How to wash a sleeping bag in a washing machine

washing a sleeping bag Outdoor activities require the use of tourist equipment to the fullest, and this means that he will very soon need care. Dirty sleeping bags should be washed first, as they come in direct contact with your clothes and body. Willy-nilly, one wonders how to wash a sleeping bag, because the usual methods of care are unlikely to work. We will talk about how to wash a sleeping bag in this publication.

How to care for a sleeping bag

Before thoughtlessly throwing a sleeping bag into the washing machine, inspect it more closely and assess the degree of contamination. The fact is, washing the bag in the washing machine is not a problem, but too often it is not recommended, because then the thing will simply fail. If the sleeping bag is not too dirty, it can be cleaned dry and wet inside. What are we doing? we erase a sleeping bag

Outside, the sleeping bag consists of a waterproof fabric that can be cleaned well, therefore, first of all, the sleeping bag needs to be well dried.
Next, with a clothes brush, we remove all dirt from the outside of the bag. If oily spots are found on the surface of the sleeping bag, apply a little white spirit to the cloth and wipe them off.
Turn the sleeping bag inside out. Dip the sponge in soapy water, wring it and wipe the cloth from the inside. It is not necessary to wet the bag strongly.
We dry the sleeping bag, and then fold it and put it in a dry place until the next tourist trip.

Note! So that the soap solution washed away not only the dirt, but also removed the smell, you can add a pinch of dry potassium permanganate to it.

Automatic wash

If the sleeping bag is too dirty to clean, wash it in the washing machine. To wash the sleeping bag correctly, you must follow some recommendations of specialists.

Do not wash your sleeping bag at high temperatures or intensively. The washing mode is considered optimal at 600 rpm at 40⁰WITH.
Make sure that you can wash the sleeping bag in your washing machine, in other words, the drum volume and loading should be sufficient.
Bags in the washing machine must be washed with the spin turned off.
Do not wash sleeping bags with dry detergent; it will then be difficult to rinse it out of the fabric.
Old sleeping bags with holes are best not to be washed in the car at all, they can only be washed by hand.
The larger the sleeping bag (for example, winter), the more carefully it needs to be washed. Volumetric sleeping bags with a large amount of filler should be in the water for a short period of time, even if the water is cold.

Having remembered these simple recommendations, you can start washing the sleeping bag. Expand the sleeping bag, turn it inside out, fasten the zipper, twist it into a roll and stuff it into the drum of the washing machine. If you have a semi-automatic top-loading washing machine, be careful, the activators of such machines often damage the tent fabric. Perhaps it is better not to wash the sleeping bag in such a machine or wash it manually. So, the dirty sleeping bag in the drum of the washing machine, what's next?

It is necessary to put detergent in the cuvette. In this case, everything will depend on the fabric and filler of the sleeping bag. If the sleeping bag is synthetic, then any liquid detergent that does not contain bleach and conditioner is suitable for washing, Well, if the bag is full of fluff, then he needs to pick up a special tool.
Close the hatch, set the delicate washing mode in warm water at low speeds without spinning and start the program.
When the washing program ends, do not rush to remove the sleeping bag from the drum. Let him lie in the drum for 30-40 minutes. During this time, part of the water will drain into the tank, and it will be much easier.

Important! Do not even try to wring the sleeping bag in automatic mode or manually. When wet, it is easy to damage.

We put the dryer in a well-ventilated place and lay the sleeping bag on it in a horizontal position. If you are drying a sleeping bag at home, it is better to put rags or newspapers under the dryer, as water will flow from the sleeping bag, and possibly water.
After some time, when the water drains, put a fan heater near the dryer. With it, the sleeping bag will dry faster. Sometimes go to the dryer and shake the sleeping bag so that the drying filler is evenly distributed, you can do this about a couple of times per hour.

Once the sleeping bag is dry, you can consider washing and drying finished. In addition to a sleeping bag, you may need wash the tent in the washing machine and other equipment on how to do this, read the article of the same name on our site.

We erase manually

Washing a sleeping bag in a washing machine, of course, is very convenient. No need to flop in the bathroom with a heavy water-soaked sleeping bag and tear up the navel to get it out. However, you need to understand that only a new, sturdy sleeping bag is suitable for automatic washing. If your camping equipment is “a hundred years old at lunchtime”, then the drum beaters of the drum of the automatic washing machine will simply finish it. There is only one thing left - to wash it by hand! But how to do it right.

We straighten the sleeping bag, turn it out and fasten it.
We collect in the bath cool water.
Add a little special detergent for sleeping bags.
We put the sleeping bag in the bathroom.
We climb into the bathroom and start stamping our feet on the bedroom bag for 10-15 minutes, this must be done carefully.
Next, grab the sleeping bag with your hands and gently chat it in the bathroom for 10-15 minutes.
Release soapy water from the bathtub without removing the bag, and then draw in clean rinse water. Chat the sleeping bag in clear water for a while, and then release the water and re-type clean.

Note! The sleeping bag needs to be rinsed very well from the remnants of detergent, so you will have to type clean water in the bathroom not once or twice.

After rinsing the sleeping bag, release the water from the bathroom, and throw the sleeping bag over it, but do not remove it yet. Let the sleeping bag lie in the bathroom for about 40 minutes so that some of the water from it is glass.
Next, dry the sleeping bag in accordance with the recommendations described by us above.

Facilities

Describing the washing of a sleeping bag, we mentioned the means that you need to use to care for it. Let's talk about these tools in more detail and do a short review. So what comes in handy for sleeping bag care?

Salton Sport. A liquid product intended for hand or machine washing of sleeping bags, jackets, overalls on natural down. Sold in 250 ml bottles, the average price is 225 rubles.
Cotico. A special Russian-made liquid gel designed for washing a wide variety of sportswear and equipment, including sleeping bags. Suitable for neoprene, lycra, membrane fabrics, but completely unsuitable for products with down filling. You can buy in bottles of 1000 ml, the average cost of 300 rubles.
Toko Eco Down Wash. Special impregnation for washing down duvets and sleeping bags. Spray is applied to the product immediately before washing, and is washed with dirt during washing. It is delivered in cylinders of 250 ml, the price is 450 rubles.
Heitmann Spezial Wasche. Very good gel for washing sportswear, tents, sleeping bags with synthetic filling. Not suitable for down filler. The product perfectly washes and does not contain harmful chemicals. Made in Germany. The average price is 400 rubles per 250 ml.

In conclusion, we note that you can wash almost any sleeping bag well, the main thing is to know how to wash, and how to wash. If you do everything right, then your sleeping bag will again become clean and will serve you in many more hiking trips. Good luck