 Poster: A snowHead
|
Just back from France and would like to wash ski jacket and ski trousers. I've noticed in the past washing gear seems to make gear less waterproof.
Should I send to dry cleaners
machine Wash and reproof
Not use fabric conditioner
etc
Thanks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
infrequently because of the problem you state 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
I thought it was self cleaning!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Nikwax is brilliant.
Kept my ski jacket going for yonks.,
But eventually the sun does for the nylon and not even the Nikwax magic can make a sieve waterproof.
Anyone want to buy some hi-tech but now completely permeable ski jackets?
I do you speshial deaaal.... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| dublin1 wrote: |
Just back from France and would like to wash ski jacket and ski trousers. I've noticed in the past washing gear seems to make gear less waterproof.
Should I send to dry cleaners
machine Wash and reproof
Not use fabric conditioner
etc
Thanks |
This stuff works even better than Nikwax (IMHO):
http://www.grangersusa.com/products/2-in-1-cleans-and-waterproofs.html
...and it's quicker & easier. You can get it from Tiso (if you have one near you) or I'm sure other places have it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Throw it all away and buy new stuff in end of season sales!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My experiment of washing with little or no detergent then dosing heavily with comfort pure (which has silicone) seems to be bearing up this season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| fatbob wrote: |
| My experiment of washing with little or no detergent then dosing heavily with comfort pure (which has silicone) seems to be bearing up this season. |
Really? Doesn't that affect the breathability of the fabric? I thought fabric conditioners were a big no no 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The label on my ski jacket states
Do not soak. Do not wring. Do not dry clean. Do not use fabric softener. Do not bleach. Do not iron. Drip dry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
cathy, Agree with you.
I believe it's the case that fabric conditioner destroys the surface tension of the water in contact with the fabric (makes the fabric more hydophyllic?) which causes it to spread over the surface. That in turn causes the fabric to become waterlogged which screws up the ability of the breathable layer to pass water vapour to the outside.
Or something like that. Whatever, I've always been told to run the washing machine through a rinse cycle with nothing in at least once to flush out any traces of fabric conditioner before cleaning waterproof stuff.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
chuck it in the washing machine.. then dont ski in the rain or fall over in any puddles..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| cathy wrote: |
| fatbob wrote: |
| My experiment of washing with little or no detergent then dosing heavily with comfort pure (which has silicone) seems to be bearing up this season. |
Really? Doesn't that affect the breathability of the fabric? I thought fabric conditioners were a big no no |
Trail magazine did a test and found that certain fabric conditioners performed as well as Nikwax etc reproofers at a fraction of the cost. Its detergrnts which have the capacity to cause most damage apparently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
I try to keep washing to a minimum. Often I just use a sponge and lots of H2O to wash mud and grubb off. And i've also used the washing machine with no detegent at all which works well. When I want to clean stuff properly (once, maybe twice, a year - and I wear my Bonfire ski jacket all the time in the winter) then I use Nikwax TechWash followed by Nikwax TX Direct wash-in stuff. It says do 2 garments at a time, but I do 3 as out washing machine is quite big.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Just use pure soap and rinse thoroughly. My gear is still as waterproof and breathable as when I got it (although considerably more worn!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Like petemillis, i also wash our gear once or twice a year using Nikwax TechWash, but i dont use the wash in stuff as i dont understand how it works. Waterproofing is meant to keep the water out so if you wash it in to your garment surely both outside and inside of your jacket will become waterproof, interfering with its breathability. I therefore use the spray on version which i also take on holidays and apply it regularly to hard wearing areas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
PP, the way NikWax works is to keep the fibres water repellent, so water drops don't penetrate the fabric. But it doesn't fill the "spaces" between the fibres, and it's these that are important for breathability - water vapour can pass freely through. The spray-on version will do exactly the same as the wash-in version but is harder to apply evenly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
petemillis, except that you only spray it onto the outside of the garment. When i pour some water onto my ski trousers (butt area) after a few weeks of wear, i can actually see the water penetrating the fabric. If i do the same after treating that area with nikwax spray the water forms droplets on the outside and it appears that it does not penetrate the fabric. Why do you think the same does not happen on the inside if you wash it in?
I am sure your are wright it just does not make sense to me.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
I put mine in the washing machine with pure soap flakes on a wool cycle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
The following is taken from the Outdoorsmagic Site and covers washing Gore-tex:
| Quote: |
When Trail Magazine tested Comfort fabric conditioner against dedicated water-repellant treatments from the likes of Grangers and Nikwax they found that it gave pretty good results and was massively cheaper per treatment. Silicone in the conditioner works as a water repellant.
However I wouldn't suggest that you use Comfort unless Gore-Tex specifically approves it for use with their clothing because it's prime function is to soften clothing rather than make it water repellant and there's no guarantee that other chemicals in the conditioner won't affect, say, the breathability of the fabric. I'm not saying it will, but do you really want to find out the hard way?
Reproofing using a dedicated fabric DWR restorer like Nikwax TX11 or Grangers Extreme is pretty straightforward if you're thorough about it. First you need to wash the garment thoroughly using a pure soap or technical cleaner to remove dirt and other residue. Run a boil wash through your machine first to remove traces of detergent and wash out the detergent drawer.
Next use either a wash-in treatment for three-ply garments - ones which are a single layer of fabric - or a spray-on for two-ply garments which have a separate mesh liner. Follow the maker's instructions.
With Nikwax treatments, you're now good to go. If you use Grangers, which is closer to the original treatment, you need to heat treat the garment to activate the treatment and help it bond to the fibres of the garment. We'd suggest careful application of a cool iron rather than tumble drying, since tumble driers abrade clothing and can also melt plastic fixings if the thermostate is faulty. Follow care labels on ironing temperatures.
Once done, water should bead and run off the outside of the garment as it did when new.
Sometimes simply washing in a technical wash then ironing the garment is enough to restore the factory DWR, so if your jacket is quite new, try this before re-proofing. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
