Don't put the whole bag assembly in the washer! It needs to be removed from the emptor (the lower plastic portion with fill tube attached), which can be done by *GENTLY* prying the plastic strap at the bottom apart- the strap works similar to a zip tie... THEN the bag can be removed, the topper slides off over the clip, and it can be washed in the washer on warm water gentle cycle. I have dried them in the dryer on the lowest heat setting, but if your dryer geta very hot, just hang it to dry overnight. Then it can be reassebled with a new bag inside.