How do you wash your ski clothing?

[Jim S]

Maybe I'm a dirt bag but I don't wash my pants or jackets, don't want to jack up the waterproofing.

+1
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[miss|powder]

Sometimes it rains while I'm wearing it. I figure that's the closest thing to a wash my ski clothes are ever going to get.

Except I lent out pants and jackets to two different friends on the same weekend last year. Both brought the gear back the next week freshly laundered and smelling of fabric softener. Messed up the waterproofing on all of it.

[kokomas]

thanks but i mean that i only have direct spray on but i want to dump a cap load of it in the washer so that my jacket gets full coverage. is this stupid or really smart?

[boltonoutlaw]

How does the in-wash solution know which side is the inside or outside of a jacket?

[kokomas]

i'm guessing they just sell the same product in two different bottles but with no ingredients list i can't tell. anyway its better to do the wash in but all i've got is a spray in so i'm trying to get away with not going to the store today

[XXX-er]

thanks but i mean that i only have direct spray on but i want to dump a cap load of it in the washer so that my jacket gets full coverage. is this stupid or really smart?

It could be a waste to use a product the wrong way but it is probably a very similar product

IME and that includes gortex dry tops where I am actualy submerse in the water while wearing gortex ,spray-on works better/lasts longer than wash-in ,more product gets onto specific area's that are wetted in the rinse so the product it all leaches in ... instead of going down the drain

you gotta really fuck up and miss huge areas of the garment with the spray to worry about coverage

wash /rinse WELL/spray on /dry hot ... its not rocket science

[Monster231]

How does the in-wash solution know which side is the inside or outside of a jacket?

All waterproofing products have to bond with the fabric in order to be effective. The material on the insides of jackets ( or any non soft fabric) does not bond well with any spray or any chemical for that matter. That why you can get most stains out. The material on the outside is designed for a long term durable bond. You can try this with a t- shirt or fleece. Spray it with a waterproof spray, you will see if will actually repel the water, but will fail within a few minutes or with any type of movement

[drery10]

Gently squeeze the water from your jacket. Do not wring or twist it. Washing your ski jacket can help maintain the breathable and waterproof properties of the jacket but if you notice that the fabric of your jacket is absorbing rather than repelling water you may also need to reproof it

[NW_SKIER]

Gently squeeze the water from your jacket. Do not wring or twist it. Washing your ski jacket can help maintain the breathable and waterproof properties of the jacket but if you notice that the fabric of your jacket is absorbing rather than repelling water you may also need to reproof it

Thanks for the tip, JONG. Have any photos of your girl's tits for us? You need to make a real contribution here.

[galibier_numero_un]

This video was posted to another thread here on the topic:


... Thom

[Micol]

This video was posted to another thread here on the topic:


... Thom

^This might be part of a planned obsolescence strategy.

If you wear long sleeve layers underneath your jacket (preventing oils from getting to membrane), I would not wash it. Also, drying is going to contribute to seam tape lifting on 2L and 3L fabrics ( not as big of a problem with the 2.5 layer fabrics ). So, if you have a tricot interior (3L) and dry, you will cause some some seam tape lift unless you are super attentive and diligent about keeping the heat temp low and tie in dryer short with prompt removal after cycle is completed. The good news is that the glue should still be on the tape and you should be able to hand iron it back down (be careful as you can also burn a hole through your fabric).

Laminated 3 layer fabrics that have micro grid or velour fleece on the interior are pretty much not going to let oils and dirt get into the membrane, so try to avoid washing all together.

If somehow you have a lot of dirt inside the jacket and or somehow transfer skin oil into the membrane you will eventually lose breathable properties. I would avoid actions that contribute to this vs. washing.

I have had chemical manufacturers of dwr send us commercial samples in addition to our own internal testing of many over the counter dwr treatments and have yet to find any that perform like the factory applied dwr. Now, what he said about dwr deteriorating with washing and abrasion I agree with completely. So, eliminate washing and you will prolong the performance of your factory dwr. I've got jackets that are 5+ years old with no washes and the dwr is still beading up moisture as well as keeping dirt out of the face fabric.

