The best way to maximize the life and warmth of your sleeping bag, whether it is synthetic or down, is to take good care of it in the woods and at home. Keep your bag out of the dirt and keep it dry. If your bag gets wet hang it out until it is completely dry before putting it in storage. Never leave your sleeping bag in its stuff sack, rather place it in a large breathable storage bag that does not compress the fill or hang it up in your closet on a hanger.
Washing a sleeping bag is good thing if you do it correctly. Synthetic sleeping bags (Polarguard, Hollofil, or Quallofil) are best done in a front-loading washing machine because a top loading or agitator washing machine can damage the bag. Use about a 1/3 cup of mild detergent when washing the bag. After the bag is washed place it in a dryer on the no heat or the lowest heat setting, check on your bag every ten to fifteen minutes to make sure no hot spots are developing on the nylon shell. This will keep the shell from melting.
Diamond Brand recommends hand washing all down sleeping bags with soap especially made for down products. We would like to thank Western Mountaineering for the following instructions for hand washing a down sleeping bag:
“When you hand wash, fill the tub with warm water, add down soap and put the bag in the tub. A tip here is to keep your bag in its stuff sack and put the whole thing underwater. That way the air has already been forced out of the bag and you won’t have to fight air filled baffles floating to the surface. A Dryloft ® bag should first be turned inside out before being put into the tub. Carefully pull the bag from its stuff sack and gently knead the soapy water through the bag.
It may be necessary to change the soapy water more than once, but don’t over do it. When you are satisfied that your bag is clean be prepared to rinse it several times. It is important that all of the soap is removed from the down before it is dried. If in doubt rinse again; five or more times is not uncommon. Do not wring water from your sleeping bag; instead roll it up tightly and carefully. A washing machine that will allow you to select the last spin cycle will remove a lot of water and save dryer time. Find a large dryer with good heat control, and set to low heat. First, watch for hot spots on the dryer drum that could melt the nylon shell. If in doubt use the no heat setting. A couple of clean tennis balls tossed in with the bag will help break up clumps of down and give you something to look at. Be careful! Don’t just tumble your bag till it feels dry, that may not be enough. Carefully feel the down insulation. If you still feel lumps, no matte how small, then your down is still wet! Break a twenty and add more dimes. In a couple of hours you will have a clean sleeping bag back to its original loft.”
