Top quilt getting flatter and flatter

[G.L.P.]

i don't wash my down unless it REALLY needs it... non of my quilts have been washed ... my JRB Hudson river is 4 years old and has seen lots of use never been washed and still has all it's loft ... another thing that can kill a quilt is the way you store it ... i found oversized bags are ok but i still would pull mine out and let them lay out for a week here or there... now i just hang then in the basement from the rafters
i found laying them on top of each other is no good as well.. best way is to let them hang

i think what i'm getting at is wash your down only if you really need to
and store it so it can loft ...

what soap did you use? and did you run a cycle of just water before you put your down in... sometimes soap can still be in the machine ... it's always good if your not sure to run a cycle before you put your down in ...
also did you use low temp to dry your down? too hot can also damage your quilts from what i was told

[wisenber]

I think, you need some form of detergent to get the body oils to release from the down. Water just rinses, it takes detergent to get the stuff to separate from the material so it can be rinsed away.

Actually most specify using a "non detergent soap". Detergent strips the oils from the down making it hydrophilic instead of hydrophobic. In which case the down would flatten out more quickly. If that is the case, some Nikwax makes Down Proof which is made to restore the natural water repellency of down.

About any saponified (made with animal or vegetable fat)soap will do the trick for cleaning down. Rinsing several times is key.

[DemostiX]

Actually most specify using a "non detergent soap". Detergent strips the oils from the down making it hydrophilic instead of hydrophobic. In which case the down would flatten out more quickly. If that is the case, some Nikwax makes Down Proof which is made to restore the natural water repellency of down.

About any saponified (made with animal or vegetable fat)soap will do the trick for cleaning down. Rinsing several times is key.

We can read the claims by Nikwax of "natural water repellency of down." But, which down? This is isn't the spilled hydrocarbon-compromised set of feathers of drowning water fowl. The down in quilts has been highly processed, washed, steam-cleaned, and sterilized.

So, "natural water repellency" and "the oils from the down"?

Maybe someone with a fresh tube or bag of down as delivered to the vendors here would risk immersing some of it in water and report on water repellency. I doubt there is any or any related to natural oils, either.

At least one European manufacturer claims to Teflon-treat its down. That may confer some water repellency and other properties. It may be useful and desireable and good. But, it isn't natural.

[goatnuck]

I'm glad someone (G.L.P.) finally mentioned that proper storage is key to ensuring a long and lofty life for your down products. Another thing to consider is how you stash your quilt when on the trail. Over compression of the down may also damage the plumules leading to loss of loft. Be careful with those compression sacks (if you are using them).