Dirt makes you look cool, core, local, so don't wash.... ; )

but really, don't wash imo

[bodywhomper]

That's ^^^ great in theory but hard in practice, imho. I don't want to own multiple waterproof jackets. If I'm going out and it'll be raining/wet snow, I'm tossing on my one waterproof jacket. Sometimes it's to ski, sometimes it's to walk the dog, sometimes it's to redig a drainage trench in a downpour, sometimes it's to skip to the market, sometimes it's to chop wood, etc. So my shit gets dirty. I think even if I had a pvc jacket for the dirty jobs (e.g. trench digging), my fancy jacket would still get dirty, there's barely any paved surface where I live. Not cool, core, or local, it's reality.

[Micol]

That's ^^^ great in theory but hard in practice, imho. I don't want to own multiple waterproof jackets. If I'm going out and it'll be raining/wet snow, I'm tossing on my one waterproof jacket. Sometimes it's to ski, sometimes it's to walk the dog, sometimes it's to redig a drainage trench in a downpour, sometimes it's to skip to the market, sometimes it's to chop wood, etc. So my shit gets dirty. I think even if I had a pvc jacket for the dirty jobs (e.g. trench digging), my fancy jacket would still get dirty, there's barely any paved surface where I live. Not cool, core, or local, it's reality.

you can do all that in one jkt for sure, but you will probably need to replace it more often if you want the same performance out of it as when you first got it. or the converse, which is don't replace it often but also don't expect as new performance conditions by year 2, 3, 4 etc depending on use.

that was supposed to be a winking emoticon about the dirt

[MakersTeleMark]

but really, don't wash imo

152 degrees for 72 hours seems to do the trick.

[galibier_numero_un]

^This might be part of a planned obsolescence strategy.

... So, if you have a tricot interior (3L) and dry, you will cause some some seam tape lift unless you are super attentive and diligent about keeping the heat temp low and tie in dryer short with prompt removal after cycle is completed. The good news is that the glue should still be on the tape and you should be able to hand iron it back down (be careful as you can also burn a hole through your fabric).

Thanks for chiming in. After thinking about it, the seam tape lifting from dryer heat makes a lot of sense! For me, drying is a non-starter anyway, because my wife has sensitive skin, and I don't risk transferring any chemicals onto her clothing in subsequent loads. Can you spell d-o-g-h-o-u-s-e?

... Thom

[gregL]

I'm with MiCol on the DWR part of his post, no aftermarket DWR products come close to the factory finish. On the other hand, waterproofing has two discrete elements (intact DWR and clean membrane) and I'm not totally convinced that 3 layer backers keep ePTFE membranes from getting clogged after heavy use, especially touring. It also depends where you use the garment - when I skied in Colorado and Utah having the ultimate in waterproofing wasn't that critical, but in the PNW it definitely is.

If you can afford it, replacing the garment after 2 or 3 washes with a fresh one is the way to go - this gets me a couple seasons on average.

[undertow2]

I won't deny when the coat is new the breath-ability and water repellant cannot be matched once cleaned... But once the coat or pants gets dirty no way can you just let it go... I am a Patty fan and also dig Arcteryx and have not yet had a problem with any seam delams following their instructions... And if I did encounter issues following their cleaning instructions you can bet your ass I would warranty it... These coats and pants are expensive ($400+) and I expect more than 3 cleans... I follow the cleaning instructions and use Grange and to date no issues with my Patty or Arcteryx...

Follow the cleaning instructions per the manufacturer and if there are issues contact them... I can guarantee you if the coat has been abused and not cared for any warranty will be out the door... Dirt bag smelly mags are the ones bitching on here about the manufacturer not warranting the clothing when their shit fails...

[XXX-er]

A good product with a good tape job should not delam, but its probably smart to not leave a piece in the dryer for too long ...
it does dry pretty quick

you can stick tape back down with AQS

or the last time I used plasti dip on a dry suit

[Cocximus]

Nikwax and all the tech washes dont wash shit. Manufacturers recommend powdered detergent, because it works and washes all that membrane clogging crap. Powdered detergent clogging pores is probably just a stupid myth.

