
How to wash
How to wash a puffer jacket
A down jacket can and should be washed – dirty down loses its warmth. The secret: a down detergent, an extra rinse and a long tumble dry with balls.
Always follow your garment's own label – it beats any general advice.
Washing
- Close every zip and Velcro tab, turn it inside out. Wash one jacket at a time.
- The 'Down' / 'Synthetics' cycle at 30 °C, a down detergent, no softener.
- Add an extra rinse – leftover detergent clumps the down.
Drying
- If the label allows – tumble dry low with 2–3 tennis or dryer balls, 2–3 hours, shaking it out a few times.
- Without a dryer: flat, shaking it and breaking up clumps by hand every hour – it takes 1–2 days.
Common mistakes
- Regular detergent and softener – they strip the down's natural oils.
- Hanging it damp – the down settles at the bottom and can go mouldy.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Got the whole label?
Pick all its symbols and get the washer, dryer and iron settings in one place.
Decode the labelPrintable symbol chart →01How often should I wash a down jacket?
Once or twice a season, or when it loses its loft. Spot-clean small marks in between.

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