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I need some help I have several item(2 sleeping bags and a parka) that need to be cleaned. I've done my research and I've even bought special down soap and treatment but now that I have everything I need, the prospect of spending 6 to 10 hours(maybe more) at a laundry mat has me questioning if it's worth it

So here's my question, does anyone know of a cleaning service here in town that will clean "down" products properly? I know that many dry cleaners say they will clean down filled items but I've read that having down items dry cleaned strips the down of its oils. I just don't know.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated

REI will do it. I don't know how long it takes or how much it costs, because I insist on wasting the day at the laundromat.

I just throw my sleeping bags in the washer, and they are fine. I don't own a parka because I live in AZ, where if I get cold, I wear socks with my scandals. I've never heard of someone taking 6 hours to wash 3 items, but if I had kids, I'd just pay them to do it. And if they won't do it, I'd just give them to Goodwill.

I've never spent more than an hour and a half washing and drying my sleeping bag at the laundromat. They have lots and lots of machines so you can clean all your stuff concurrently.

Plus, they have TVs with soap operas and sports. Plus free wifi. And college girls (results may vary depending on where you live).

@gummoIt's not the wash that takes time, it's the dry. To get the loft back into the down, it needs to be dried on very low temperatures until totally dry. Which could take 3-4 dry cycles for each item.

It's funny you mentioned Goodwill. All three of these are thrift store purchases. I buy high end outdoor gear at thrift stores and resell it on EBay. All 3 of these items are way to much for AZ but I should get 5-10 time what I paid

chumley wrote: Plus, they have TVs with soap operas and sports. Plus free wifi. And college girls (results may vary depending on where you live).

Those laundry mats sound awesome ;) The ones in my hood aren't quite that nice. They're more like concealed weapons, screaming kids and beggars

I also do a primary dry cycle while there just to get the weight down and prevent accidental damage when hauling it back home. But I dry it in my dryer at home. Two socks with a baseball in each takes care of the wet clumps of down. Sounds great too!

gummo wrote:. . .if I had kids, I'd just pay them to do it. And if they won't do it, I'd just give them to Goodwill.

The Kids?

Does Goodwill take kids? What kind of deduction do you get? Do you have to get a Qualified Appraisal if you value them at over $5,000?

I put a down sleeping bag into a washing machine only once. Ruined it. Yeah, it was probably the wrong kind of washing machine. Anyway, otherwise, I have only ever washed my sleeping bags in the bathtub. Soak it with that special soap you have. Use a scrub brush around the face part where it gets all brown and icky with oily dirt.

Yes, it's a pain to rinse it because it's heavy. After you rinse it two or three times, let the water drain out of the tub. Then prop it up in the tub to let some more water drain out. After it stops weighing 50 pounds, then you can drape it over the clothesline.

I have never owned any gear with artificial loft, only have owned down gear, but anyway, that's what I do. And not very often, either.

azbackpackr wrote:I put a down sleeping bag into a washing machine only once. Ruined it. Yeah, it was probably the wrong kind of washing machine.

Was it a top-loader? The agitation on a top-loader is pretty likely to tear the baffles when working against the resistance of a fully-soaked bag.

@big_load
Yes. Odd, too, because I KNEW I wasn't supposed to put it into the home machine. I don't know why I did.

azbackpackr wrote:......... I have only ever washed my sleeping bags in the bathtub. Soak it with that special soap you have. Use a scrub brush around the face part where it gets all brown and icky with oily dirt. Yes, it's a pain to rinse it because it's heavy. After you rinse it two or three times, let the water drain out of the tub. Then prop it up in the tub to let some more water drain out. (and you can squeeze quite a bit of the water out between and after rinses) After it stops weighing 50 pounds, then you can drape it over the clothesline. (Then when mostly dry you can use your regular dryer on low or no heat - a few tennis balls in with the item(s) helps distribute the down).

front loader with woolite zero. 4 tennis balls in dryer, low setting. bring a book.