| Down products care |
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Down should not be dry cleaned (despite some producer’s suggestions) – such cleaning may destroy down’s delicate biological structure, over-dry it and cause crumbling. Down just as wool or silk may be washed in water with delicate cleaners. There are also specialist products for cleaning down. How to begin the washing? More visible dirt should be cleaned with a wet sponge.
If we want to wash the whole item, we have to remember that a jacket or a sleeping bag are too big to be just put into a washing machine. It could remain dry inside the drum or even cause the water and lather to leak out of the washing machine. That is why down products should be first moistened and hand knead the air out of the down e.g.: in a bath tub or a large water container. Only thus prepared bag or jacket can be put into a machine, then washed and dried. The washing process itself is very easy – a gentle cycle and additional rinsing to get rid of all the cleaners. It should be also remembered that down can turn into felt. To prevent it a jacket or a sleeping bag should be dried as soon as possible, not allowing the down to remain wet and lumpy for too long without drying. The drying is best done in a large clothes drier or just on fresh air, with the help of the sun and wind. Down is a long lasting product and if well looked after it will serve for a long time. On the hand too frequent washing may make the product more vulnerable, e.g.: the inside tapes in a jacket. There is yet one more issue – escaping of down. It happens, especially in the first week of using, that singular down rays go through the fabric before they stabilize inside the jacket or sleeping bag. It is not a product’s flaw and the escaping should cease after few days. The way a sleeping bag should be storedDown is very springy – it regains its volume very fast and keeps it, making it possible, in the same time, to be packed very tightly. Therefore there is no problem in packing any of the YET sleeping bags to a very little cover bags. However, some air does the down a lot of good – that is why we suggest to keep the sleeping bag at least a bit expanded and packet in an airy bag. It allows the down to breathe a bit and serve longer. It is also important to dry the sleeping bag well after each expedition – otherwise, left tightly packed for longer time it can turn into felt and acquire a stale smell. These storing rules apply to all down products. |
