Waterproof cloths cleaner

kenan

I'm under the impression you can't clean you waterproof shorts/jackets with normal detergent as it will remove the waterproofing. Due to this I have been using soap flakes from Tesco but my wife doesn’t like the smell so I'm looking for recommended alternatives please

MichaelW

Liquid soap from Tescos is ideal and cheaper than the proper stuff *Nikwax tech wash*.
I never realized that it had a smell.

peuan

Check out the manufacturer's website for instructions. I was looking for this the other day for a North Face jacket. It went something like this: Wash with a mild powder on low temp, rinse twice and tumble dry on low.

As I understand it, rinsing twice (gets the detergent out) and tumble drying restores the water-proofing.

Unfortunately, I don't have a tumble dryer, so was planning on taking it to the cleaners and see how well it works.

roadrunner5k

Depends on the fabric - if its gore-tex the 'waterproofness' comes from a membrane - so you can wash as normal.

muttley_109

Waterproof clothes which use a membrane also use a durable water repellant coating. It is this coating that makes the water bead up and roll off. This stops the water from wetting out the surface fabric and effectively blocking the pores in the breathable membrane.
Dirty waterproof clothes wet out easier and then become less breathable.
Cleaning with detergent will get the dirt out easier but stops the DWR from working (something to with surface tension if I remember correctly)
Goretex and Event (two of the main waterproof manufacturers) both give different cleaning advice. Goretex say to wash using a non-detergent based cleaner (soap flakes or nikwax)
Event recommend cleaning using a detergent followed by cleaning using soap flakes or nikwax etc to wash away any residual detergent.
This should get rid of all the dirt and not affect the DWR. Regenerating the DWR can be done by tumbledrying, ironing or hairdrying. You can also by stuff in a bottle to add a new layer of DWR to items if they are well used.