[pct-l] Cleaning down bags

[wayneskraft at comcast.net (Wayne Kraft)]

Seems like we may have covered this recently, but I can't find it. My  
basement recently flooded and I had to spend the last week of  
valuable vacation time ripping out damaged sheet rock and carpet and  
mucking out muddy floors.  Time I really would rather have spent  
hiking.  Anyway, I have two old, but still somewhat useful down bags  
that got soaked in the incident.  I got them dried out quickly, but  
they will need to be washed.  We have a big front loading washer, so  
I think we can use that to wash them.  Any soap recommendations?   
What's the best way to dry them?

In exchange for your advice I'll give you mine about floods:

1.  Get flood insurance.  Your standard insurance policy will cover  
water damage caused because wind blew your roof off or your pipes  
broke, but not due to a flood.  You have to get government-sponsored  
flood insurance at additional cost.  Like most people in Portland,  
Oregon I reasoned that I live 150' above the 500 year flood plain and  
won't be flooded.  Unfortunately, the water draining off the 400' of  
hill behind my house had other ideas.

2.  Walk around your neighborhood and think like water.  Where would  
you go if you got the upper hand? Observe the storm sewers and  
ditches that protect your home.  Are they clear of debris?  Will they  
remain so if a deluge flows down the hill?  If you get or expect a  
gully washer take a rake or hoe and unplug those suckers.  You can't  
rely on the government to do this stuff for you.  My local municipal  
government is so intent on assuring that I have the right to marry  
someone of my own gender, live in a nuclear free zone and eat organic  
radishes that they have little time to clean out the ditches.

3.  If your house floods anyway, DO NOT go wading around in the water  
with the electrical power still on trying to save your miserable  
personal possessions.  In the heat of the moment, that is exactly  
what I did and I am lucky I didn't get terminally zapped.

Wayne Kraft