 My Marmot Helium EQ (an excellent bag) needs a wash, I think, and I have been looking into ways of doing it. There seem to be three main methods: - wash by hand in the bath, dry over several days - take it to a laundrette & use their industrial washing & drying machinery - get it done professionally. I am inclining towards method 3, but it does seem pricy. Franklins of Sheffield charge £35.50 + postage. Anyone got any views or recommendations?
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I haven't washed my down sleeping bags, however I have washed my down duvet and a down jacket. The duvet I did at a laundrette, huge machine which was about £5 and used the downtec wash - maybe another fiver(though didnt use the whole container), then I semi dried in tumble drier(more money - £2 - and only a little bit drier). Rest of drying on line, took the best part of a week. It is a 13.5 tog duvet, kept thinking it was dry, but then squeezed the feathers inside and they were not. Also to prevent clumping - I constantly had to keep shaking each pocket. So basically it was a LOT of hassle.
I did my jacket in my washing machine and tumble dryer - that was dead easy. Though still had to keep shaking down about.
I shouldn't think a sleeping bag will be as bad as a king size winter duvet. Ideally if you have the time you should leave it to dry a lot more in a tumble dryer, though not sure how good the heat is to some sleeping bags outer fabrics? It is still going to cost you the best part of £15 - £20 to clean at a dry cleaner - so all of a sudden £35.50 doesn't seem so bad?
Personally if it was a small down bag(eg I have a Vango venom 250) I would do in my own machine. My more expensive, bigger ME xero winter bag - I would send away.
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 I have used method 1 many times over the years, and have never had a problem.
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 If you use a silk sleeping bag liner, it doesn't need washing as often anyway, so that may help for the future!
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Send it to Franklins mate a lot of hassle saved than trying to do it yourself as they take ages to dry.
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 did mine in the washing machine. slopped some down proof in as well. several spins starting on low and building up to a couple on full speed. put on to dry cycle. fine until the bag lofted and caused machine to stop due to overheating. then hung up to dry for a week as i couldn't be bothered to go to the laundrette to use a big dryer.
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I have always air-dried mine after a washing machine spin at low speed. 8 hours in the sun draped over a rotary line (ie. fully supported and not hanging up), and it is plenty dry enough to bring indoors to carry on airing. (That said, 300g of fill is the most I've ever done).
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Hey, thanks for the responses, folks. The bag cost over £240, and it has never been washed up til now. If I get it done now it won't need doing again until I get back from the Pyrenees next summer, so Franklins it is, I think....I will report back when it's done!
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 In a word, Franklins. I've done a Down Care page which gives some tips on how to do it, but my #1 tip is send it to Franklins. They do a much, much better job than an Ordinary Person can manage on their own IME, and I've seen some pretty amazing jobs on practically written-off down jackets they've done in the past. Even aside from the fact that time == money to some extent and you'll use a lot of time doing it yourself, Franklins just do the best job that'll be done, however much time you do spend on it. I use liners with mine, and typically have them washed at between 5 and 10 years, depending on use. Pete.
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I use liners with mine, and typically have them washed at between 5 and 10 years, depending on use. Pete.
Ten years? Heavens.. at least it should be able to find its own way to Franklins, by then 
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 Even if not washing the bag the loft can be improved by spreading the bag in the car on a warm day,comes out super dry and lofty.
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I have two bags, one for summer, one for winter. If I'm not doing much winter camping in a year (last few I've tended to be in DNT huts, no sleeping bag required), for example, the bag won't get any dirtier. And with a liner it's the liner that gets dirty, not the bag (most of the point of liners). Pete.
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I've dried mine in a tumble drier with a tennis ball to help separate the down which dries it faster and doesn't cause any damage to the bag. You can dry it on low or air (no heat) dry.
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