Same Old Same Old - Q about washing Goretex

SteveO said:

'lo all,

It can't be that long (can it?) since somehting akin to this was
recently asked but I'm at a bit of loss.

I have a goretex jacket that needs a bit of a wash but the myriad of
options, well ok not so amucha myriad but ykwim, is perplexing and
I'm sure there's a method/product that everyoen swears by while the
others get mediocre reviews.

What would folk suggest to clean a mucky goretext jacket and restore
it to its former glory? :-)

Weeel.....AFAICG, it seems to depend upon whether the jacket has a
fabric lining or not. If it doesn't then (i) wash (machine is fine)
with Nik-Wax Tech Wash (or other brand equivalent) and then (ii)
re-proof with Nik-Wax TX-Direct Wash In (or other brand equivalent).

If there's a fabric liner then using the TX-Direct Wash In will/may
affect breathability, so in that situation a spray on equivalent is
recommended.

Further details can be found here:
http://www.nikwax.com/uk/choosea.asp

That's Nik-Wax because that's what I've used (I've only done it once),
but I was recently told by someone I regarded as knowledgeable,
reliable and unbiased that Grangers products work better. However, I
was also told that in order for the Grangers things to work the
garment has to be clean first, and that it's necessary to activate the
re-proofing thing with heat, either by using a tumble drier (I've not
got one) or by ironing. I can't say this is definitely true, but it's
what I was told.

So.... good luck! It all seems v. confusing to me..

Quoted message said:

MTIA, 'course

MTIA?

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

SteveO said:

I have a goretex jacket that needs a bit of a wash but the myriad of
options, well ok not so amucha myriad but ykwim, is perplexing and
I'm sure there's a method/product that everyoen swears by while the
others get mediocre reviews.

What would folk suggest to clean a mucky goretext jacket and restore
it to its former glory? :-)

Obvious caveat that I won't take any responsibility if it goes wrong,
but I'd put it on a cool wash cycle using Loft Techwash.

If I wanted to add new DWR coating I'd then do that, with a tumble dry
or cool iron to end with (whether or not you put on extra DWR goop).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoted message said:

That's Nik-Wax because that's what I've used (I've only done it once),
but I was recently told by someone I regarded as knowledgeable,
reliable and unbiased that Grangers products work better.

Does Nik-Wax apply to all water proof material, i.e. Triple-point ceramic
and eVent?

Cheers,

Nathan

Treefrog said:

Quoted message said:

That's Nik-Wax because that's what I've used (I've only done it once),
but I was recently told by someone I regarded as knowledgeable,
reliable and unbiased that Grangers products work better.

They're both okay IME and I wouldn't particularly choose one over the
other. OTOH I haven't done this sort of thing a huge amount to give a
sample base. Comment about garment should be clean also applies to
Nikwax products, as does heat activation of the DWR.

Quoted message said:

Does Nik-Wax apply to all water proof material, i.e. Triple-point ceramic
and eVent?

Note that "Nikwax" is the company and they make a large range of
products for different jobs, one of which is DWR replenishment. Since
the DWR surface treatment is quite separate from TPC coating or
eVent/Goretex laminates and isn't actually the bit that does the
waterproofing it should work okay with any of them. To elaborate a bit,
the TPC coating or the laminate layer is the bit that stops water
getting through to you, the DWR coating is applied to the (usually
nylon) face fabric the coating or membrane attaches to and is there to
make water bead up rather than soak into the weave and "wet out" the
fabric. When this happens, although the waterproof layer will still
function, it is almost impossible for water vapour to be vented through
it as there's the equivalent of a puddle right the other side of it!
Practical upshot is that though you still get "waterproof", "breathable"
goes drastically down.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peewiglet <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have a goretex jacket that needs a bit of a wash but the myriad of
options, well ok not so amucha myriad but ykwim, is perplexing and
I'm sure there's a method/product that everyoen swears by while the
others get mediocre reviews.

