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Just a quick Nikwax washing tip?

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 stewyclimb 29 Jan 2014
Just got a packet of TX.Direct wash-in, just want to know how to get the best out of it without ruining my gortex proshell.

Am I right in, washing the jacket normally without washing powder, then next wash whacking the Nickwax in.

I realise the question must seem retarded to a few of you, but I'm not to keen on just trying it out and destroying my favourite jacket.

Any replies are great full,

Stew.
 kestrelspl 29 Jan 2014
In reply to stewyclimb:

Rinse cycle on the machine with no washing powder (gets rid of any detergent residue that could damage the jacket). Wash the jacket (using something like nikwax tech wash) this removes dirt from the jacket ensuring the waterproofing doesn't just trap the dirt and reduce breathability. Then finally wash with the proofer and dry according to instructions (if your jacket can be tumble dried the heat helps activate the proofer).

This is what I've been doing with my gore tex performance shell jacket for years on the advice of the shop I bought it from, but someone may be along in a minute with a better/more correct method.
Shearwater 29 Jan 2014
In reply to stewyclimb:
I think that destroying your jacket with TX Direct would be quite a challenge. Off the top of my head, I suspect you could freeze the stuff solid, smash it into bits and then drive the sharp fragments through the goretex... that might do the job.

Washing with liquid soap is better than washing with nothing, but it shouldn't make a vast difference, especially if your jacket is fairly clean. If your jacket is quite manky, washing it with detergent first will help clean it more thoroughly, but you'll still need to wash it through again to get rid of any residual cleaning stuff. Make sure you clean the powder drawer of your washing machine thoroughly, too.
Post edited at 14:19
 martinph78 29 Jan 2014
In reply to stewyclimb:

Use a liquid detergent (no softner) and give an extra rinse before popping the TX in and running the cycle again.
 Jordon Fleming 29 Jan 2014
In reply to stewyclimb: just wash it like it says on the back make sure you put it in the tumble dryer though because it activates the waterproofer better. on a low heat if it has lots of taped seams.

In reply to Mr Fuller:

Good instructions. The only thing I'd add is that, if the clothing is very dirty (with obvious body oil areas around neck, cuffs and shoulders), then a detergent wash may be required to remove the ingrained oil & dirt, followed by a soap wash to remove traces of detergent. This is Event's revised instruction after it transpired that Event can suffer pore contamination with prolonged use, as did first generation (PU-free) Gore-tex.

The one top tip that I would stress is make sure your washing machine is spotless, and clear from all detergent gunk and residues throughout the entire water path. The easiest way to ensure it stays this way is to use and in-wash dispenser, so the water path never gets contaminated...

Gore's instructions have, for many years, been pretty poor ("use any soft detergent from the store"), and only seem to confirm to me that the vast majority of Gore-tex users really don't care about the DWR, and therefore don't care about breathability.
 Si Withington 29 Jan 2014
In reply to stewyclimb:

For what its worth, I wouldn't use the wash in stuff with ProShell as you're effectively proofing the inside and thus messing up the breathability. Wash it in Tech Wash then use the spray on proofer.

Shearwater 29 Jan 2014
In reply to Si Withington:

> For what its worth, I wouldn't use the wash in stuff with ProShell as you're effectively proofing the inside and thus messing up the breathability.

Nikwax's own guidelines say that wash-in is fine.

I've never bothered with spray on, and I haven't noticed my shell gear be any less breathable as a result, FWIW. Regardless, the DWR will rub off the inside of your garment much more quickly than the outside.
 SteveoS 29 Jan 2014
In reply to Si Withington:

> For what its worth, I wouldn't use the wash in stuff with ProShell as you're effectively proofing the inside and thus messing up the breathability. Wash it in Tech Wash then use the spray on proofer.

I thought that but went along anyway, mine still breathes fine. Water droplets are much bigger than sweat vapour.
 brownie mike 29 Jan 2014
Glad this came up!

I've been putting off washing my kit with Nikwax stuff so far, as I don't have a tumble dryer to set it with. Is the tumble dryer essential? We dry our stuff above the Aga, would this be enough? Things dry alot faster up there than they would in a dryer, so its got to be warmer?

 martinph78 29 Jan 2014
In reply to brownie mike:

Drip drying is fine, as per Nikwax instructions.

I don't have a dryer either.
 martinph78 29 Jan 2014
In reply to Si Withington:

Based on that, you wouldn't use it on any of the waterproof breathable membranes then?

Have a look at the Nikwax website and read up on water vapour (sweat).

 Si Withington 29 Jan 2014
In reply to stewyclimb:

I'd check out the manufacturers instructions, not Nikwax's. Anyway, your call.
In reply to Si Withington:

Oh yes, always follow the manufacturer's care instructions...

"Use any soft detergent on the market". Yeah, right; thanks, Gore...

As I said earlier, Gore's cleaning instructions have long been recognised as being rubbish.
 gethin_allen 30 Jan 2014
In reply to Si Withington:

I totally agree with you on this.
When using tx direct you are only replenishing the dwr coating not waterproofing the jacket. The membrane is what keeps you dry but the face fabric needs to be dwr treated to stop it wetting out and blocking the breathability of the jacket.
The goretex rep said this.

From personal experience I know that using the wash in tx direct reduces the breathability of the jacket compared to the spray on product. It's also easier to apply so it's no contest really.

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