UKC

I've just washed a light/summer jacket which I use to go to work in, as it's got a good number of pockets, with waterproofing washing liquid.

Should I run the machine with just water, or a little normal washing powder/liquid, whilst empty, to get rid of any waterproofing chemicals, which I don't want on other garments?

In reply to veteye:

IF that was me, I would just rely on the rinse/s for the light jacket to get rid of everything. I wouldn't run the machine again 

In reply to profitofdoom:

Yes I don’t do any thing after running a wash to proof kit.

In reply to veteye:

How often should one do this?

I treated myself to a rather swanky lightweight Montane waterproof for walking and running (Nano Phase) last winter. I've worn it a few times, and am very pleased with it. It's not visibly grubby at all (having been thoroughly washed by driving rain on Great Shunner Fell a few weeks ago!). Should I wash it anyway with waterproofing liquid, to keep it performing well?

In reply to BusyLizzie:

I tend not to do it very much, as I think that the act of washing does not help the textiles anyway. With proper outdoor coats, I would tend to sponge them down in possible areas of wear, and exposure to dirt.

The coat in question, is one which needs replacing, and was frankly grubby, and has some zip pockets which don't work that well, and one pocket which has a broken down outer layer due to having had a heavy bunch of keys in it. I had been about to replace it, when I decided to use it for the rest of the warmer months, and replace it next year. Now it is being replaced by a newer, thicker water proof 2 layer coat without the inner layer, which I bought for colder weather last year for work (again as it has lots of pockets). I won't wash the latter for a very long time, unless it gets dirty. 

The old summer coat may get used for mucky jobs, but at least it should have some impermeable properties after the wash. I asked the question, as I did not want waterproofed shirts etc.

In reply to BusyLizzie:

Is it still clean even round the collar and cuffs where things tend to get a bit greasy from sweat, suncream etc?  When it rains is the water still 'beading' on the outside - if so, there's definitely no need yet imo.

Montane's instructions for washing are here:  (Though they're quite generic tbh.)
https://montane.com/pages/waterproof-aftercare

They suggest non-bio liquid as an alternative to 'technical' products there, but personally I just wash things with plain soap, and now that I can't find old fashioned soap flakes in the shops I use 'pure' bar soap instead.  (ie: soap for washing your body if you have sensitive skin) 

For anything that's going in the machine I take a cheese-grater to a bar of soap (about a third of a bar for a load in the washer), dissolve it in about half a pint of very hot water and chuck it in the drum.

In reply to deepsoup:

I use Dri-pak (DP) Pure Liquid Soap and have done for many years for waterproof garments as well as occasionally my regular clothes or towels washes. Still available at supermarkets and such like if you are looking for an alternative that is easier to use. Used for both hand and machine washes though not yet used it on myself (which is one of the listed uses).

https://www.dri-pak.co.uk/cleaning-products/liquid-soap-750ml/

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

Ah, yes.  I've not spotted it in any of the supermarkets I go to, but that would certainly be less faff for ropes and kit in the machine!

For a hand washing a bar of soap is probably just as good for me, as I'll generally be using a brush to give things a bit of a scrub in the bath.

In reply to deepsoup:

Usually only kept in small quantities on the shelf in any store IME and so often hard to spot even where a supermarket does stock it. Also, seems to go in and out of stock at known stockists for whatever reason. 

It is sometimes available at places not on the list on DP’s website. I certainly bought from different supermarkets not listed over the years and actually got my last purchase at a B&Q store for just £2.50 a bottle. Think though that B&Q have taken them out of stores now and just sell online for an inflated price.

In reply to BusyLizzie:

My 2p is that washing is needed more frequent than washing and treating to keep the DWP working. Even washing alone though is dependent on how dirty the item gets.

Generally only treat if and when it needs it, imo and experience, unless your make and model says otherwise.  Usually for me, the items just need a wash and dry to restore the DWP and after maybe 3 washes on average then a waterproofing treatment as well after a wash.

The test I do is does it bead properly in first instance?  If not wash and then does it bead properly after it’s wash and dry (I use liquid soap) and if it doesn’t then use a waterproof treatment. Worked for me over the years, but just my layman’s view.

In reply to veteye:

I've never run an empty cycle after using Nikwax TX-Direct wash in waterproofer and never accidentally waterproofed an item in the next cycle. Regular washing powder is very good at removing waterproof coatings which is why it is so important to run an empty rinse cycle before you use wash-in waterproofer.

