i have got Vango nitestar sleeping bags and was wondering on how to clean them. is it as simple as putting them in the washing machine or could this shorten the life of my sleeping bags?
Check the label re washing/dry cleaning instructions first.
i would say wash as little as possible to prolong the life of the sleeping bag. Think about how often your duvet gets washed . Then think how little your sleeping bag gets used compared to this.
when one of my kids was small and was a frequent bed wetter, the duvets were always washed on a regular basis maybe twice a week. They didn't last long , they lose their fullness with frequent washing. i was forever buying new ones. But it was unavoidable.
I'd say only wash the sleeping bag if absolutely neccesary.I have bought new sleeping bags this year and I hope to use them all season and just wash at the end before storing for the winter.
Obviously you will have to wash them if you get sick or wee on them , but other than that I won't be bothering.
A friend of mine started camping with us a month ago, and said she was going to wash her new sleeping bags as the kids had spilt juice on them. They had only been used for 2 weekends. She would have to do this at laundrette as they won't fit in her machine, I told her not to bother, they aren't smelly , and the kids(2 babies under 3 , bottles at bedtime) will still spill juice , Well weak squash really, on them next time. It's not exactly a health hazard is it? I told her to hang on and wait until they really need a wash, kids that age will probably soil them worse than a bit of juice soon enough.
she looked horrified , she said, but it's stained, I said wow a water mark , probably thinks I'm a right minger!!
Another thing to consider is sleeping bag liners, they would help keep the inside cleaner, like a duvet cover does. If you have smelly feet , this would be a good idea.
I wash ours at the end of the season. They probably last longer if you don't wash them at all, but they do get a bit stinky! This will be their fifth year, and they're still going strong. I did damage one zip in a tumble dryer (on site after one of the kids threw up), but she still outgrew it and passed it on, I think its still in regular use.
When we are camping I raise them up every day to air them . Over windbreaks, car, etc if its dry, or on chairs in the tent when we go out, , and when we come home I always hang them over the line if a sunny day to give them a good airing too. They do get damp and I can't stand musty smells, so if its still muggy I hang them over the bedroom doors to air overnight .
I agree with beefysmum on the sleeping bag liners, my OH ran some up from double cotton sheets with a gusset for the pillow, wash the liner as many times as you like, the sleeping bag stays fresh
we use cotton sleeping bag liners for our sleeping bags and made fleece ones for the chillier months then we just wash the liners when needed. At the end of the season we wash the bags in the machine then dried in the dryer if the weather is rotten outside or on the line if its sunny. after having my sleeping bag for 15 years it hasnt suffered
I hang them up inside out in the sunshine for a few hours. They don't seem to smell. The kids are past the bedwetting stagem thank goodness, so their current Nitestars should last them several years.
Hubby has a pure down sleeping bag that he's had for 30 years now. And it's never been washed at all, just aired and hung up for storage. It's still as good as new and it doesn't smell.
We have cheap cotton sleeping bags from Dunelm, cost us about a tenner each, wash them after each trip (not weekends obv) and they are still as cosy, full and warm as when we first started using them. Kids started off in Dunelm junior ones, which were slightly smaller. Can highly recommend them.
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
Liners, (silk, fleece or cotton) will keep your sleeping bags clean & fresh. The liners are easy to wash after each trip. Another advantage of using a liner is that if, a BIG IF, we have a lovely hot summer, you can use the liner on it's own on a warm, sticky night
I wash mine as rarely as possible but when I do I put one on its own in the biggest machine at the local laundrette and only use the specilist washing liquids from camp/outdoor leisure shops. Any particularly bad stains on the inside are pre-treated with a vanish stick, rubbed by hand and rinsed well before putting in machine.
Make sure the soap dispenser on the machine is clean then you should be ok in terms of no detergent affecting any water/weather proofing on the outside of the bag. I like to bring the bag home then and put it on a line in the sun till nearly dry. Then its back to the laundrette to finish it off on a warm/cool setting in a tumble dryer. This plumps it up again nicely.
Quite a lot of bother to do all that but we have had our colemean bags for around 8 years now and though they have been on various scout camps, music festivals, sleepovers and tours of Britain and Europe they are still going strong and still keep the boys really warm even in below freezing conditions under canvas.
We use a specialist soap (nikwash ) but any detergent free soap will do . We only wash them at the end of a season and make sure they are fully aired before packing away. We have liners and they get wsashed after every outing
Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 18/6/2008
I hang them up inside out in the sunshine for a few hours. They don't seem to smell. The kids are past the bedwetting stagem thank goodness, so their current Nitestars should last them several years.
Hubby has a pure down sleeping bag that he's had for 30 years now. And it's never been washed at all, just aired and hung up for storage. It's still as good as new and it doesn't smell.
Oh thank goodness - I was beginning to think it was only me... my sleeping bag is at least 10 yrs old and hubbys probably about 15 yrs old - they are lined with parachute silk (SnugPak bags) and have never been washed - just hung and aired, they never seem to smell (or maybe we've just got used to them LOL!) They are beginning to feel a bit 'thin' but still seem to work better than any of the new replacements we have bought this year - our house is beginning to look a bit like 'Sleeping Bags R Us' because we can't find affordable replacements for the SnugPaks.
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Topic: Cleaning Sleeping bags
