Sleeping bags are one of the most important pieces of camping gear that you own. Without the proper care of a sleeping bag, you could damage it. This article will give you some tips on how to clean a sleeping bag without damaging it.

To start with, every sleeping bag must be cleaned on a regular basis. Some of the more expensive sleeping bags have fabrics that will dissolve the body oils, dust, and other grime that is gathered on sleeping bags. For those that don't have the high end fabrics, it is important to clean them on a regular basis so that the insulation and fabrics don't break down. Plus who wants to sleep in a stinky sleeping bag?

There are two ways that you can clean your sleeping bag, machine wash or hand washing. When using a machine it is important to get the right type of soap. If your sleeping bag is filled with Goose Down then you need a mild soap. If you sleeping bag is filled with synthetic insulation, you must use a mile detergent or cleaning agent specifically designed for synthetic insulations. When using the machine, make sure the wash setting is on warm water and the rinse setting is on cold water. Due to the size of sleeping bags, you might have to run the rinse cycle a couple of times to make sure you get all of the soap or detergent out.

If you are hand washing your sleeping bag, use warm water. It will be very helpful if you do this in a bathtub. Again, you must use the right type of soap or detergent based on your insulation. After you thoroughly scrub the bag, empty out the tub and began rinsing the sleeping bag off. This will take some time and you should use cold water when rinsing it off.

After you have your sleeping bag all nice and clean, you must dry it out. This can be done by first rolling the sleeping bag up and squeezing any excess water out of it. If you don't have a large enough dryer, then go to the local laundromat and tumble dry the sleeping bag. The dryer needs to be set on medium low in order not to damage the sleeping bag. Due to the size of the sleeping bag, this process will take quite some time so be patient.

If you follow these steps, you should have a clean sleeping bag!

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