303 High Tech Fabric Guard is way better than any clothing DWR, probably because it's solvent based.

Personally I dont see the point of breathable jackets. If it's cold enough to snow a fleece with 303 DWR is more than enough to stay dry. If it's raining it's warm enough to just wear my thin base layer with a waterproof, probably not breathable at all, simple nylon jacket. You sweat anyways when skiing. You can do it in a $500 jacket or $10 jacket.

[Not Neil_Armstrong]

reminds me I should empty my Backcountry bag :-P

[XXX-er]

Nikwax and all the tech washes dont wash shit. Manufacturers recommend powdered detergent, because it works and washes all that membrane clogging crap. Powdered detergent clogging pores is probably just a stupid myth.

303 High Tech Fabric Guard is way better than any clothing DWR, probably because it's solvent based.

Personally I dont see the point of breathable jackets. If it's cold enough to snow a fleece with 303 DWR is more than enough to stay dry. If it's raining it's warm enough to just wear my thin base layer with a waterproof, probably not breathable at all, simple nylon jacket. You sweat anyways when skiing. You can do it in a $500 jacket or $10 jacket.

yup just old powdered detergent works fine just do an extra cycle in plain water

had a lot of experiance with dry suits and tops which are now often gortex and it does make a difference

[swissiphic]

I've got jackets that are 5+ years old with no washes and the dwr is still beading up moisture...

hmmmmmmm.....northwest lots of precip coastal b.c. ski tourer here and my new jackets of various brands over the years seem to last about a month of resort downhilling, touring and general outdoor wear before the DWR starts shuttin' er down...starts at shoulders, crease of neck then works it's way down to chest and upper back...same cycle every jacket. My new theory is manufacturers should just use some bombproof permanent DWR OR rubber patches in those areas 'cause in my experience, you don't need those areas to breathe. Pack/pack straps have point pressure over the shoulders and upper back, don't need the crease of neck area breathe, and that area seems to be the first to fail in terms of the membrane leaking. Even without pack, those areas are prone to wetting out....make it bombproof. This shitty DWR issue is one first world problem I'm getting sick and tired of dealing with.

[californiagrown]

hmmmmmmm.....northwest lots of precip coastal b.c. ski tourer here and my new jackets of various brands over the years seem to last about a month of resort downhilling, touring and general outdoor wear before the DWR starts shuttin' er down...starts at shoulders, crease of neck then works it's way down to chest and upper back...same cycle every jacket. My new theory is manufacturers should just use some bombproof permanent DWR OR rubber patches in those areas 'cause in my experience, you don't need those areas to breathe. Pack/pack straps have point pressure over the shoulders and upper back, don't need the crease of neck area breathe, and that area seems to be the first to fail in terms of the membrane leaking. Even without pack, those areas are prone to wetting out....make it bombproof. This shitty DWR issue is one first world problem I'm getting sick and tired of dealing with.

Yeah, itd be nice to just be able to iron on a 6"x6" patch of ruberized thin material to each shoulder. The only other areas i have issues with is my pant crotch from snow collecting and ponding there while riding the lift, and im starting to wet out my sleeve cuffs.

Why dont more outerwear companies do that? seems like it would actually look pretty darn good if it was patterned with the jacket, and would only cost a few bucks in extra material?

[AK47bp]

hmmmmmmm.....northwest lots of precip coastal b.c. ski tourer here and my new jackets of various brands over the years seem to last about a month of resort downhilling, touring and general outdoor wear before the DWR starts shuttin' er down...starts at shoulders, crease of neck then works it's way down to chest and upper back...same cycle every jacket. My new theory is manufacturers should just use some bombproof permanent DWR OR rubber patches in those areas 'cause in my experience, you don't need those areas to breathe. Pack/pack straps have point pressure over the shoulders and upper back, don't need the crease of neck area breathe, and that area seems to be the first to fail in terms of the membrane leaking. Even without pack, those areas are prone to wetting out....make it bombproof. This shitty DWR issue is one first world problem I'm getting sick and tired of dealing with.

Always wondered the same. Same with the thighs and ass of ski pants. When it's raining or wet snow I have to use my pack to keep my thighs dry on the lift and I sometimes tie a poly long sleeve shirt around my waist to have a dry place to sit.