Weeel.....AFAICG, it seems to depend upon whether the jacket has a
fabric lining or not. If it doesn't then (i) wash (machine is fine)
with Nik-Wax Tech Wash (or other brand equivalent) and then (ii)
re-proof with Nik-Wax TX-Direct Wash In (or other brand equivalent).

I did this with an old (>15yr) Sprayway Gortex jacket the other week and
apart from most of the taping coming unstuck it worked pretty well.

I tried just ironing the seams, but they were too far gone for this to
work. I had read that Bostik was the glue to use, but this seemed like it
might get messy, so I tried some Wundaweb and it worked a treat. I figured
you wash clothes you hem with it so it must be water resistant. I walked
for four hours in light rain on Saturday and no water got in (and the tapes
stayed put).

John

Peter Clinch said:

They're both okay IME and I wouldn't particularly choose one over the
other. OTOH I haven't done this sort of thing a huge amount to give a
sample base. Comment about garment should be clean also applies to
Nikwax products, as does heat activation of the DWR.

Ok, thanks. Is it still possible for me to heat activate the DWR that
I've washed into my Paclite J and Ts without a tumble drier? Obviously
a hot iron would be a bad gambit, but is there any point in a cooler
one, or is there any other method?

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

Peewiglet said:

Ok, thanks. Is it still possible for me to heat activate the DWR that
I've washed into my Paclite J and Ts without a tumble drier? Obviously
a hot iron would be a bad gambit, but is there any point in a cooler
one, or is there any other method?

Cool iron seems to The Right Way if you've not got a tumble drier,
according to what "they" say. Should also be the case that if it's
starting to wet out then a tumble/cool iron may well kick what's already
there back into a life a bit. Lowe claim their "Dry Yarn" DWR process
should do this indefinitely, though I'll believe that when I see it...
OTOH I haven't had to do it yet after having the Atom a couple of years,
so DWR is certainly better than it used to be (not that that's hard...
;-/ )

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Peewiglet said:

Ok, thanks. Is it still possible for me to heat activate the DWR that
I've washed into my Paclite J and Ts without a tumble drier? Obviously
a hot iron would be a bad gambit, but is there any point in a cooler
one, or is there any other method?

Cool iron seems to The Right Way if you've not got a tumble drier,
according to what "they" say. Should also be the case that if it's
starting to wet out then a tumble/cool iron may well kick what's
already there back into a life a bit. Lowe claim their "Dry Yarn" DWR
process should do this indefinitely, though I'll believe that when I
see it... OTOH I haven't had to do it yet after having the Atom a
couple of years, so DWR is certainly better than it used to be (not
that that's hard... ;-/ )

If ironing seems too risky, you could use a hair dryer, at a distance,
on the lower heat.

Nikwax say that TX.Direct doesn't need heat for it to work but that it
works better after heat is applied. Grangers say heat is essential for
their products.

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 16:45:01 +0000, Chris Townsend
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Ok, thanks. Is it still possible for me to heat activate the DWR that
I've washed into my Paclite J and Ts without a tumble drier? Obviously
a hot iron would be a bad gambit, but is there any point in a cooler
one, or is there any other method?

Cool iron seems to The Right Way if you've not got a tumble drier,
according to what "they" say. Should also be the case that if it's
starting to wet out then a tumble/cool iron may well kick what's
already there back into a life a bit. Lowe claim their "Dry Yarn" DWR
process should do this indefinitely, though I'll believe that when I
see it... OTOH I haven't had to do it yet after having the Atom a
couple of years, so DWR is certainly better than it used to be (not
that that's hard... ;-/ )

If ironing seems too risky, you could use a hair dryer, at a distance,
on the lower heat.

Great idea, thanks - that didn't occur to me.

Quoted message said:

Nikwax say that TX.Direct doesn't need heat for it to work but that it
works better after heat is applied. Grangers say heat is essential for
their products.

Thanks for clarification 🙂

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

It's starting to grind on me that we (as customers) pay a small fortune for
products (whatever they may be) and all you get is a tiny self promotion
tag!

Why or why can't Berghaus, Spreyway, et al...produce a proper leaflet on how
to look after your £300 jacket...£150 boots...etc...

