Down jackets are designed to stand up to some of the toughest climates on the planet. They are the pinnacle in lightweight, cold weather protection. It’s their unique design which makes them need special care when cleaning.
Needless to say, if you have invested in a Down jacket you will want to see a significant return before you come to recycle it. To help you extend the life of your down jacket we have created this helpful guide which will show you how to safely clean your down jacket, which could give it a much needed lift.
Most down jackets are designed to be machine washable and the teams at Nikwax and Grangers have formulated special cleaning products specifically designed for cleaning and reproofing down jackets.
By washing your garment using a specific down cleaner you can safely remove contaminants and revitalise the down by restoring the durable water resistant (DWR) coating.
Here is a Step by Step for how to clean
Step 1
Firstly you want to brush off any loose dirt that is left on the outer fabric of the jacket. We recommend using a soft bristle brush.
Step 2
Before putting your down jacket in the washing machine make sure there is no leftover detergent in the detergent compartment and that you had put it on an empty hot wash to remove any leftover residue.
Step 3
Add the jacket to the washing machine and pour in the Down wash to the detergent compartment.
Step 4
If otherwise instructed by the down jackets care label, set the washing machine to the lowest wash setting and start the cycle at 30°C.
Step 5
Once it’s clean place in a tumble dryer on a low heat and check on it every 15min till completely dry and back to full loft. We recommend adding tennis balls or Dryer balls in with it to help break apart the clumped down fibres.
If you don’t have a tumble dryer don’t worry you can air dry it. This will take considerably longer in terms of drying time and you will have to pull about the down fibres by hand. So find something good on TV because you are going to be there a while.
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Now you don’t have to wash your down jacket after every walk. You want to wash it as infrequent as possible, only when it no longer retains heat as well it used to and you find yourself getting colder wearing it.
Got a question about cleaning your down products? Anything you would like to ask our experts? get in touch via the comments below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages now.
