Care and maintenance of KWAK

Once you've brought your quality KWAK down clothing home, it's ideal to find a suitable dry place to store it. It can be either directly in the closet, hung on a hanger, where there will be enough space and the clothes will not be compressed unnecessarily, or spread out freely in the closet. Do not place anything heavy on the clothing. Clothes should not be too compressed for long-term storage. A lockable cabinet is therefore ideal, where moisture does not accumulate and where, in the long term, the product will not get unnecessarily dusty. Also use suitable hangers that will not compress the product in a small area, as this could lead to deformation of the material or its gradual penetration.

Transport KWAK down clothing compressed as little as possible, or compressed only for as long as necessary. Then unfold the garment, pat it down and allow enough time and space for it to return to its original state. The air gets back into the chambers and only then can the clothing perform its function properly. Do not iron KWAK clothing under any circumstances. The upper material straightens itself after time and tapping. On request, a polyamide compression cover can be added to the KWAK clothing. The compression package serves to reduce the volume of clothing by up to 85% and thus facilitates its transport. At the same time, it protects clothes from damage and dirt. However, each such compression wears out the insulating filling, and therefore the compression package should only be used for as long as necessary.

Before putting on the KWAK down clothing, tap it slightly so that the filling in the chambers can be distributed evenly. Thanks to the appropriate distribution of the feathers, you ensure proper thermal insulation.

After every use of down clothing in adverse or wet weather, let the KWAK clothing be properly aired and dried. Be careful not to put clothes directly on the radiator or place them near radiators or other heating elements. There could be deformation or disruption of the upper synthetic material, in the worst case it could burn. You can let the clothes dry in the sun. However, do not leave it in a hot place for too long. A shady place will ensure that the color saturation of textile materials does not fade.

If only minor dirt appears on your clothes, it is definitely not necessary to wash them. A damp cloth with the possible use of a little soap will serve you very well. You clean the stain very gently. In any case, do not use excessive force to prevent penetration or pulling out of the material.

In the event that the product becomes dirty due to bad luck or a snitch, a soft cloth and white spirit can help. You can easily remove the dirt with gentle circular movements.

It often happens that only a certain segment of the product gets dirty, for example, for women, the area around the face and neck can get more dirty from make-up. So you don't have to wash the entire product right away, but wash only the given part by hand using a cloth and soapy water.

Once your KWAK clothes are in a worse condition, they can be washed, although it is recommended to minimize the number of washes. Ideally only in an unavoidable case. It is always preceded by proper ventilation and drying at home or in the fresh air, which will rid the clothes of odors. If your clothes just don't smell, try putting them in the dryer first and using scented wipes in the dryer. However, if it is necessary to wash the garment, follow the instructions below.

Only wash down clothes at home if you have a tumble dryer. Otherwise, contact a specialized and professional feather cleaning service.

Never use any regular detergents, chemicals or fabric softeners. These can remove the necessary oils and fats from feathers, which give feathers their unique insulating properties. Ideally, before washing, clean your washing machine properly from previous detergents. Also use hot water to remove dirt or powder residue and then run a short rinse cycle with an empty washer.

Always use only special liquid products designed for feathers. We recommend using NIKWAX detergent, which is not aggressive towards feathers. In addition, it washes well, does not disturb its structure and does not crystallize in the fine folds of the filling.

Close all zippers before washing. Wash feather clothing in the washing machine at 30 °C and put two to three tennis balls (or special laundry balls) in it. You can use a regular washing machine for most clothes. However, do not use a top-loading washing machine, its mechanism is too rough for down clothes. Set the program for gentle washing or for sports clothes. If your washing machine does not have one of the programs mentioned above, definitely do not wash the product in it. After washing, you can let the clothes spin at the lowest possible speed, for the first time at 400 revolutions, then at a maximum of 600 revolutions. Repeat centrifugation as necessary. Avoid spinning at higher speeds. You can completely skip the spin cycle in the washing machine and just squeeze the water really gently out of the clothes! Do not wring clothes with your hands.

KWAK clothes must be tumble dried again with tennis balls! These will help fluff and evenly distribute the feathers in the chambers. The temperature of the hot air must not be higher than 50 °C. After the first drying, it is possible that the feathers will not be spread evenly and it will be necessary to spread them evenly by tapping properly and repeat the drying. You can let the clothes drain freely first, but for a maximum of 2 - 3 hours. Feel free to repeat the drying cycle in the dryer up to 5 times. Constantly, after each drying cycle, tap the product and gently loosen any tufts of accumulated feathers inside the chambers by hand. You can put scented napkins in the dryer drum, or a cloth handkerchief, on which you put a little fabric softener and put it in the dryer as well. We recommend fabric softener from the brand DEDRA.

Point Summary:

Thoroughly clean the washing machine from previous powders

Fasten all zippers

Put the clothes in the washing machine and throw in 2-3 tennis shoes

Use a suitable detergent intended for feathers (NIKWAX)

Select a program for gentle washing/sports clothes

Wash at 30°C

Spin at 400 rpm

Remove and tap very carefully

If necessary, let it spin again at max. 600 revolutions

Leave to dry in a tumble dryer with 3 tennis shoes at a maximum of 50 °C

Take out, shake, leave loose

Store unpressurized in a dry place

If you are not sure that you can handle the washing and drying process, we definitely recommend taking the clothes to professionals, it is not expensive. There is a risk that, if handled incorrectly, the chamber can tear out of the seam and the feathers will end up where they don't belong. Due to the complex sewing technology, it is very difficult to correct the mistake afterwards.

For these reasons, always think carefully about whether it is necessary to wash the clothes already. If the garment is in really bad condition, consider buying new clothes. After washing, we must not expect to take out the product as new. With each subsequent wash, the properties slowly deteriorate, but you can help with the right detergents.

KWAK feather products must not be ironed. This would cause permanent damage to them.

Clothes filled with down are very delicate, and therefore it can happen that they become torn or damaged by greater friction during more demanding trips or mountain climbing. These forms of damage cannot be prevented even with the most perfectly designed garment, therefore such malfunctions are not covered by our warranty.

However, if your sleeping bag is damaged, you can bring it to us and we will repair it for you. Alternatively, we will now advise you on what to do directly on the way and how to proceed in order to take good care of the product and preserve the inner filling.

If there is a visible tear or small tear on your clothing, we recommend using ordinary adhesive tape. Clean and dry the material around the crack well. Tuck the feathers in as much as possible, press the material gently (slowly, otherwise the feathers will fly out) and then tape it in a cross.

In case of larger tears, either proceed in the same way and send the clothes to us immediately for repair, or there is a second, emergency, option, namely the use of a self-adhesive patch with a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface that is suitable for nylon. For example, Tenacious Tape™ or Betrafol® Tape are sold. The patch can withstand even more difficult conditions. If it peels off after a while, it will leave sticky spots on the material. Again, a cloth and white spirit will serve well to remove them.

Many other common faults can be addressed and repaired in our KWAK workshop, such as full zip replacement. Again, this can be well prevented by gentle handling. If the zipper gets stuck, never pull it with force. Soapy water can be used to loosen. You can also completely replace the feathers or buy more to add to the KWAK clothing chambers.

We guarantee that with proper care and maintenance, the product will serve you well for a long time and will thus offer you an endless range of adventures and experiences on the road.