How to clean a sleeping bag .

K

Kevin the grey

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Aug 26, 2005
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Someone gave me a backpackers sleeping bag . this would fit into a bread bag with ease . It is a down filled bag and yet it says not to dry clean , wash in cold water only .

It has a slightly sour odor to it . As if it was put away damp or not being aired out in the sun . Do you think putting some baking soda in the wash would do the trick ? Does anyone know of any other tricks to put this sleeper to rest ?
 
If it truly is cold water wash, I would recommend a lot of baking soda (and let it sit for a little while in the baking soda).

If that doesn't work, re-wash it with a good portion of household ammonia. That gets weird smells out of nearly anything, and doesn't affect the material whatsoever.

If someone handed me a sleeping bag and said "It's free, but smells a little sour," I'd really wonder what the deal was.... :confused:
 
I have cleaned several synthetic sleeping bags in my tub, and find it to be an arduous task. I have used woolite as well as baby wash and work the detergent and warm water into the bag by kneading etc, let it soak, then drain the tub, forcing as much of the sudsy water out without wringing as possible. I then follow up with at least two if not three cool water rinses, repeating the kneading etc and draining. I have dried bags both by hanging them and by using a commercial front loading clothes drier set at low heat.

The key is to get all of the detergent out of the bag before you dry it, and to make sure it is completely dry before you store it. And do NOT store your bag fully compressed in a stuff sack... instead store it in a big cotton laundry bag. Save the compression sack for the trail.

If you are unable to get the odor out, you might consider having the bag professionally cleaned - local sporting goods/outfitters generally send their rental equipment out for service and will be able to provide a referral. Cost shouldn't be too much more than thirty bucks, which is a lot less than the effort you will put into cleaning it yourself, and which pales compared to what you will be wondering about if it stinks while you are sleeping in it...

Regards,
--
Br.
 
Congratulations on the nice gift.

The tags warn not to dry clean because the most common solvent used in dry cleaning is very damaging to down (and strips the silicon off premium polyester fills as well).

There are products sold specifically for washing down garments that work quite well on down-filled sleeping bags (e.g. Woolite). They are available in most supermarkets and are best used for soaking/hand washing. (Agitator washing machines are hard on the stitiching.)

If you leave the bag in the tub after several hand rinses, most of the water will drain out. Then the bag can be moved to a clothes washer and spun.

The bag can then be dried in a clothes drier on low heat with some tennis balls in with the bag. (Tennis shoes are often recommended but adult-sized shoes seem a bit heavy for the task of fluffing up the bag as it dires.) If line dried, the bag will need fluffing up.

Baking soda does help with odor and the combination of tepid water and the soda should result in quite an improvement.

(OT: Long-term storage of any quilted sleeping bag in a compressed state reduces the loft of the bag.)

Ed: I see Brionic posted a link. I respectfully disagree with the suggestion of using any washing machine for the washing and rinsing steps, believeing it to be an unnessary risk. It would, of course, be faster. Our Troop has sold Coleman and Slumberjack sleeping bags as a fund-raiser for twenty years. The advice we settled on, after consulting with those manufacturers and considerable research and experience with Scout's bags, is designed to make the product last.
 
I agree, do not use a washing machine, it's better to wash by hand or send it out to a service specializing in cleaning and repairing outdoor gear.

If you must use a machine, find one of the commercial front loading centrifuge type machines without the agitator post, and be prepared to wait at the laundromat.:thumbdn:
 
Gents thanks a lot . If this bag was that bad I would have given it to goodwill .
I just want to start off fresh if you know what I mean . I won,t do an agitation wash again . Even on delicate . I did wash it once with some sunlight dish soap which did a pretty good job .

I think the baking soda suggestion will be the final solution . I,ll use the wash tub but wash it by hand . I would not go to this trouble except the bag is a real space saver and is of a very good quality .