I know a few manufacturers do this as I've a few in my cupboard, but they're
not a fountain of knowledge as it's usually a 4 inch square booklet,
sometimes with more then 4 pages!

I once had a repair kit for my tent, but no instructions on how to use it!

That's my axe to grind. Arh, relief I've said it.

Jhimmy.

On 23/11/04 4:45 pm, in article [email hidden],

Chris Townsend said:

Nikwax say that TX.Direct doesn't need heat for it to work but that it
works better after heat is applied. Grangers say heat is essential for
their products.

Yep, but I must admit that Nikwax has always worked well for me when cold!

--
Andy Howell
Birmingham, UK

SteveO said...

Quoted message said:

What would folk suggest to clean a mucky goretext jacket and restore
it to its former glory? :-)

Stick it in a washing machine, switch on, wash. Remove, hang
up to dry. It works for me. Or wasn't that what you had in
mind?
--
I try to be a good example to my children, but they just see
me as a dire warning.

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 13:44:14 +0000, Peewiglet <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Weeel.....

yurs?

Quoted message said:

AFAICG,

keyboard rollover stooked? ;-)

Quoted message said:

Further details can be found here:
http://www.nikwax.com/uk/choosea.asp

Most appreciatively received, cheers pw

Quoted message said:

So.... good luck! It all seems v. confusing to me..

It is to me as well, tho' I 'spect in reality that its less so once
you've got your hands dirty, so to speak.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

MTIA, 'course

MTIA?

many thanks in advance

HTH
;-)

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

Peter Clinch said:

I haven't done this sort of thing a huge amount to give a
sample base.

I think that's the problem; realistically no-one should have much
experience in dat area so it comes as confusing when you come back
again. The last time I cleaned a goretex garment it was soap flakes,
or soap flakes.

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 16:45:01 +0000, Chris Townsend
<[email hidden]> wrote:

PS - at the beginning?? ;-)

Many thanks to all who posted, I'm still confused-ish, but will be
less so by the weekend ;-)

Quoted message said:

If ironing seems too risky, you could use a hair dryer, at a distance,
on the lower heat.

Spiffing lateral thinking there Mr T!

Quoted message said:

Nikwax say that TX.Direct doesn't need heat for it to work but that it
works better after heat is applied. Grangers say heat is essential for
their products.

Thanks for the clarification, it does clarify that issue.

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

Peter Clinch said:

Cool iron seems to The Right Way if you've not got a tumble drier,

Am I right in thinking that tumble driers are [still] relatively
uncommon? If so, are manufacturers producing with a focus on a
minority market or are they rather taking advantage of developing
social trends? (i.e. if they're producing /specifically/ with the
intention of a tumble drier being required then they're focussing on a
minority (?) market... a Bad Thing imho. But if they're thinking that
most (?) folk have tumble driers and we might as well take advantage
of them then that would be adaptive marketing, and a reasonable
strategy imho)

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

In article <[email hidden]>,
SteveO@?.?.invalid writes

Quoted message said:

Peter Clinch said:

Cool iron seems to The Right Way if you've not got a tumble drier,

Am I right in thinking that tumble driers are [still] relatively
uncommon? If so, are manufacturers producing with a focus on a
minority market or are they rather taking advantage of developing
social trends? (i.e. if they're producing /specifically/ with the
intention of a tumble drier being required then they're focussing on a
minority (?) market... a Bad Thing imho. But if they're thinking that
most (?) folk have tumble driers and we might as well take advantage
of them then that would be adaptive marketing, and a reasonable
strategy imho)

I think it would be fair to assume that most people have access to a
tumble drier at the local launderette if not at home.

--

Dominic Sexton
http://www.dscs.demon.co.uk/

SteveO said:

Quoted message said:

MTIA?

many thanks in advance

Uh-oh, should have got that one. Brain cells dying... 🙂

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

SteveO said:

Quoted message said:

Cool iron seems to The Right Way if you've not got a tumble drier,

Am I right in thinking that tumble driers are [still] relatively
uncommon?

I thought they were fairly ubiquitous now. I had one, but it died :-(

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \