How to Clean Sleeping Bags

When you were a kid you probably never gave it a thought as you pulled out your sleeping bag and dragged it into the back yard to camp out. For every time you dragged that sleeping bag out through the dirt and grass, your mom had to wash it and that isn’t an easy task. There are rules to washing a sleeping bag and if you don’t follow those, things can get pretty smelly not to mention down right expensive.

A sleeping bag should only be washed when absolutely necessary. The materials used to make a sleeping bag are designed so that they don’t have to be washed all the time however; a couple of good camping trips and some sweaty teens and you have no choice but to wash them. Sleeping bag material is fragile and washing them too much or incorrectly can diminish the life of the sleeping bag. A quality sleeping bag should have to be washed only a couple of times over the duration of the bags use.

Many people take sleeping bags into the local cleans to get them cleaned. This is convenient but not really necessary if you understand how to clean the bag yourself unless you have a bag with 750 down fill or higher, then you should use a professional cleaner because the make up of the bag will make it harder to clean yourself. Bags that are 750 down are usually high climber and hiking bags and require special handling when being cleaned anyway. If you do take your sleeping bag into the cleaners do not get them dry cleaned. Dry cleaning solution is a petroleum-based solvent that will destroy your bag in the long run.

The first step to cleaning your own sleeping bag is to do so in an oversized, commercial washer and dryer. Never attempt to wash a sleeping bag in a regular washer and use a front load, tumble washer. Regular household washers with agitators can eat your bag or cause the insulation material to ball up.

Second, wash all sleeping bags in cold or warm water with a gentle soap. Many people use a mild dishwashing soap instead of laundry soap. Never use hot water to wash a sleeping bag because it breaks down the material.

Finally, and perhaps the most important part of cleaning your sleeping bag, we address drying your sleeping bag. Down sleeping bags have to be dried thoroughly on the medium setting on your dryer. This is really important because many down sleeping bags are made with a material that will begin to melt at higher heat levels.

It is important to pull the bag out during drying so that you can smooth it out from time to time. When washed wet clumps of down develop within the bag and need to be smoothed out so that they can dry completely. Be mindful while doing this however, because in pulling the clumps apart you can damage the down material. It is important to be sure that the bag is completely dry so it doesn’t mildew. It can take up to 2-3 hours for a single sleeping bag to dry so make sure you take your time.

If you sleeping bag is made up of synthetic fibers you don’t have to make sure to smooth it out but it is recommended that fabric softener is added to control static in the bag. Synthetic sleeping bags also need to dry at a low heat, making sure that it dries completely.