I,ll remember not to use the stuff sack except on the trail . I,m not the cleanest camper . I always air out my sleeping accomadations in the morning . A little sunlight does wonders . Usually my bed has a fresh scent to it when I retire . I,m not saying anything about when I get out in the morning . L:O:L
 
FWIW, having used down bags for years, any down filled nylon bag (especially when the liner is nylon) will devlop an "interesting" smell. You can wash it but it will just come back!

Best of luck.
 
I have a -5 degree bag that weighs practically nothing and filled with goose down. The only cleaning I ever consider for it is professional dry cleaning and SO FAR no problems with such.

rlinger
 
Grampa , this is my first down filled so its all new for me . I have had good luck with the cheaper bags . The only interesting smells the acquire are after chili night . L:O:L

Its almost 100 percent now . I have three conventional bags and would love to save the space of one of them . That way the dog doesn,t have to run outside the car . L:O:L
 
Hey Guys..

I concur with TL 100%...

I've got 4 Canadian military bags that are all down..
Go to or order online from REI a down sleepling bag wash...

Then wash it by hand in the bath tub...
Regular detergent will strip the natural oils from the down..Even Woolite isn't good for down...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Ah Normark , I take heed of your words and yet too late . L:O:L
I should have known better as I sometimes strip the oils from turkey feathers if I want to dye them to make fletchings for arrows . . (I,LL never dye turkey feathers again . ) L:O:L

Let us hope that one wash won,t have done too much damage . I,ll check out the down wash you reccomended .
 
Normark, I never tried Woolite. It supposedly does not strip oil from wool, but if you (or others) have had bad experience whth it, I'd stay away.

I got a large bottle of "DownSave" in Canada years ago. (When I tried to get more, I had no luck. The brand may be gone.) I have also used a product that Slumberjack used to include with down bags. But that's all gone, so I can't report the brand.

If you MUST use dry cleaning, Stoddard's (sp?) Solvent is supposed to be less bad. Remember that one objective of cleaning solvents is to remove oils, which, as noted by Normark, is bad for down, making it absorb moisture -- even atmospheric moisture -- faster. The stronger solvents actually cause the down to break up by degrees.

(Maybe the old oil produces the "interesting" smell over years. Feathers included in the mix certainly don't help.)
 
at least it isn't a cold weather bag..
I think if you use a down wash,, you can put some of the oils back into the down..The down wash will freshen up the down for sure...

TL...

When you strip the oils thats exactly one of the things that happens,, the down will hold moisture,, and it also allows the down to compact and it looses it's loft...

I've had several of my Canadian army down bags for years,, a couple of them 20+ and they still do real well in the cold,, however they have that Army smell,, which I don't mind at all...

One of my favorite things when I'm really sick and got the chills is to break out the sleeping bag.. Got my wife doing it as well at home..
Nothing better than that and a wool blanket..:)

ttyle

Eric....
 
My dad recently found a rei sleeping bag (blue and yellow) in the attic (must have been sitting up there for 20 years) It had some bugs in it along with a mildew smell. We filled the tub up with cold water and added some natural soap (from the health food store). We waited squeezed the bag (gently) drained it and repeated it worked like a charm:D . There was also a osprey vector woodland camo internal frame backpack which I got handed down to me (saved me atleast 300 dollars).:thumbup:
 
Do you know the old campers joke ?

Hey kid do you have a sleeping bag ?

Please don,t ask for the punch line . You,ll get me banned . L:O:L
 
JohnnyO said:
You are suppose to clean sleeping bags.:eek:
Click to expand...
Smear them with honey and grape jam and stake them out on an anthill. Preferably empty. And with no bears around.:)
 
I get almost all my sleeping bags for free . With the cotton outer bags I simply hang them up in the sun inside out it does wonders . They usually wear out before I need to do much else . I don,t camp all that much and cheap bags don,t last that long . Its a match made in heaven .
 
You can get detergents for washing down bags at most good sporting goods stores, such as Mountain Equipment Co-opp, REI, etc. Just follow the instructions. Once it's clean, a liner (silk, cotton, flannel, etc.) will add warmth and help keep it clean. Wearing polyester long johns and top will also help to keep your bag clean, and also is a very good idea in severe cold weather.
 
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