Washing Gortex Oilies

seaesta

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Just got back from a great trip from Wells to Lowestoft. Heavy weather all day Saturday and the oiles are very sat caked and dirty.
The instructions on the oilies say was in non bio powder at 40 C but do not mention - re sealing. I have washed cheap oiies in the past and they have leaked ever after. I cannnot aford new Gortex. Has anyone machine washed Gortex and found it has been OK or alternatively that it has been spoiled???
Any helpful comments gratefully recieved.
Martin
 

Gin

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There was an article recently in YM or PBO I think which covered this subject with recommendations, in detail.

I am not at home at present so cannot be more precise but if you PM me I shall have a look later this evening and tell you the source

I remember it so well for,believe it or not, it was recommended that to retain finish one should iron them !!!!!!

Just a horrible thought-- 1st April was not that long ago was it?
Oh well I shall know the worst when I get home
 

Stevie_T

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Have washed my Henry Lloyd ocean breathables before with no problems, non bio or eben no detergent at all, and then either tumble dry or iron.
But the iron must be set to a VERY low temperature.
 

Vara

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To amplify on that.
Following a recent thread,I bought Nikwax tech wash,and TX.Direct wash-in,followed the instructions on the label and they did a very good job of cleaning and reproofing my Goretex cycling gear,and SWMBO's Goretex sailing kit,as it was pissing down here today they were both tested and seem to have gone back to their as new state.Got mine from Blacks in Canterbury,£9.98 for the two.
 

Vara

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Funny that.
My sister who runs a business like yours in the Oban area,has not admitted to rain, or even a wind in excess of force 3 for the last 11 years! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 

Lakesailor

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[ QUOTE ]
Funny that.
My sister who runs a business like yours in the Oban area,has not admitted to rain, or even a wind in excess of force 3 for the last 11 years! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Well yesterday we went to Hesket Newmarket, a bit North of here and came upon the Vintage MotorCycle Club rally.

vmcc.jpg


No wind, no rain, ....ain't no mountain high enough.

I think your sister fibs. My Uncle lives at Port Apin a bit North of your sis and he gets weather.
We did have gusting to F4 today, but it was still sunny with blues skies. Have a look at Miller Howe Web Cam just 1 mile up the road. It's against the light a lot of the time so doesn't look as sunny as I can assure you it is.
 

ghost

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I allways found the best and safest method to rid of sea salt was to wear the kit in the shower and let drip dry - concentrate the jet on the seams and any stitched area's, avoid rubbing with hand or cloth, let the shower do the work - takes less than 5 mins with minimal effort
 

BrendanS

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I've owned many Gorted walking/climbing and yachting waterproofs.

Every set I've ever owned have had same instructions.

Cool wash (highly recommended as keeping them clean of dirt and salt will prolong life of material by quite a great deal, as less rubbing and damage of fibres)

After washing, tumble dry them. This doesn't affect the waterproofness as such, as Gortex membrane provides this, but the tumble drying renews the 'beading' effect, which means water beads and falls off the outer shell, instead of being absorbed by the material, which means it doesn't become water logged.

Instead of tumble drying, you can cool iron, but you'll never get 100% coverage that you will by tumble drying.

I do this several times per season. Stops dirt getting engrained, and keeps the outer shell 'beading' working properly.

I've got a set of climbing Gorex that have been worn regularly for over 10 years, and still look good as new and 100% waterproof, and beading still working well.

PS never used any sort of resealant, nor needed to
 

ytd

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I agree with Brendan. Have washed goretex ski gear for 10 years and never needed to reseal seams. Eventually the membrane gives out but it's usually in the high wear areas like knees or elbows, not the seam.

Wet knees aren't to bad but wet elbows are really annoying.

Tumble drying or air drying didn't seem to make much difference.
 

bbg

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I can't find my PBOs from earlier this year - was there some identification of particular brands of non-bio detergent? I live in Switzerland and I am not sure of the translation of "non-bio" into any of the local languages, so I would rather buy the right brand on my next trip to UK.

Of course, if anyone knows any "non-bio" brands available in Switzerland or France - feel free to post!
 

cpedw

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I'm interested in this thread, having just bought my first set of breathable oilies. Up to now, I've used cold rinse in the bath (not me, just the clothes) followed by natural drying to wash them. It seemed intuitive to me that machine washing would be too rough, especially spin drying trying very hard to push water through the fabric. From what everyone here is saying, that's not a problem for breathables.
Comments anyone?

Derek
 

BrendanS

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Tumble drying is all that is normally needed to bring back water repelling effect on outer garment (note, this is not the same as waterproofing, the Gore-tex membrane inside is what does the water proofing. Water repelling means the water slides off the outer garment instead of water logging it, and isn't the same as waterproofing)

If tumble drying is no longer effective, then a chemical treatment will restore the water repelling effect, but Gore-tex themselves recommend you DO NOT use wash in treatments, but use a topical (ie applied outside, so spray or paint on) water repellent treatment for breathable fabrics - presumably because wash in treatments might block the porous membrane. See here:
http://www.gore-tex.com/webapp/wcs/store...productId=10109
 

BrendanS

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I shouldn't worry too much. Any sort of 'normal' soap powder will work fine. The important thing is not to use any other additives such as fabric conditioner in the wash. Pure soap flakes are probably best though, as used for wool clothes, but not really that important
 
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