I've got a Goretex jacket, which is starting to look a bit grubby now. Whats the general consensus to the best way of cleaning these?
Someone told me to put it in the washer on a 30degree wash using a non bio powder, but with the price of it I don't want to lose the waterproofing of it.
You can buy stuff called tech wash, I go to a saddlers and buy great big bottle of it. They use it to wash breathable rugs. Also they do a squirty reproofing spray if you find water no longer balls on the fabric.
Wash using soap free powder or tech wash then reproof if necesarry. After that if the washing instructions allow tumble dry on cool. If down filled coat chuck in a couple of tennis balls it fluffs up nicely.
Hope this helps.
Oh and one last thing before you wash jacket run machine on a rinse cycle before you start to remove any trace of powder.
As you can tell I wash my jackets regularly because I have two horses a dog and a couple of chocolate covered kids.
Quote: Originally posted by bandit-gray on 15/09/2004
I've got a Goretex jacket, which is starting to look a bit grubby now. Whats the general consensus to the best way of cleaning these?
I have always just used a mild non-bio detergent on a low temp, never had problems, and you will find thats what Gore recommend.
What does the cleaning instruction on the lablel say ?
I gave up on Goretex some years back, its OK in Duvets for winter use etc, but I found that after a couple of years use in a waterproof it leaked to much in heavy rain and wind.
I now use the Paramo jackets that are waterproof long term and breath a lot better than Goretex too
Scallywag and Stuart are correct.
Most DWR's can be restored by application of heat , either low heat ironing or half an hours cool tumble drying. As mentioned it is very important not to use detergents, just good old soapflakes as ANY trace of detergent left in the fabric will stop the water beading and running off. And make sure detergent tray is clean and machine been on a rinse cycle first. Nikwax Techwash is good stuff. Nikwax Polar tech wash is great for fleece and can make rain roll off too.
The North Face info is wrong.
Goretex main fault is that over time it can delaminate and water gets in thru the creases. Triplepoint and Event fabrics, Hyvent [TNF] and other single skin fabrics suffer from this to a lesser extent.
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Is there confusion between the ability of the fabric of a waterproof to bead water so that it runs off, which is relavent in light rain, and the ultimate waterproofness of the fabric which comes into play in heavy wind driven rain ?
I would say never wash anything in detergent (bio or none bio) if you want to maintain DWR. Only use pure soap, unfortunately soapflakes are very hard to find these days, so Tech wash has to be used. The low heat of a tumble dryer or iron is also recomended.
If anyone knows where to get pure soapflakes I'd be very interested.
I would agree with the sentiment of washing in natural soap if you have it, I have a Paramo jacket and need to wash it in tech wash since normal soap stops the waterproofness on the jacket from working, but its not cheap stuff.
Gore seem to think that washing in soft detergent (any on the market) is OK.
Go to saddlers and buy rug wash. It is the same stuff but in a container 4 times the size. I paid about £7 for mine. I think Tech wash is a bout £5 per bottle. If you have a lot of grubby stuff then this is a much more cost effective way of doing it.
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Topic: Cleaning Goretex
