Wife admitted to me earlier that the MIL has washed my North Face Down jacket that I leant to my FIL for a trip to Russia.

Don’t know details but suspect it will have gone in a normal wash with normal washing powder.

How bad is it going to look when I see it next wed 2 days before we head off to the alps?

I have a NF Summit Series down jacket with 750 fill. I have had it for 5 years and only ever washed it in the machine at 40deg with standard liquid and softener. Looks and feels as good now as the day I got it.

Your jacket will be fine and exactly the same condition as you left it.

Isn’t the drying more important?

You mean no excuse to go buy a new 1 🙁

Googled and lots comments re will be really lumpy and loss of down loft etc. Will have been line dried as no tumble dryer.

Ah well wait and see.

Mine gets dried in the dryer on a highish heat, as does the wifes. They will be fine and are much tougher than some would believe.

Take down launderette. Bung in large industrial sized dryer. Chuck two tennis balls in too. Stick on low-medium heat, bung a few quid in. Read a book or something. Wait until jacket is perfectly dry and all fluffy, no clumps.

Detergent soap (normal washing stuff) will ultimately rot the down. Liquid non-detergent soap or pure soap flakes (or even half a grated bar of soap) is best.

It might not be buggered if you follow my instructions for drying, and future washing.

Failing the tennis balls, a clean Converse Hi-top with the laces taken out does the trick. I have an old down jacket that actually says ‘tumble dry with a clean sneaker’ I think it’s because the rubber edging grabs the material, and the uneven shape fluffs the down and stops clumping better.