Hammock care?

[ThunderStruck]

I've only hand washed my hammocks. cold water and a mild detergent gets the visible dirt and sweaty man smell out pretty well. I hang them in the sun for a half hour after. I think if I were to put one in the machine I would put it in a washing bag first. I've had items get snagged even without a center agitator.

[igloo64]

Glad to see I’m not the only one that sleeps in a hammock just about all year

[Zach L]

If it doesn’t stink and it’s not dirty I wouldn’t worry about it. I would wash it by hand in my bath tub and hang dry it. A few others have said this as well. I do the same thing with my down coats except i put my coats in the dryer with tennis balls on low heat. But I feel like hand washing makes it last a little longer.

[psyculman]

I’ve not washed hammock or quilts.
I do lay them out to dry after camping, even when it has not rained. Then store in plastic totes.

Yup, why would I wash them, they are not ever on the ground, thus dirty.

[mattnin]

I wash my hammocks and apex quilts very frequently, about every other hang. I don't un-gather the hammock, I just throw it in the wash on normal and warm and just use regular detergent, very little of it. I remove the shock cords from the under quilts. I throw it in the dryer on ultra-low and check it every 15 minutes. They are usually done drying in 30 minutes. The quilts kind of get all puffy afterwards probably from all the steam escaping. I believe that they do get dirty, even if it doesn't look like it and oils from the body can attach to the apex and ruin it's loft.

[ohioKeith]

Thanks for posting this topic; the replies are great! I haven't really thought too much about washing either. I have been looking at using premethrin on most of my hiking gear to aid with the thick of tic areas I am planning to travel through this summer.

[cougarmeat]

I always wear jammies and sleep socks. So much easier to wash pj's and socks than a hammock and/or quilts. Also, regardless of the hammock fabric, it always feels like cotton.

To those who subscribe religiously to "Cotton Kills", that refers to using it as a base layer in wet environments, including if the "wet" is your own sweat. In some situations, you'd want/need the cooling effect. And at the end of the day, when it's time to sleep, snuggled in comfy down, I'd have no problem with a change to cotton. Wintertime is a different story. As with most outdoor issues ... it depends on the environment.