With regular care, correct storage and thorough cleaning, you can extend the life of your down jacket considerably to ensure it will perform at its best on future adventures.
Not sure what down jacket you need, or what the technical features mean? Read our Down Jacket Guide.
How to wash your Down Jacket
Follow the below steps when cleaning your down jacket, to ensure it stays in 'adventure-ready' condition:
Before you wash:
- Close all zips and flaps
- Brush off loose dirt with a soft brush
- Shake the Nikwax Down wash before use
- Treat any stubborn stains first with neat Nikwax Down Wash Direct
- Use a front-loading washing machine only (no toploaders)
Method 1: Machine Wash
- Nikwax Down Wash Direct
- A front-loading washing machine only
- 2 x Clean tennis balls
- A sock
- Tumble dryer
Instructions:
- Remove all detergent build-up from the detergent dispenser
- Close all zippers and flaps
- Add 100 ml of Down Wash Direct
- Place a maximum of two items in the washing machine.
- Wash according to the care label on a gentle wash, preferably on a low setting and slow spin.
- After the washing cycle has finished, run multiple spin cycles, each time incrementally increasing the spin speed, to remove excess water.
- Place two tennis balls in a sock (help re-loft / fluff the down) in your tumble dryer, and dry the jacket on low heat
- Once dry, tease apart any clumps of down by patting the clumps between your hands.
Method 2: Hand Wash
- Nikwax Down Wash Direct
- Large basin/bathtub
Instructions:
- Close all zippers and flaps
- Add 100 ml Down Wash Direct to 12-15 L of hand-warm water.
- Immerse the garment completely in the water
- Leave to soak for 5-10 minutes, then wash thoroughly.
- Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear.
- To remove excess water, transfer the item(s) to a washing machine and run multiple spin cycles, each time incrementally increasing the spin speed to remove excess water.
Don't have a washing machine/ tumble dryer?
- Ensure you remove as much water as possible by following the spinning instructions in the wash step.
- Do not wring or squeeze the jacket
- Place the jacket on a drying rack in a sunny and windy spot and rotate regularly to ensure the down dries quickly
- There will be numerous down clumps. Tease apart any clumps of down with your fingers or by patting the clumps between with your hands.
What not to do when cleaning your down jacket:
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Do not dry clean |
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Do not use fabric softener |
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Do not bleach |
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Do not iron |
Storing your Down Jacket
When packing your down jacket away for the summer season make sure that you follow the below steps, to keep your jacket looking new and fresh for the next winter season
- Make sure your jacket is cleaned before storage (follow the above steps for cleaning)
- Jacket to be stored uncompressed
- Refrain from storing jacket in an area with high humidity or where moisture can penetrate
- Let your jacket hang free to air it out and breathe
Repairing holes in your Down Jacket
All First Ascent products are performance tested to ensure it never lets you down on any outdoor adventure. However, even our hardworking products can be prone to wear & tear, especially if you’ve had it for a while. Any down jacket is an investment against the cold, so when a tear appears, it defeats the entire purpose of insulation. Follow our easy patch guidelines before you write off your down jacket for good.
What you’ll need:
- Adhesive patch (in the same/similar colour as your down jacket)
- Scissors
Here’s how:
Step 1: Start by pushing the feathers or synthetic insulation back into the tear.
Step 2: Cut the adhesive patch slightly bigger than the tear and leave a 1 cm margin all around. Make sure to round the corners with your scissors as this will prevent the patch from falling off too easily.
Step 3: Ensure that the area around the tear is as flat as possible when attaching the adhesive patch
Adventure extended! Now it’s time to plan your next outdoor pursuit.
Have any useful tips or hacks to share with us? Tag us on social @firstascentsa or write a review on our site to tell us what's worked for you. Got any cleaning-related questions? Refer to our informative Product Care Guide.