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gumbygurl
Jan 14, 2003, 4:00 PM
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Registered: Dec 4, 2002
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I just got a very nice -15* down sleeping bag for xmas (big bang from mountain hardware). I already have used it on a two week climbing trip at redrocks and bishop and it needs to be cleaned. I am sending it to the dry cleaners later but I would like to be put at ease that they will wash it right. Should I send instructions with the bag- if so what should I say
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earthclimber
Jan 14, 2003, 4:23 PM
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Registered: Jan 10, 2003
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Make sure they are equipped to wash sleeping bags. Regular dry clean chemicals will damage down sleeping bags. If they dont know how to wash sleeping bags, dont let them touch yours. Another option would be to do it yourself in a front load washer with non detergent soap. Then tumble dry (it will take a long time to dry).
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womble
Jan 14, 2003, 4:30 PM
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Registered: Jan 2, 2003
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Unless you can get them to verify that they really know how to clean sleeping bags, do it yourself! I've seen a good down bag shrunken into some sort of kid's size bag when it's gone wrong.
Dissolve some soap flakes into a bathtub of water, wash gently and rinse several times. Then allow to air dry if it's hot, breaking up clumps of down occasionally. Or tumble dry on LOW in a commercially sized dryer with a tennis ball to break up down clumps. A google search will probably yield lots of stuff in this direction.
On another note, your sleeping bag shouldn't need cleaning after two weeks of use- is it really that filthy? You should consider getting a cotton or a silk liner- much easier to clean than a bag and far cheaper.
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bigmatt
Jan 14, 2003, 4:32 PM
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Registered: Jul 29, 2002
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It's also time for me to clean my bag, but I'm going to do it myself. There's a great article about bag cleaning on Backpacker.com (http://www.backpacker.com/article/0,2646,1835,00.html). Briefly, it says that you shouldn't send your bag to be dry-cleaned, but if you aren't going to do it yourself, send it to someone who specializes in cleaning sleeping bags.
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