Grangers Down Care Kit Review & Tips To Keep Your Sleeping Bag Clean Longer

I was asked to review Grangers® Down Care Kit and provided a package of the product to do so. I tested it on my down sleeping bag and jacket and all opinions are my own.

It was time. Time to wash my Mountain Hardware® Phantasia* sleeping bag. I have had it for 6 years and it has been a faithful trail companion. But just like hikers get stinky and need a bath, so does their gear. At the end of this backpacking season, I could tell my dear friend was rather rank and I would need to give it some TLC. So, when I was asked if I wanted to review the Grangers® Down Wash for natural and synthetic down sleeping bags and jackets I said yes, of course!

Now, washing your sleeping bag (and other down items) is no simple task. You can’t just toss them in the washer and dryer like you do your regular laundry and hope they will come out on the other end in good shape. Ask any thru hiker who tried to do so in the middle of a long distance hike at the local laundromat. If your bag is designed to be lightweight, the fabric could melt like chocolate in your hand.

Grangers® Down Care Kit

Grangers® is an international company from England that began in 1937 and developed the world’s first ever water-based waterproofing solution for outdoor gear. The company supports the Responsible Down Standard which aims to ensure that down and feathers come from animals that have not been subjected to an unnecessary harm. They are the exclusive care brand for Patagonia, The North Face, Arc’ Teryx, Burton and Carhartt.

From their website:

For nearly 10 years, Grangers® have championed our PFC-free aftercare solutions and we were the first aftercare company to earn bluesign® system approval for the vast majority of our products. The bluesign® system checks the environmentally-aware credentials of an entire production chain, resulting in a product completely free from harmful substances and processes.

The Grangers® Down Care Kit retails for $23 and information about the kit includes:

Specially formulated to clean and reproof all natural and synthetic down-filled articles in a single wash cycle.
Powerful cleaning, combined with durable water repellency, maximizes the performance of all down-filled clothing and gear to keep you warmer and dryer.
Includes three dryer balls to prevent clumping and improve drying times.
The down care kit is recommended for all fabrics including Gore-Tex®.

My sleeping bag is designed to with Q.Shield™ already. I was excited that the wash might help to restore any water repellency I may have lost in the last 6 years of use.

How To Wash Your Sleeping Bag

You want to get your sleeping bag ready to wash by closing the zippers, matching Velcro® pieces together and checking for anything in the pockets. I always have a set of earplugs in mine so I made sure to take them out. Also, I do have a small repair on my bag so I checked if the tape was secure. If you haven’t heard of Tenacious Tape by Gear Aid, seriously this stuff is the bomb. Pic is after I washed it.

I followed the directions on the bottle and added 6 capfuls of the down wash (3 for a sleeping bag but double because I have a large capacity top loader). I added my sleeping bag and used the gentle cycle at a medium temperature (30C or 86F).

If you don’t want to use the washing machine or it isn’t large enough for your bag, the bathtub makes a great place too. Just be ready to see how much dirt your bag has actually accumulated. Always make sure to use a down wash like Grangers® as regular soap will strip down of its oil properties.

How To Dry Your Sleeping Bag

The bag came out as I expected, the down had clumped. No big deal, I’ve seen this before. The directions said I could use the dryer on low but ever since reading about a thru hiker who put his bag in the dryer and it ended up like a feathered slice of swiss cheese, I opted to hang my bag to dry first and worry about the fluffing afterwards.

Lightweight bags come with the price of more delicate fabric and I don’t take any chances. If you do choose to use the dryer, do what I do and run your hand along the inside to make sure there aren’t any sharp edges that might snag your sleeping bag (you can do this for the washing machine, too).

My bag comes with small hooks at the foot and I used these to hang the bag on a hanger. I was surprised at how quickly the bag dried. The down managed to spread out all on its own! The last time I washed it with another down washing brand it seemed it took a few days.

When almost everything was dry but the hood, I flipped it around and hung it by the top for a little while longer. If you don’t have hooks on your sleeping bag, you can hang it over the rod or a large hanger and flip to dry half way through.

After hanging overnight…

There were a few small yet persistent damp spots left in the hood and by the zipper. So, I used the dryer balls that came with the kit to finish fluffing my bag on NO HEAT. I wasn’t taking any chances that my dryer might have a hot flash or power surge while spinning my trusty sleeping bag.

My Grangers® Down Care Kit Review

I have to say I love how my sleeping bag turned out and can’t wait to take it out on the trails. I hadn’t realized how much the loft had decreased until I had washed and dried it with Grangers® Down Care Kit. Seriously, I want to just sleep in my bag all the time now! It smells great and is so fluffy, like when I first bought it.

As for the water repellency, I did test that out and water did bead and run off the bag. But, I could tell that like most lightweight fabrics, it wouldn’t hold up to persistent moisture.

I used what was left in the bottle (about one more capful) and washed my Mountain Hardwear® Ghost Whisperer ** which I had not washed before. Hindsight said I could have probably added in with the sleeping bag. The truth is I needed it the next day for a hike and wasn’t sure it would have been dry in time.

It came out just as clean smelling but I had to do more fluffing in the dryer with the balls. The baffles are much smaller on a jacket and easier for down to clump up.

I tend to toss my coat in with dryer balls on a regular basis anyway. If you have had a lighter and more close-fitting down jacket, you know that it tends to lose loft easy at touch points like the elbows and arm pits. Tossing into the dryer with NO HEAT and dryer balls is an effective way to redistribute the down when this happens.

I usually run my jacket in 10 minutes stages until the down is even across the baffles.

How To Keep Your Bag Clean Longer

You might ask, how often do I wash my sleeping bag? Well, this is only the second time in those 6 years that I have washed it and I use it quite a bit. Once after about 700 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and now. What is my secret to keeping my sleeping bag clean for that long?

There are a few things you can do to keep your sleeping bag clean and protected while backpacking and at home. Follow these easy tips and your bag will stay dirt free and unscathed by the wilderness much longer.

Wear sleep clothes to bed. Have a separate outfit that you only wear to sleep in. I sleep cold so for me this means a long sleeve base layer and thermal pants. Don’t forget socks and a hat. If you sleep warm, make them the lightest material you can but create a barrier between you and your bag. You can, also, use a liner like these that has the extra bonus of adding warmth but is not as multi-functional as clothing.
Wash yourself before getting into your bag. Use baby wipes or a bandanna to get the day’s trail grime off to the best of your ability. Feet, neck, arms, legs, hands, etc. That’s dirt you won’t get on your bag.
Always use your bag on a sleep pad or ground cloth. You spent some good money on that bag, keep it OFF THE GROUND.
Store your bag loosely at home, either hanging in a closet or in a large bag. Let it air in between uses. Don’t keep it stuffed in your backpack or that compression sack it comes with. This won’t allow it to dry completely from your last trip. Compression, also, crushes the feathers over time and reduces loft AKA warmth.

You can find out more about Grangers® on their website, along with other great products for cleaning and adding water repellency to your gear. And if you have any questions about taking care of your sleeping bag or tips on how you keep your bag clean, let me know in the comments below!

*The Phantasia is no longer made by Mountain Hardwear® but they do have similar bags. I have a 32 degree bag which is great in most situations. For winter camping, I add an extra down quilt and wear more base layers.

** I purchased my Ghost Whisperer on Massdrop for half what your would pay retail. It is a great way to get gear at discounted prices.