Do any of y'all ever wash your hammocks? If so, how?
Do any of y'all ever wash your hammocks? If so, how?
Eno suggests a delicate cycle with light detergent or even handwash in a sink/ bucket/ etc. I would lean more towards a hand washfor a lighter material and I *think* there is special detergent designed for "camp gear" that is a lighter detergent.
Donna here...
I've washed quite a few HH's in our front loader on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent. I then hang to dry. No issues.
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So far I haven't washed any of my hammocks but if I did I'd probably do a hand wash with some gentle soap or gear soap and then air dry.
Don't let life get in the way of living.
yesterday, just washed my pillows, 50 Degree TQ, and RR single layer, gent cycle with woolite detergent,,,hung the hammock outside to dry in about a hour,,and rest went into dryer with 6 tennis balls, for a few hours on gentle cycle lowest heat setting and everything clean again.
As others say, about once a year I'll use a small amount of detergent and hand wash my DIY nylon hammock in a bucket (no bug net attached) then hose it off to ensure soap is gone. My HH can go in the washer on gentle cycle. Then just hang them to dry.
Most of the time they aren't too bad (just need sweat removed), so I'll just hose them off and hang to dry.
For usage reference, I probably camp 100 nights a year - less than 30 nights in the HH (hot/humid) and more than 70 nights in the DIY (cool/cold or inside).
Enjoying the simple things in life -
Own less, live more.
I have washed my hammock several times with no issues. Regular washing machine, mild detergant, gentle cycle. I just take off the suspension before washing and hang dry afterwards.
STinGa
Sarcasm is a dying art.
Eagle Scout September '85 Troop 339 Smyrna, TN
- I wash my gear, I have a variety of hammocks.
- FRONT LOADING WASHER. Why, agitator can cause serious damage.
- Gentle soap, cool or cold water.
- Down gear gets rolled in big towels to get most of the moisture out. Sometimes I revert back to the old way of wadding up the item, throw it on the floor (cover the floor with a towel or towels), slam the item down, it gets a lot of the moisture out. Surprisingly I have not damaged anything with this technique. Usually I do it with something large like my bed quilts. I do the same thing with wool. Really speeds up the drying process.
-Big commercial dryer set on lowest setting, might cheat and add heat for the first few minutes, be really careful if you do, unknown dryers are unreliable, some if not most heat up really fast. I stand right next to the dryer and keep checking it, just feeling the door is not enough.
Clean gear lasts longer, dirt damages fibers, so occasional cleaning is a good thing, frequent cleaning not so good.
In my opinion for whatever that is worth, we should NOT eat or have food in our hammock, food invites problems and can damage your investment. I think people who eat in their hammock need to wash it more often, to get rid of the food debris, make it less attractive to bugs and other critters while being used or stored. One of my little followers, left her DIY hammock stored, when she took it out, guess what? She noticed a hole, opened the hammock all the way, little mouse family. EEK I hope she learned to not eat in the hammock and always store your gear clean.
Last edited by IRONFISH45; 09-11-2014 at 10:02. Reason: wording
I've washed mine a few times as well- machine wash, regular cycle with all the rest of my camping clothes when I stopped in a town after about five gross sweaty nights, then about five gross sweaty nights later as well. Threw it in the dryer along with my UQ near the end of the cycle when everything else was just about dry.
Regular washer, i throw my hammock in a pillow case and tie it shut and wash normal with just alittle detergent and then a few minutes on light cycle in the dryer then hang out until dry, never had an issue and my gear is allways clean
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