 Poster: A snowHead
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I have a Helly Hansen long parka coat. Not for skiing, it's too big and bulky, but for general winter wear in cold wet weather.
It's less than 2 years old and when it was new it was amazing in terms of both warmth and waterproofness. I have only washed it once or twice (fortunately it is a dark grey colour so very practical) but have noticed a definite deterioration in performance after washing; it's no longer as warm or as waterproof. I have washed it in Grangers.
It seems that the down has 'washed away' some, it's definitely thinner, and the rain no longer 'beads' and runs off the fabric but wets it.
Any suggestions as to whether it's possible to restore the fabric in any way? Should I wash it more? Tumble it? Iron it? Any other products to try?
It was an expensive coat and it still looks great so I don't want to get a new one but I would like it to perform more as it did.
Thanks 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sarah, is it down? If so, you can get a specific down wash, which followed by a tumble dry (ideally with tennis balls/tumble dry balls/clean trainers) has worked very well for us.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 12-11-13 19:34; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Is it Goretex?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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tumble drying may well restore the DWR and get the rain "beading"
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Arno, under a new name, thanks, I thought tumble drying helped too but I've just looked up the FAQs on the HH site and it says NOT to tumble dry 
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sarah, hmmm, don't tumble dry hot! Tumbling helps the clumped down re-separate and for some DWRs it "activates" them.
My all time favourite jacket had sewn in manufacturer labels say do not tumble dry and original Gore-Tex ones saying must tumble dry. (Maybe other way round)
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From ther HH website:
Waterproof/breathable garments, including HELLY TECH, should be washed in warm water with a technical wash (see care label in garment for recommended temperature). Ensure all zippers and fasteners are closed. Rinse thoroughly to remove all detergent residues. Do not use fabric softener as it breaks down Helly Tech and do not tumble dry. Do not dry clean or iron.
also...
Make sure the garment is clean (see How Do I Clean My Garment?), then apply a DWR (durable water repellent) spray-on or wash-in solution so that water continues to "bead" (water droplets appear to slide off) on the outer surface. Helly Hansen does not recommend any particular spray; leading brands include Nikwax, Grangers and McNett. Read the label on the spray for user advice.
http://www.hellyhansen.com/about-us/faq
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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musher, the care section for the piece sarah linked to says "tumbly dry cold" how confusing!
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Arno,
Presumably to fluff up the down?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I thought spray-on or wash-in DWR treatments required tumble drying on low heat to set the DWR properties?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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sarah, are they natural down?? that will refluff but artificial wont....
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You know it makes sense.
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sarah, i'd get the appropriate wash and tumble dry medium/cool...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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kitenski, 80% goose down, 20% goose feather
The sewn in label says tumble dry low which is what I did.
under a new name, any recommendations for a wash, I really rate Grangers but in this case it hasn't done well.
Maybe I should get a spray on re-proofer rather than a wash-in one??
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Poster: A snowHead
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sarah, i don't know the brand in my badment, it may be Nik-Wax
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sarah, it shoudl fluff up then when dry, if slightly damp the feathers stick together....
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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kitenski, I haven't washed it recently, what I meant was the last time I washed it it seemed to be thinner/flatter and less warm afterwards as if the feathers had washed away.
I am going to try it again. I can't decide whether to try Grangers again, pure soap flakes as they are often recommended for tech fabrics and I've had good results with that before or something else. Also need to get a re-proofer.
Maybe the tennis balls are key, I have never used them before.
Thanks all
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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sarah, Wikipedia says. "Fill power of down tends to diminish as the down gets dirty and mats. The fill power of a down article can be restored by washing the article in a washing machine with or without detergent (mild) and dried in a home dryer. Tennis balls can be added to help fluff the down. Alternatively, the washing can be skipped and the down article can be placed in the dryer with a damp rag for 10–20 minutes. The idea is to open up the matted down clusters with warm air and moisture."
I used a McKinley product. I'm sure the Nikwax versions of Down Wash and Down Proof will work as well. The tumble drying is, I think, key.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| sarah wrote: |
| Maybe I should get a spray on re-proofer rather than a wash-in one?? |
Yes I wouldn't use a wash in re-proofer on anything but a shell jacket (without liner) otherwise the re-proofer gets onto everything and could reduce the performance of the liner (e.g. moisture transportation)
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DB, but presumably if Nikwax have a wash through down proofing product, it'll be designed to be washed through down?
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| under a new name wrote: |
| DB, but presumably if Nikwax have a wash through down proofing product, it'll be designed to be washed through down? |
Read somewhere (I'll try to find the link) that the wash through stuff for Hard shells and down garmonts reduced the performance. Find it hard to believe that the DWR coating only sticks to the outer coating of the jacket.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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DB, sure, I do see what you mean. I've never noticed reduced performance from that myself.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you're prepared to exchange money for time, there are places which will do professional cleaning of down gear. I can't actually recommend one to you, but a little searching might turn up something useful. For all I know, they might do reproofing too.
As a last resort, you could try asking Helly for advice. They might have something useful to say, you never know!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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For spray on proofread, try Musto or Gill spray for a chandlers. Much better performance in a recent test I was reading.
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UPDATE so after waiting til the weekend to get chance to go to the outdoors shop to get some down wash, they didn't stock it  Should have ordered it online. Anyway they did have various other washes and I read the bottles. It seems that these tech washes are just soap based. So in the absence of the down wash I decided to wash it in pure soap flakes. I bought the spray on re-proofer.
So I have washed it, re-proofed it and tumbled it (I managed to get some tumble dryer balls at a £ shop) and it seems to have come up well. It has been in the drier lots of times and shaken and puffed up in between, it is very hard to dry through as it is so thick. So I have had it on a heated towel rail too and then it can go back in the drier for another puffing up. It is definitely puffier than it was, it had gone quite flat, so hopefully it will be warmer again. Lovely sunny day here today so will report back on the waterproofness after the next downpour! Thanks all for the helpful advice and comments.
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