Caring for your Westbeach down jacket doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. Despite popular opinion, it doesn’t need to involve a trip to the dry cleaner either - don’t be afraid to wash it at home! The use of modern fabrics means washing down items is easier than ever, and can actually help prolong the lifespan of your jacket. Were all about prolonging life spans...we plan on living forever!
Cleaning your down jacket
Follow our easy steps below and your Westbeach jacket will be fresh and fragrant in no time at all.
- Brush off excess dirt and grime
- Make sure all zips and flaps are closed, and pockets are empty
- You can use a non-biological washing powder but for the most effective results, we recommend using a specialist cleaner such as Nikwax Down Wash
- Remove any detergent build up from your washing machine detergent dispenser and insert your washing powder of choice according to the instructions
- Add the jacket to your machine - we suggest you wash your down items individually following instructions on the product care label - we recommend a gentle cycle and slow spin
- Once the cycle is done you can put it on a faster spin to remove excess water to cut down drying time
- Once spun, we recommend placing the jacket in a tumble dryer on a low setting with two or three clean tennis balls. The balls will beat the down fill back into shape, returning it to it’s premium loft
- If you don’t have clean tennis balls to hand (who does?!) try pausing the dryer every so often and removing the jacket to give it a shake
- If you don’t own a tumble dryer then we advise drying the jacket outside on a washing line, adjusting it regularly to give it a vigorous shake - this helps prevent the down fill from clumping together
- It’s normal for the down fill to clump together when wet so it’s vital that you remove it from the line from time to time and shake it to help the down separate as it dries
Re-proofing your down jacket
- To keep your jacket as waterproof as possible, you may need to reproof the outer fabric
- You can tell when your jacket needs reproofing when any water immediately sinks in to the outer fabric instead of beading and rolling off
- To reproof effectively, follow the above instructions again but replace the washing cleaner with a down reproofer
- We recommend specialist products such as Nikwax down proof
Voila! Your Westbeach down jacket is restored to it’s fresh, cosy self!