Autumn is slowly setting in, the sunny days are getting fewer, and the rain is no longer keeping us waiting either. So on an autumn hike, waterproof clothing should always be ready to hand in your backpack. What few people know: even today’s high-tech marvels with GORE-TEX®, Sympatex®, eVent® and the like need to be washed and re-proofed regularly, because dirt and body oils compromise both the waterproofing and the breathability — and then you really are left out in the rain…
When choosing a detergent, make absolutely sure it is suitable for cleaning membrane garments or jackets with a waterproof PU coating. You should also avoid fluorocarbons wherever possible, as they harm both the environment and your health.
Looking for suitable care products for technical clothing, you quickly come across NIKWAX. According to the manufacturer, the company has done without such chemical additives for many years and uses water as a carrier instead.
Environmentally minded hikers will also be glad to hear that NIKWAX says it operates climate-neutrally and offsets its CO2 emissions through the World Land Trust, which works to preserve tropical rainforests.
Washing and re-proofing regularly restores the performance of your outdoor gear for the long run and extends its life. That is easier on the environment, on your health and on your wallet. It also lets you look after that one favourite piece that may already have travelled half way around the world with you, so you can enjoy it for longer.
Here’s how: clean first, then re-proof!
Cleaning outdoor clothing
Washing regularly with a gentle cleaner already restores a garment’s natural water repellency and breathability. Even at this stage, make sure not to use ordinary household detergents: they are loaded with surfactants that leave residue in the pores of the membrane (GORE-TEX®, Sympatex®, eVent® and the like), which reduces breathability.
NIKWAX TECH WASH is a good choice here. The detergent cleans technical clothing at as little as 30 °C and restores breathability. That way you can simply machine-wash the garment and prepare it properly for re-proofing, which only works well once dirt and body oils have been removed.
Re-proofing waterproof clothing
When the finish on the outer fabric is no longer working — because of dirt or body oils, for instance — and the jacket wets out from the outside, its breathability stops working too and you start to sweat on the inside. People then often assume the jacket „is no longer waterproof“ — when in fact it is simply their own perspiration condensing on the inside.
That is why waterproof clothing needs re-proofing from time to time as well as washing: with regular cleaning using TECH WASH, only about every fourth wash. NIKWAX TX.DIRECT, the matching proofer, comes in two versions – TX.DIRECT WASH-IN and TX.DIRECT SPRAY-ON – and restores the original finish on the outer fabric.
Thanks to water as a „natural“ solvent, the proofing reaches everywhere the rain would reach and wraps around every single fibre without blocking the gaps in between or impairing breathability. It is particularly suited to microfibre fabrics and microporous membranes.
TX.DIRECT SPRAY-ON is designed for waterproof clothing with a PU coating or a moisture-wicking lining. Both versions are easy to use: add it to the freshly washed, still-wet garment in the machine or spray it on directly, then let it dry. Neither product needs heat to activate the proofing.
After this treatment, your technical clothing should once again stand up to cold autumn rain just as reliably as it did when new.
Prices
- TECH WASH € 8.99
- TX.DIRECT WASH-IN € 12.50 (300 ml each)
- TX. DIRECT SPRAY-ON € 17.50 (500 ml)
- TECH WASH / TX. DIRECT WASH-IN Twin Pack € 19.99 (300 ml each)
More information: www.nikwax.de
Where to buy: www.vaude.com
