Microwaving Polartec Alpha Direct

tl:dr; You have to microwave sleeping bag and clothes in some huts in the alps. Don't bring Alpha Direct gear.

More and more sections and huts of the alpine club in Germany are fighting bed bugs and therefore require visitors to put their sleeping bags and sleeping clothes in a microwave for 30 seconds at 600 watts.

I am using a Big Agnes Polartec Alpha Direct sleeping bag liner for huts and it's quite expensive, so I don't want to damage it. Certainly too expensive to test it.

I asked Big Agnes whether it is safe to be microwaved.

Here is their response:

> We do not recommend putting the Big Agnes Polartec® Alpha™ Direct sleeping bag liner in a microwave, even if the target temperature is only 60 °C.

While Polartec® Alpha™ Direct is a durable polyester insulation designed for normal washing and low-temperature tumble drying, it is not designed or tested for microwave use, and neither the fabric nor the finished liner is rated as microwave-safe. Microwaves can heat materials unevenly, and factors such as seams, labels, dirt, moisture, or other components can lead to unpredictable results.

For that reason, we cannot recommend microwaving the liner, as doing so may damage the product.

If the alpine club requires a heat treatment for bed bug prevention, we recommend checking with the hut or the alpine club to see whether they have an alternative approved treatment method for technical synthetic gear, such as a controlled hot-air treatment, rather than a microwave.

Kind regards,

Team BA

I also asked Polartec but did not get an answer yet. I'll add it asap.

That said, check the hut's rules in the alps and rather don't bring your Alpha Direct sleeping clothes or liners.

I've never microwaved any synthetic clothes: Any experience what happens to synthethic baselayers?