FeatherSticks · Gear
Sleeping Bag Care: How to Wash a Down Sleeping Bag, Dry It and Store It
Your sleeping bag dies in the cupboard, not on the trail.
Quick facts
- Wash
- Rarely – when loft or smell says so
- Store
- Loose, dry, cool and dark
- Dry
- Low heat, hours, dryer balls
- Golden rule
- The care label beats every tip
What you need
- Sleeping bag liner (silk, synthetic or merino)
- Large cotton or mesh storage sack
- Waterproof dry bag or pack liner
- Special down wash or mild detergent for synthetics
- Two or three clean dryer balls or tennis balls
- Self-adhesive repair patches with rounded corners
- Light line or cord for airing in camp
Step by step
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1 Air it every morning
Turn the bag inside out and hang it in sun or breeze while you eat breakfast, so the night's moisture escapes before you pack.
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2 Keep it dry, use a liner
Pack it in a dry bag, breathe out of the hood and sleep in a liner – it keeps body oils off the bag and means fewer washes.
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3 Store it loose at home
Hang it in a cupboard or keep it in a large cotton or mesh sack. The small stuff sack is for trips only.
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4 Wash rarely and gently
Large front-loader, special down wash or mild detergent, gentle cycle at the label temperature, extra rinse. No fabric softener.
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5 Dry low and long
Tumble on low heat with two or three clean dryer balls for hours, break up clumps by hand, then air it another day.
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6 Patch small holes at once
Push escaping down back in, never pull it out, and cover the hole with a round-cornered self-adhesive patch.
Common mistakes
- Storing the sleeping bag compressed in its stuff sack between trips.
- Leaving a damp bag packed for days after a trip.
- Washing too often – or with normal detergent and fabric softener.
- Using a top-loader with an agitator or wringing the bag out.
- Drying on high heat, on a radiator or close to the fire.
- Storing a bag that only feels dry on the outside.
- Pulling feathers out of a hole instead of pushing them back in.