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

First rule of thumb is that they 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.

Many people take them into the local cleaners to get them cleaned. This is convenient but not really necessary. 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 bags into the cleaners do not get them dry-cleaned. Dry cleaning solution is a petroleum-based solvent that will destroy your sleeping bags in the long run.

The first step to cleaning them yourself is to do so in an oversized, commercial washer and dryer. Never attempt to wash sleeping bags in a regular washer and use a front load, tumble washer. Regular household washers with agitators can eat your bags 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 sleeping bags because it breaks down the material.

Finally, and perhaps the most important part of cleaning is the drying process. 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 them 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, because in pulling the clumps apart you can damage the down material.

If your 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 be added to control static in the bag. Synthetic sleeping bags also need to dry at a low heat, making sure that they dry completely.