In reply to veteye:

I get round this issue by using a large bucket rather than the washing machine. It normally requires less of the expensive waterproofing product and you don’t really need all the mechanical agitation provided by the machine. I just use my hand to swish the garment and waterproofing solution round in the bucket. Easy enough to clean the bucket afterwards.

Before using the bucket, I wash the garment in the washing machine using the appropriate detergent/ cleaning liquid.

In reply to veteye:

Put the teenagers towel in to annoy them 🤣

In reply to veteye, deepsoup amd Climbing Pieman - thanks, that's really helpful. My jacket isn't grubby at all yet so I think I'll just hold on for a bit. I use my old Decathlon jacket for short wet runs so the superduper one hasn't had a lot of use and wait for some mud and sweat to build up over the winter

Lizzie

In reply to veteye:

I don't use the machine because there's invariably always some detergent left in it somewhere even if you run a rinse / machine clean cycle beforehand and you risk your item coming out covered in little white blobs of scum.  It's bath and bucket for me - techwash in the bath, then TX-direct in a bucket. 

In reply to Toerag:

I've never bought in to this "you need to run an empty cycle first". If you're not overdosing on regular detergent and giving your machine a monthly hot wash cycle & clean then there's no need. It's just a waste of water and energy.

In reply to veteye:

I just chuck the next load of washing in as normal, with no extra rinses in-between, and it's always been fine. The rinse cycle will have washed out most from the machine, and the detergent in the next load will deal with the next.

I think it's more important to ensure your machine is properly clean before doing a waterproofing wash.

In reply to veteye:

I think I made the next wash old waterproofs that didn't think justified doing properly, but would benefit from any residual treatment left in the drum.

Same with the initial empty wash, stuck something in that I was happy to wash without detergent.

In reply to veteye:

Never bothered running it again.  Never had a problem.

In reply to nathan79:

It was probably more of an issue in the days of powder detergent (does anyone still use washing powder?) which did get stuck all over the innards of the machine.  Liquid detergents generally don't, particularly if it's added by putting a tablet directly in the drum or via one of those reusable plastic things you put it in directly in the drum.

In reply to Neil Williams:

Yes.  I like coming out of the supermarket with at least a couple of things that aren't packed in single use plastic (and feel slightly guilty that I'm too lazy and disorganised to do better on that front).  Old fashioned washing powder still comes in an old fashioned cardboard box.

I don't find it's a problem.  Perhaps powder has improved, or the machines have, or it's a hard-water thing (the water here is very soft), or people just tend to use too much of it at a time.

In reply to nathan79:

Try it some time and have a look through the window while it's running. I think you'll change your mind.

In reply to Neil Williams:

Hmm, having recently done a thorough clean of our machine  (hot wash with bicarbonate of soda, followed by a hot wash with vinegar) I would disagree. The filter ended up full of gravel-like pieces that had precipitated out as a result of the bicarb reacting with all the detergent build up.

In reply to Hooo:

Might well depend what cycle you use.  I find the modern one-hour cycles don't rinse fully - you can tell when your clothing gets wet and the suds reappear!  I always run the traditional cotton 3 hour cycle (but at 30 degrees rather than 60) and I find this means things are properly rinsed and this doesn't happen.

In reply to Neil Williams:

Have you tried running a hot empty wash and looking at the water? 

I just leave it on standard wash, it takes about 3 hours. Very rarely do a quick wash. I don't wash waterproofs very often, maybe once a year, and I always clean the machine with a hot wash first. Plenty of grey foam in the drum when I do.

In reply to Hooo:

I run the machine empty on a 90° wash cycle monthly as recommended as maintenance by the manufacturer. I've never seen it foamy to suggest any lingering detergent or anything other than clear water.

I only ever use liquid detergents, in the right amounts direct into the drum rather than the drawer.

I expect that a correctly maintained machine and correctly dosed detergent mean it's not an issue 

In reply to nathan79:

If you clean your machine monthly then there is probably so little gunge that you can't see it. If I did this I wouldn't worry about cleaning it before doing a reproofing. If you do it about once a year like me then the level of gunge is pretty obvious. For those people who never clean their machine at all I dread to think what's in there...