Here are my seven quick tips on how to wash down jackets.
When people attempt to wash down, the most common mistakes are made a natural drying of the jacket rather than the washing part.
When down gets wet, it forms into clumps, and if they’re dried incorrectly, they can be ruined. So the proper care must be given.
If you just got your best down jackets, you have to learn how to take care of them.
This article will go over how you can wash your jacket and rejuvenate it without ruining it.
Here are a few tips about washing down jackets and why you should wash your down jacket.
Let’s get to it!
Should You Wash Down Jacket?
First up, let’s talk about why you should wash down your jacket. It would help if you washed down jackets because down can grow mold and bacteria [1].
If not cared for, especially if used in a humid and wet environment, the mold and bacteria are bad because it reduces loft.
The loft is the main factor that’s keeping you warm – it’s that fluff that comes with your jacket.
The down can also get dirty, which leads to it holding more moisture which compounds the mold and bacteria problem.
The down jacket needs to be washed and taken care of.
It’s pretty resilient and giving it a good wash can rejuvenate a loftless jacket. It can increase the warmth factor that you may have lost.
When To Wash Down Jacket?
You’ll know it’s time to wash your jacket when you start noticing that it has a reduced loft. So it’s not quite as puffy and fluffy as it once was.
You’ll start to notice some discoloration, particularly if it’s a lighter color; you might start seeing some greenish or yellow tinges to it.
If you’ve spent a lot of time in wet and humid environments, you’re going to start potentially seeing that mold and bacteria problem.
If you’re using your down jacket quite a bit almost daily, then you’ll want to be washing it at least once a month, but that depends on what your use is and how active you are while you’re using it.
Where To Find The Instruction For Washing Down Jackets?
So, you’ve hit one of the triggers that your jackets need a wash; what do you do?
There are a few different places where you can get information on how to wash a down jacket.
The first place you should look is on the label of your jacket. There’s usually some information on how to care for it and how to wash it.
So definitely look at that. That’s the number one place to look.
Secondly, if you have a Down Wash detergent product, then look at the label there. It’ll also give you some information on what to do.
4 Items You Need To Wash Down Jacket
Here are the things that you’ll need to wash down your jacket:
1. Your Down Jackets
First up, you’ll need a down jacket or any down product. In general, this system will work for that, whether it’s a sleeping bag, a quilt, or down pants.
You’ll be able to use the same process for washing each of those down items.
2. Specific Washing Detergent
You’ll also need some down-specific detergent. I recommend the Nikwax Down Wash Direct product because it’s worked well.
It’s highly recommended by a lot of different people out there and down manufacturers.
3. A Few Tennis Balls
I also recommend that you grab a few tennis balls. You’re not going to play tennis, but these are super useful when drying the jacket.
It helps break up the clumps. The down jacket may be a little bit wet and starting to stick together.
If you don’t tennis balls, you could use dryer balls for laundry.
4. Washer And Dryer
You’ll need a washer and dryer; ideally, a front loader as the top loader with agitators can damage the jacket material.
That’s it, and you don’t need anything else. You don’t need fabric softener or bleach or those static sheets that you throw in the dryer.
All you need is what I mentioned above.
Before You Start To Wash Your Jacket
Before you wash your down jackets, these are three things you need to check:
Make Sure No Residual Detergent
The first thing you’re going to want to do once you’re ready to wash your jacket is to make sure that there’s no residual detergent in the washing detergent tray.
Just wipe that out because detergent will kill the down by stripping off those natural fats and oils.
Next, make sure there’s no residual detergent inside the loader as well.
Check For Anything Left In The Jacket
The next thing you’re going to want to do is to check your jacket pockets for anything that you might have left in them.
There’s a chance you accidentally left your money or small things inside your pockets. You might want to check that as well.
Close All The Zipper Pockets
It would be best if you also zipped up all the zipper pockets so that there’s nothing that can snag on the jacket material.
How To Wash Down Jacket
Once that’s done, you can throw it into the wash. Now it’s time to wash your down jacket. Here’s how to clean your down jacket at home:
Step 1: Wash
Now I recommend putting only two items (if small or medium-sized jackets) into the washing machine.
If it’s a large item like a sleeping bag, just put that one item in the washing machine.
Step 2: Put The Detergent In
The next step is to put the detergent in. Make sure you’re using a Down-specific detergent. You should follow up on the directions on there for how much you want to put in.
Step 3: Setting Up The Washing Machine And Wash
Once you have the detergent on, you can set up the settings on your washing machine.
So set the settings to delicates because that puts many of the settings that it needs into play.
You want to make sure that you’re on cold cooled, low spin, and normal soil level. Then you’re all set. You can press start and then get the washing.
Note: Your washing machine may be different settings than the image above but you get the idea.
Step 4: Rinse
When the wash is done, it’s highly recommended that you put the jacket through another rinse cycle once you’re done with the first wash.
That’s just going to help get rid of any residual detergent that’s left in the jacket, and you’re going to want to make sure you use the same settings.
So once you set your washing machine to rinse, make sure the spin on low. Also, make sure the temperatures on cold and soil levels are going to be normal settings.
Once all that’s set, then you’re good to go. You can start up and get that rinse going.
Step 5: Dry
So the wash is done, now it’s time to put the jacket into the dryer. Be careful when moving it from the washer to the dryer.
Some jackets are going to be quite heavy because of the water filling. You don’t want to wreck any of the jacket material while you’re moving it. So be a little bit careful.
Step 6: It’s Time For Tennis Balls
So once you got that into the dryer, that’s when the tennis ball (or laundry dryer balls) is coming to play. Throw in two tennis balls into the dryer.
If you’re going to wash something a bit bigger, like a sleeping bag, you can put in three tennis balls.
Now, you don’t want to be air drying your jacket because air drying will leave clumps and all stuck together.
That’s what you want to avoid by using the dryer and the tennis balls.
It might take a few hours for your jacket to dry. You might want to put it in for one hour at a time and check it after each of those times.
Step 7: Setting Up The Dryer And Dry
For dryer settings, you’re going to want a low temperature and delicate tumble. I prefer to set it for sixty minutes then see how it’s doing in an hour.
When the first hour of drying is done, let’s see how your jacket is doing.
If you still can feel a little bit of dampness inside the jacket even though the outsides feel dry, you need to put it in just a little longer.
That’s to make sure that all the down inside the jacket is dry. So, you’re going to put it in there and set it for another hour.
Don’t be afraid of over-drying your jacket if you keep it at a low temperature. It’s going to be okay. You can put it in for three four-five hours, and you’re not going to ruin the down or the jacket at all.
If you have an ultra-light jacket, it usually dries within 2 hours. However, it’s probably going to take longer to dry for a more oversized jacket or a sleeping bag.
Conclusion
So washing the jacket rejuvenated the loft, which is excellent!
Something you’re going to want to keep in mind is if you have any feathers that have started poking through during the drying and washing cycles, then don’t pull them out.
You’re just going to create a big hole. That is going to have more down come out of it in the future. Try and massage it back into the jacket and push it back into the baffle.
That way, you’re not going to have a big gaping hole in your jacket.
Washing down jackets is easy. So don’t be afraid to wash your down jacket. It makes a big difference.
You rejuvenate the jacket to get some loft back, and you’re not living in a sack of mold and bacteria hit.
I hope you found these tips are helpful, and please share them with your friend.
Happy washing!
