How to Wash a Sleeping Bag Without Losing the Loft

Most sleeping bags are damaged by cleaning, not by use. The rules are short, and the things to avoid matter more than the things to do.

Do:use a front-loading machine on a gentle cycle at 30°C with a small amount of mild liquid detergent and an extra rinse. Zip the bag up first, and if the drum is small, wash it inside a mesh laundry bag. Dry on low heat with two or three dryer balls, or air dry flat and turn it regularly.

Do not:use top-loading machines with an agitator, fabric softener, bleach or biological detergent. Do not dry clean down — the solvent strips the natural oils and the loft never fully returns. Do not wring, and never store a bag compressed: keep it loose in a cotton or mesh storage sack.

A bag used a few weekends a year needs washing roughly once a season, or whenever it smells or the shell looks soiled. Washing more often than that wears the shell and the fill for no benefit — a liner is the cheaper way to keep a bag clean.

We print care instructions in the customer's language and can include a wash bag and storage sack with the order. Ask us for details: linda@reliableoutdoors.com.