How to Wash Down Jackets & Apparel

How to Wash Down Jackets & Apparel

How to Wash Your Down Jacket

Frequent washing actually extends the life of your down apparel. Clean down lofts better, and a clean shell fabric allows technical DWR treatments to work more effectively.

Quick Guide: Jacket & Apparel

  • Machine: Home front-loader (Delicate or gentle cycle).
  • Soap: Down-specific soap
  • Temp: Cold or Warm water.
  • Drying: Low heat with dryer balls (Approx. 1.5–2 hours for light apparel, up to 5 hours for expedition apparel).
Key Moments in this Guide:
• [00:31] Prepare your apparel for washing
• [01:00] Down soap and washer settings
• [01:28] Reapply Durable Water Repellant (DWR) to your apparel
• [01:32] The drying process: transfer and dryer settings

Step-by-Step Apparel Care

  1. Fasten Everything:Zip up the main zipper and pocket zippers. Secure any Velcro cuffs. This prevents the abrasive side of the Velcro from pilling or snagging the lightweight nylon face fabric. Turn your apparel inside-out so that the breathable inner liner is exposed.
  2. Wash Gentle:Use a down-specific soap and fill according to the instructions on the bottle. Wash on a gentle or delicate cycle using warm water and a low spin setting. Add a rinse + spin cycle to flush any lingering detergent and excess water.
  3. The Tumble:Down jackets can look "ruined" when they come out of the wash; flat and soggy. Don't panic. The dryer is where the magic happens. Use low heat and tennis or dryer balls to fluff the jacket back to life.
  4. Manually check your garment between cycles. If it still feels even slightly damp or clumpy, manually break up any clumps, and run it for another hour. Repeat this process until the down fill is entirely dry (this can take a few hours).
  5. Storage: Never store your down jacket in a compression sack. Once dry, hang it in a cool, dry place or use a cotton storage bag to maintain the loft for your next adventure.

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