Washing/ maintaining rain gear

[rdurning]

How do you guys wash and maintain your rain gear. I just picked up some rain gear and it has kind of a weird smell and I wanted to keep it but not mess up my goretex.
Thanks

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have used the nikwax stuff but not often. I will occasionally soak mine in water agitate it a bit and rinse it good. For major cleaning, I follow something like this REI process

How to Care for Gore-Tex Rainwear | REI Co-op

Keep your Gore-Tex clothing waterproof with these cleaning tips, and learn how to tell if the durable water repellent coating needs replacing.

www.rei.com

 

[Middleofnowhere]

I have a very old gortex tent that I loved. It has a funky smell I can’t get rid of. I’ve been holding on to it close to 30 years LOL
Man would I love to recover that tent.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have a very old gortex tent that I loved. It has a funky smell I can’t get rid of. I’ve been holding on to it close to 30 years LOL
Man would I love to recover that tent.

Good luck. My oldest piece of goretex was a mid 90s north face jacket. I mothballed it years ago and found it recently. The goretex interior was all de laminated and crumbling.

 

[Piscatory_4]

Only wash occasionally, like maybe every couple years. Sport wash in washing machine and hang to dry. Only real reason to wash would be blood contamination, dirt and mud just hose off.

 

[justinspicher]

I treat mine each season with a nixwax wash that adds in water repellency. You can pick up a bottle at most outdoor stores for about $10-12 bucks. I wash it and hang to dry.

 

[FlyGuy]

I wash mine probably once per year, but I don’t use it that often. Then I treat it with the Graingers spray off of Amazon.


You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[*zap*]

tagged.

 

[Rammer8227]

Nix wax cleaner and waterproofer always refreshes my rain gear nicely

 

[Ram94]

I had used the nikwax wash-in on a Kuiu Guide jacket and it didn't seem to work very well. When the jacket was new, water would bead right off. After the Nikwax, it soaks up water. Maybe I didn't use enough.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

I've never had luck with nikwax products. Maybe it'll repel once after a wash, but after that, just soaks in. It might be that most people shorchange and don't add enough, I'd bet you need a whole bottle for an XL despite what it says on the bottle. Will try the graingers stuff next time.

 

[Ram94]

I've never had luck with nikwax products. Maybe it'll repel once after a wash, but after that, just soaks in. It might be that most people shorchange and don't add enough, I'd bet you need a whole bottle for an XL despite what it says on the bottle. Will try the graingers stuff next time.

I'd be curious to know how it works!

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

I meant Gangers, not graingers.

Gore-Tex also recommends using tumble dry to re-activate....:

• Machine wash your garment as described in the wash instructions. Line dry your garment or tumble dry it on a warm, gentle cycle.
• Once it is dry, tumble dry your garment for 20 minutes to reactivate the durable water-repellent (DWR) treatment on the outer fabric.
• If unable to tumble dry, iron the dry garment on the gentle setting (warm, no steam) by placing a towel or cloth between the garment and the iron. This will help reactivate the DWR treatment on your garment’s outer fabric.

These steps will restore the factory durable water repellent treatment and water may bead up on your outerwear. If it does not, it’s probably time to apply new DWR to your jacket.

HOW DO I APPLY A NEW DWR TREATMENT?
Sometimes, the factory applied treatment can no longer be reactivated. In that case, apply a new water-repellent treatment available as a pump-spray or wash-in product to the garment's outer fabric.

Check the label on your jacket to verify the appropriate option. Spray-on products are easy to apply using the built-in pump.

SHOULD I USE A SPRAY-ON OR A WASH-IN PRODUCT TO RESTORE MY DWR?
Both products will work to restore the DWR to the exterior of the garment. The main concern with wash-in products is that the DWR is also applied to the inside of the clothing. This may compromise the ability of the interior fabric to wick perspiration away from your skin, and may adversely impact garment breathability.

A wide variety of DWR products are available and, as of 2016, new DWR formulas are entering the market. The three main groups are fluorocarbon-based, silicone-based, and hydrocarbon-based polymers. It’s worth noting that each type has its strengths and weaknesses, such as repelling oils and dirt very well, but water not as well or vice versa. Something else to keep in mind is that the product you used previously may have had a change in the formula as a result of improved performance or environmental impact.

https://www.gore-tex.com/blog/restore-durable-water-repellency-raingear

 

[Piscatory_4]

I've always understood and read that you put items in dryer to reactivate DWR.

 

[OpticsNorthwest]

The biggest issue with DWR is just the material getting dirty. Often times washing with Nikwax TechWash is all you need, no need to do a round of waterproofing. When it comes to breathable garments with wicking liners you should use the spray on stuff rather than the wash-in. Otherwise you are making your liner water repellent which defeats the purpose. The Nikwax website has a guide for different products as well as some videos.

 

[Dos Perros]

That old Revivex spray stuff was money.

 

[ofl0926]

so whats the verdict?

 

[rdurning]

so whats the verdict?

I think I'm going to use Nixwax or grainger to get the smell out and then dry it to activate dwr then it should be good for the season

 

[Phaseolus]

Good luck. My oldest piece of goretex was a mid 90s north face jacket. I mothballed it years ago and found it recently. The goretex interior was all de laminated and crumbling.

Send it back to North Face, you would be surprised at how well they treat you! Lifetime warranty.

 

[Austink47]

listen to beyond the kill ep 143. Lots of good info from one of the Sitka guys. Basically he said just wash you rain gear. Gortex has to be clean to work properly, it can’t breathe if the membrane is dirty.