping on the ground, climbing all day, and living in my down jacket around the campfire at night. Not much laundry in general was going on those days. Maybe it was because I knew that wet down was useless and associated washing it with ruining the feathers. For whatever reason, I had it in my head that I wasn’t supposed to wash my jacket.
At some point, my jacket started getting less poofy, more stinky, and kind of greasy. I did some research and found that not only can you wash your down gear you should. Keeping your down gear clean will help it perform better and prolong its life. We’ll walk you through washing your down gear, and some other helpful care tips!
So, how do you properly wash your down jacket?
Step 1: Patch any holes
Check your jacket over for holes. If you are leaking feathers, this will be exacerbated when you wash your jacket, so plug them up beforehand. Duct tape works, but it will leave a sticky residue if you ever need to take it off, and the edges tend to peel up over time. Tenacious Tape, or other gear repair specific tape works super well for patching down. Cut out a patch that is a bit bigger than your hole, round the corners to prevent them from peeling, and firmly press on.
Step 2: Wash in a front loading washer without other items, using down specific detergent
-Don’t just add your jacket into a load of regular laundry. If you have multiple pieces of down gear you can wash a couple together, but don’t stuff the machine. Generally you’ll get the results by washing one piece at a time.
-The front loading washer is important. Top loading washers usually have an agitator in the middle which can damage your gear.
-Regular laundry detergent can strip the natural oils from your down feathers! Make sure you are using a down specific detergent like Nikwax Down Wash Direct, and follow the directions on the package- don’t use more detergent than recommended or you’ll have trouble getting all the soap rinsed out. Don’t add bleach, fabric softener, or any other substance to the wash!
-Check the label on your jacket for specific recommendations, but most jackets will suggest washing on a cold, gentle cycle.
Step 3: Dry. Dry again. And possibly dry once more. (On low heat!)
-Drying your down completely is a very important step in the process. This step can take a lot longer than you think, so make sure you’re not trying to do this last minute before you leave for a trip.
-You’ll want to use low heat (if you’re at a laundromat, the dryer may be too intense and you might want to consider air drying your jacket instead).
-Using tennis balls or wool dryer balls will not only help to speed up the process, but also will help break up clumps of feathers and make your jacket poofier. If you don’t have dryer balls, stop the dryer a few times throughout the cycle and poof up your jacket by hand by breaking up feather clumps.
-Take care to make sure your jacket is really all the way dry. If it isn’t totally poofed up, it needs more time.
All right! Now you have a nice clean down jacket! It will keep you warmer now that the feathers have had a chance to loft back up and your dog will stop licking the dried up food you spilled on it last month. Besides cleaning your jacket are there other things you need to do to care for it? Read on!
Other care tips
Storage
-Make sure your down jacket or sleeping bag is COMPLETELY dry before storing it. Storing it with even a hint of moisture can lead to mildew, which will ruin your gear.
-Don’t store your down in a compression sack. After you’re back from your trip, air out your down gear and then store it in a large cotton bag or pillowcase, or just hang it up. Don’t keep it squished up in a compression sack or your feathers will get damaged and lose loft.
Repair
-As mentioned above, stay on top of little tears by patching them up before you lose too many feathers.
-If your gear requires extensive care, check in with the manufacturer to see if they offer repair services. I burned a huge hole in the elbow of my jacket while cooking, and got several small tears around the wrist from normal use. I sent it to Patagonia and they completely replaced both arms of the jacket for only the cost of shipping. If your jacket manufacturer doesn’t offer repair, check out local gear repair service, Woolly Goat Gear Repair, for affordable repair options.
Sleeping Bags
-Sleeping bags don’t see quite as much use as our jackets, so it is typically easier to keep them cleaner. You can spot clean your bag as needed, and if it needs a full wash, follow the same protocol as with a down jacket- making sure only to use a front loading washer.
-Keep your sleeping bag cleaner, longer by using a liner inside. You can choose from many different materials. My personal favorite is silk- it packs down small, is nice and soft, and keeps me a bit warmer than sleeping in my bag without it.
Protection
Down gear is a major investment! Don’t be afraid to use your gear, but if you want to help it last as long as possible you can take some extra steps to help protect it such as:
-Washing it regularly
-Using a shell if you’re doing “pointy” activities. If you’re going to be climbing on sharp rock, using sharp ice tools, flinging around your ski poles, or wrestling with your dog, considering layering a shell on top of your down layer to protect the thin fabric from rips.
-Avoiding too much heat. Embers from a campfire, flames from a cook stove, or having your jacket too close to a heater can all lead to melting and holes! Be careful around heat!
We hope these tips help you prolong the life of your down gear! As always, send us a message if you have questions or need gear advice. You can find us on Instagram @colchuckconsignment, or by sending us an email at hello@colchuckconsignment.com
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