How to Dry a Down Jacket

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: June 12, 2020

Down jackets are lightweight and warm and can last for years if you take care of them. The soft down material needs to be fully dried to prevent bacteria from forming and creating a bad odor. Drying a down jacket takes a fair amount of time, and needs to be done properly to prevent damaging the down, but it’s actually really easy to do.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Machine Dryer

1
Place your jacket in the dryer. Take your wet down jacket and put it into the machine dryer by itself. The down jacket needs to have as much space as possible to properly tumble-dry without crushing the fluffy down.^{[1]
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- Gently squeeze out excess water from the jacket, but don’t wring it out or it could damage the down.
2
Set the dryer temperature to low. Machine-drying the jacket may take a few hours, but it must be done on a low-temperature setting or the heat could damage the down or the fabric of the jacket. Turn the temperature dial to the lowest setting.^{[2]
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- Mold or mildew can form on the down if too much moisture is left in it.
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3
Add 3 tennis balls to the dryer with the down jacket. The tennis balls will bounce around with the jacket and fluff the down inside the jacket. The bouncing tennis balls will also break up and prevent clumps from forming in the down and make it dry faster and more evenly.^{[3]
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- If you don’t have tennis balls, you can put 2 shoes inside of clean socks as a substitute.
- Use clean, dry tennis balls to prevent stains, extra moisture, or bad odors from getting on the down jacket.
4
Turn on the dryer. Once you’ve added the down jacket, tennis balls, and set the dryer to low, turn it on to start tumble-drying. It’s normal to hear the banging sound of the tennis balls as the dryer tumbles. As the tennis balls bang against the jacket to break up clumps in the down, it also allows the material to dry better, which helps prevent pockets of moisture that can harbor mold and mildew from developing.^{[4]
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5
Remove the jacket every 30 minutes to fluff it. Set a timer for every 30 minutes and take the jacket out of the dryer to fluff it and break up any clumps that may have formed in the down. Shake the jacket and use your fingers to massage clumps out of the down.^{[5]
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- Push any feathers that loosen during machine drying back into the jacket rather than pulling them out.
- This also gives you an opportunity to see if your jacket is dry. When the down stops clumping together and the jacket feels light and fluffy, it has finished drying.
6
Tumble dry the jacket for 3 hours. The drying process will be slow because of the low temperature, but it’s the best way to dry the jacket without damaging the material or leaving moisture that can turn into mildew and start to smell. Keep fluffing the jacket every 30 minutes for 3 hours to fully dry your down jacket.^{[6]
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- If your jacket still isn’t dry after 3 hours, continue to dry it in 30-minute increments until it’s dry.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Air-Drying a Down Jacket

1
Squeeze the down jacket by hand to remove excess moisture. Use your hands to press the down material to squeeze out the extra water before you air dry it. Do not wring out the down jacket or it could damage the material.^{[7]
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2
Put the jacket on a hanger and hang it up to dry. After you’ve squeezed out the extra water, put your down jacket on a hanger and hang it to dry somewhere that is cool and dry, like a closet or a bedroom. If you hang it somewhere humid, it could cause the down to smell.^{[8]
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- Hang the jacket on a radiator to air-dry it a little faster, but make sure the radiator isn’t set at the highest temperature, and check the jacket every 30 minutes to make sure the material isn’t starting to burn. The direct heat from the radiator won’t encourage the development of mold or mildew like a warm room will.
3
Fluff the jacket every 30 minutes to prevent clumps. Set a timer for every half hour and take the jacket off of the hanger. Shake it vigorously and use your fingers to massage the down and remove any clumps.^{[9]
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- Massage the down gently; don’t compress the material.
4
Allow the jacket to air-dry for up to 5 hours. Air-drying a down jacket takes a long time, but you need to let it fully dry before you pack it away or wear it because the damp down can start to smell. Keep fluffing every half hour and let the jacket dry until the down is light and fluffy and the down stops clumping together.^{[10]
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