Down After Care - Tips & Advice

It's around this time of year Down really comes into it's own, the nights are darker and the days are colder and you want to stay toasty and warm when your out and about. Down products do exactly that, no man made insulation has yet to better the insulative properties of Down. But to ensure maximum warmth and performance, it needs looking after. So we thought we'd put together a bit of information and advice so you can get the best out of your Down jacket this Winter.

Down clothing and equipment should never be stored compressed. Use a large breathable cotton or mesh sack to loosely store the down item. Air thoroughly and ensure the down is dry before storing.

Periodic cleaning of down products is essential to maintaining maximum loft and ensuring the long life of the product. Down products are delicate and need special care to maintain maximum effectiveness. When dried improperly, down can become uneven and clumpy. This can cause loss of loft, the ability of your down product to keep you warm.

Professional cleaning of down products is recommended, especially for down sleeping bags. Home cleaning is possible though difficult and very time consuming.

To clean your down product follow the care label provided.

• Hand wash or machine wash on a gentle cycle using pure soap or specific down cleaning products. We have both Nikwax and Granger's in stock.
• Rinse thoroughly ensuring all soap residue is removed, an extra rinse cycle may be beneficial.
• Squeeze out all excess water/delicate spin cycle to remove as much water as possible. Take care if moving a wet down product as the heavy down may tear internal baffles, ensure the weight is fully supported at all times.
• Tumble dry on a cool setting over a course of 3-4 hours. Although the outer fabric may feel dry and warm, the down inside may still contain moisture which will cause it to clump and loose performance. Periodically check the item and repeatedly turn inside out.
• After drying the down contained within the baffling may require further manipulation in order to evenly spread the down and restore the loft.

If you would like your down product professionally cleaned you can also contact Elite Cleaning & Aftercare or Mountaineering Designs. Both highly reputable cleaning companies, that some manufacturers and other retailers use themselves!

Leaking down

From new, down products will leak feathers from inside and outside the jacket. This is normal and especially happens at the seams. To minimize the amount of down that escapes, simply pull the down back through the underside of the fabric and massage the fabric and down underneath. This will cause the "hole" or separation in the fabric fibers to close up. Please click here for a short video showing how to pull the down back into the product.

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