My cleanaholic wife washed my Terrex down jacket. She followed the low temperature bit but not the no fabric conditioner bit. The quilting has now mostly disappeared. Can it be fixed or has she learnt an expensive lesson?

Your post is confusing

Is it real down, or synthetic?

How do you mean ‘disappeared’?

Let me check

I was sure it was synthetic for £80, but perhaps not.

Well, it was quilted but now it resembles a textured bin bag. Having looked at it I think it’s a goner.

Apparently it’s 80% duck and 20% feather. I thought ducks had feathers!

If it’s real down, tumble dry it on a low heat with some tennis balls to bash the down into lofting again. It sounds daft but it works

Down is the very fine soft stuff that lofts to keep you warm…. Like bumfluff

Feather is the pokey jabby stuff

That’s not quite the technical vocabulary but you get my point

Wash it again in soap flakes or liquid soap, spin it, then put it in the tumble drier with 4 tennis balls. It will take ages, but it will be fine. Take it out and give it a shake every 30 mins or so.

Down and/or feathers look like a disaster when they first come out, but it fixes.

Are you taking the piss? Lol! Our washing machine has a tumble dryer feature. Not sure my landlord will appreciate me smashing the appliance up

It does work, the tennis balls aren’t that heavy

It’s not like you’re washing size 12 trainers in there

Noisy but it’s quite safe.

https://www.berghaus.com/care-for-your-down-product.html

Or better still use a large launderette tumble drier with tennis balls.

I’ve washed a chicken before and can confirm that down looks a disaster when wet.

Cheers I’ll give it a go. Was kind of hoping for a Patagonia or Arc’teryx replacement.

I’ve got a down jacket that I bought many years ago, and the care label says to wash in pure soap flakes, then tumble-dry warm with a clean sneaker in with it. Something like a converse; the white rubber edging ‘grabs’ the nylon outer, pulling it around and allowing the down and feathers to dry and loft op. Tennis balls do the same. Not taking the piss, it makes perfect sense.

I’ve just read the label. It says everything like above including tumble drying with tennis balls. Thanks hopefully save some £££

When you think it’s dry, take it out and feel along the baffles; it’s normal to have a few clumps. Break them up with your fingers then give it another 20 minutes.

Oh, give your wife a hug too…

😉

Or just wear it, takes a few hours but just moving arround is generally enough to shake it back to life.

I usually find down stuff feels knackered after a wash but will be fine once used. Especially sleeping bags, they feel cold the first time you get in it, then halfway through the night its lofted up bigger than you ever remember it and your sweating buckets.