Down Sleeping Bag Cleaning Service?

[Orsonab]

Just bought a great Marmot winter sleeping bag on eBay and now want to clean it. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time to spend hours at a laundromat. Anybody know of a cleaners in NH that specifically offers to clean down sleeping bags? Called a few climbing gear stores but they couldn't help me.

 

[Breeze]

http://www.ezwaycleaners.com/dry-cleaning-laundry/


Offers pick-up and delivery in Hampstead.

Breeze

 

[DougPaul]

Be careful with commercial cleaners--many will use a dry cleaning fluid that will destroy the down. (Stoddard's Fluid is ok, the synthetic fluids such as Per-Chlorethylene ("perk") are not. Info from EMS 72/73 catalog.)

REI has a page describing how to clean down bags: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/caring-sleeping-bag.html They recommend a commercial cleaner, but it appears to be located in Washington state.

FWIW, I hand wash my bags using down soap, spin dry them in my washing machine*, and then air dry them with a fan. The spin drying removes most of the water and makes the air drying much faster. Occasionally kneed the down as it is drying to break up lumps. The air drying can take several days but is a set up and check occasionally operation so it doesn't take much human time.

* It's a top-loading agitator machine and could destroy the bag if I used it to wash the bag. When you spin dry the bag, manually position it so the bag can rest against the sides of the basket during spin to prevent damaging the bag.

Always cradle a wet bag from below to prevent ripping out the baffles due to the weight of the wet down.

You might also ask at the rental desk at REI to see if they have any advice on local cleaners. (Or phone Reading MA REI and ask for rental or the sleeping bag department.)

Doug

 

[mc.lynch]

My down sleeping bag was recently washed at a local laundromat using Nikwax Down Wash. I haven't used it since then, but it seems fine.

 

[Lawn Sale]

I wash my down sleeping bags at the local laundromat (since we only have a top loader at home), usually starting the machine and then heading out for some shopping. I then stop back in, put it in a dryer on light heat, along with some tennis balls to break up the down, and then head back shopping again. I'd rather pull my own teeth than sit in a laundromat for any time. Sometimes the bag still won't be dry so I'll head home and finish the drying process there with the tennis balls, which I keep just for when I dry down products (jackets/parkas, booties, sleeping bags, comforters). I have washed them with Woolite but prefer Nikwax. I found two sleeping bags on the dump that someone had thrown away and they needed a good cleaning, so I looked up and experimented with how to clean them at home, starting with washing them by hand, which didn't get them as clean as I'd like. Nothing wrong with them other than they needed a cleaning and they are my favorite bags. The 15° is my go-to bag for winter hiking and I use it often.