Aye Up All,
This post is prompted by comments made in a recent thread started by mick313 and relates to washing 'breathable' garments.
I've lost count of the number/material types/frequency that I have had to maintain the so-called breathable/waterproof jackets and trousers over the years and have probably spent a small fortune on proprietry brands of washing and reproofing commodities.
The results have been varied, sometimes coming close to the original water-shedding performance but hardly ever as good as or as good for any length of time regardless of how close to the garment and wash/reproofer manufacturers instructions I have adhered.
My kit does get hammered - used beyond what a waterproof/breathable garment manufacture might expect, perhaps with the exception of military kit.
I recently rediscovered an old TNF jacket in Hyvent which I had used in anger some years back, and then stashed away and forgotten about.
The jacket was extremely (mud) soiled. I recalled that it had performed extremely well in heavy wet weather. I had never washed or reproofed it and it still had the stiffness about the material as when new. I decided to resurect it.
I would have normally used NIKWAX TX Techwash, TX Wash-in and then TX Direct followed by a tumble dry to 'set' the waterproofing but found that I had run out of or was low on all the products - and they have gotten too expensive for regular use anyway.
That started research and a search for alternatives.
Interestingly, I learned that soap flakes are no longer marketed - no Dreft; no Lux etc.
It appears that the machine which produced them had turned a hundred years old or something and repair parts had run out/running costs had increased, washing machine engineers had whinged about soap build up etc and so the company that used to make them developed a liquid version - which is marketed by Tesco and Waitrose as 'Liquid Soap Flakes' and costs about three-and-a-half quid/750ml bottle.
There are no perfumes or additives in it and it is suitable for vegans (I can think of better things to eat mind!).
Washing machine was de-detergentised;
Said jacket was washed in liquid soap flakes and 99% of the soiling came out.
Said jacket was reproofed with Graingers Extreme Repel and tumble dried on low heat to 'set' the waterproofing
Said jacket does not have the same feel to the material as previously but has been used during several recent heavy rain showers and water notably beads and runs off.
Will this effect last indefinitely in use? In my experience no, especially if a rucksack is regularly carried any distance - it will wear off where straps rub/heat the material.
Will the effect last indefinitely if the jacket is packed away for a prolonged period? - Again, in my experience with other garments - unlikely but it is a lot cheaper than some options and the liquid soap is cheap enough to use frequently on mid and base layer garments too.
This post is prompted by comments made in a recent thread started by mick313 and relates to washing 'breathable' garments.
I've lost count of the number/material types/frequency that I have had to maintain the so-called breathable/waterproof jackets and trousers over the years and have probably spent a small fortune on proprietry brands of washing and reproofing commodities.
The results have been varied, sometimes coming close to the original water-shedding performance but hardly ever as good as or as good for any length of time regardless of how close to the garment and wash/reproofer manufacturers instructions I have adhered.
My kit does get hammered - used beyond what a waterproof/breathable garment manufacture might expect, perhaps with the exception of military kit.
I recently rediscovered an old TNF jacket in Hyvent which I had used in anger some years back, and then stashed away and forgotten about.
The jacket was extremely (mud) soiled. I recalled that it had performed extremely well in heavy wet weather. I had never washed or reproofed it and it still had the stiffness about the material as when new. I decided to resurect it.
I would have normally used NIKWAX TX Techwash, TX Wash-in and then TX Direct followed by a tumble dry to 'set' the waterproofing but found that I had run out of or was low on all the products - and they have gotten too expensive for regular use anyway.
That started research and a search for alternatives.
Interestingly, I learned that soap flakes are no longer marketed - no Dreft; no Lux etc.
It appears that the machine which produced them had turned a hundred years old or something and repair parts had run out/running costs had increased, washing machine engineers had whinged about soap build up etc and so the company that used to make them developed a liquid version - which is marketed by Tesco and Waitrose as 'Liquid Soap Flakes' and costs about three-and-a-half quid/750ml bottle.
There are no perfumes or additives in it and it is suitable for vegans (I can think of better things to eat mind!).
Washing machine was de-detergentised;
Said jacket was washed in liquid soap flakes and 99% of the soiling came out.
Said jacket was reproofed with Graingers Extreme Repel and tumble dried on low heat to 'set' the waterproofing
Said jacket does not have the same feel to the material as previously but has been used during several recent heavy rain showers and water notably beads and runs off.
Will this effect last indefinitely in use? In my experience no, especially if a rucksack is regularly carried any distance - it will wear off where straps rub/heat the material.
Will the effect last indefinitely if the jacket is packed away for a prolonged period? - Again, in my experience with other garments - unlikely but it is a lot cheaper than some options and the liquid soap is cheap enough to use frequently on mid and base layer garments too.
