# Advice on washing pants/jacket



## DC5R

The DWR will always wear away whether you wash it or use it. Once you see that it stops beading water, just wash your pants/jacket in Nikwax to replenish the DWR coating.


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## dharmashred

For sure you don't want to wash them too often. If you need to wash them, use a gentle soap, something like dreft, ivory or woolite, hand wash in a tub or sink (not too much water and only a minimal amount of soap) no washing machine. Hang dry, you can take a towel to suck out some moisture. Don't expect them to be dry overnight though. Make sure whatever you use does NOT have any softener in it, as this will for sure damage the waterproofing. (this goes for layers and their wicking as well, no softener!) Hang dry, never put them in the dryer. You could probably also use like an alcohol free baby wipe and just do a spot clean, I've done that. I honestly don't know when the last time I washed my pants or jacket was :dunno:.

_edit: actually...What DC5R said...
_


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## banana420

well arent i just an asshole i have been washing my pants for the past 5 years in the washer than drying them in the dryer and they still bead water and keep me dry:cheeky4:


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## FreshPowder

i just want my shit clean lol but i dont want to take any chances and messin up my new stuff i just bought. note to the future me dark colors are your friends. lol


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## Leo

I rarely wash my snowboard clothing. Think about it, it repels the water and dirt on the mountain anyway. You worried about sweat? Well, your base layers should take care of that.

I do have one jacket I wash every year, but I wear it off the mountain a lot too. With this jacket, I just toss it in the washer with a little bit of detergent on delicate wash with cold water. Then I hang dry it. If the jacket doesn't bead off water anymore, I use a Nikwax spray on water proofing spray after the jacket dries. Careful though, that stuff stinks. Make sure you do the spray on outside or somewhere with good ventilation. Wear a mask if you can.

So yea, no real need to wash jackets that you only use for snowboarding unless you don't layer correctly and sweat like a dog it.


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## Tarzanman

If you are going to wash your shell then:

• Hand wash it. Gently!
• Use a very small amount of mild soap (no bleach! no fabric softeners)
• Air dry it


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## Leo

Hand washing is really not necessary these days. Most washers have a delicate wash cycle, even my older washer. I've lifted the lid while its on this cycle and I can tell you that it is really gentle. I have washed numerous "hand wash only" clothes in it without any problems. Granted, I still hand wash the finer things like silk and smaller fine knit garments. The main thing you need to worry about is drying the jacket. Absolutely no Drier. Always air dry inside out (keeps it from deforming also works great on jeans). Check your washer first though. I've seen some delicate wash cycles that still spin harshly on some older machines.

But... yea. Hand washing is always the absolute best way to do it. I just rather toss it in delicate wash cycle and go do something more productive.


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## hanzosteel

keep in mind gore-tex is different, machine wash in warm, tumble dry and then iron. the gore-tex laminate activates with heat. the cleaner the gore-tex garment, the better its waterproofness and breathability.

not sure this thread is necessary, why don't people just read the care instructions on their garment labels?


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## milner_7

hanzosteel said:


> keep in mind gore-tex is different, machine wash in warm, tumble dry and then iron. the gore-tex laminate activates with heat. the cleaner the gore-tex garment, the better its waterproofness and breathability.
> 
> not sure this thread is necessary, why don't people just read the care instructions on their garment labels?


funny how most wash instructions say wash in cold water and tumble dry low LOL


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## hanzosteel

guess you've never worn gore-tex. comes with its own literature, incl. detailed care instructions. funny how people just dont bother to read but choose to assume.


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## milner_7

hanzosteel said:


> guess you've never worn gore-tex. comes with its own literature, incl. detailed care instructions. funny how people just dont bother to read but choose to assume.


I was not directing that toward you I was commenting on different opinions thats all. I feel best case is follow the instructions on the tag and all will be well. And oh yeah I have worn gore-tex, in 1989


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## m60g

I'm looking at my Gore-TEX hunting jacket right now, and it says warm wash, rinse cold, mild detergent, permanent press cycle, hang dry:dunno:


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## hanzosteel

may not be a waterproof breathable. but, whatever, like i said, best to follow the care instructions on your specific garment. here is what gore says for care, and it's re-iterated on my labels and hang-tags....
Washing Instructions - GORE-TEX Products


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## Leo

hanzosteel said:


> keep in mind gore-tex is different, machine wash in warm, tumble dry and then iron. the gore-tex laminate activates with heat. the cleaner the gore-tex garment, the better its waterproofness and breathability.
> 
> not sure this thread is necessary, why don't people just read the care instructions on their garment labels?


Yea, Gore-Tex is a totally different ball game. I don't own any Gore-Tex products except for my gloves lol.


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## ChuChu

Came across this while looking through 3CS's site and I thought it was interesting:

3CS Outerwear - About Fabric

Basically, if the fabric uses a waterproof coating it can lose up to 20% of its waterproof rating after 10 washes. If it's laminated it can lose 3% - 7% after 20 washes.


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## FreshPowder

yes all i have is gore-tex gloves. and my jacket and pants say nothing about how to clean them so reading about how to do so is out of the question. lol


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## Snowscape

I read that anything with a DWR coating such as Hyvent or Gore-tex will actually benefit from machine-drying to re-activate the waterproofness of the outer layer. 

My question is, what "mild detergents" have you guys used successfully on such garments? I don't want to pay for over-priced specialty detergents like Nikwax, and my local grocery stores don't seem to have Soap Flakes. I believe I tried Woolite before on my Hyvent jacket - first time washing it ever - but it wasn't gentle enough because my jacket doesn't bead water like it used to. And it was beading just fine right before the washing, soo.....

Any suggestions on a Nikwax alternative that can be found in the grocery store?


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## pacificdrums

Snowscape said:


> I read that anything with a DWR coating such as Hyvent or Gore-tex will actually benefit from machine-drying to re-activate the waterproofness of the outer layer.
> 
> My question is, what "mild detergents" have you guys used successfully on such garments? I don't want to pay for over-priced specialty detergents like Nikwax, and my local grocery stores don't seem to have Soap Flakes. I believe I tried Woolite before on my Hyvent jacket - first time washing it ever - but it wasn't gentle enough because my jacket doesn't bead water like it used to. And it was beading just fine right before the washing, soo.....
> 
> Any suggestions on a Nikwax alternative that can be found in the grocery store?


I just got Nikwax tech wash. It's about $8 and you can wash about 6 garments. If you don't wash your gear that often I don't think thats very expensive. As for your jacket get some Nikwax spray on waterproofing, best stuff I have found.


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