To ensure the long life of your clothing you need to take care to wash and treat the garment in the right way.

Many garments are treated with a water repellent finish, which is a key part in performance of the fabric. When this surface is new water will bead on the surface and run off, as it does on a windowpane. Over time and as the fabric gets dirty this finish is impeded and water begins to absorb into the fabric instead.

To keep your garments working to their best follow these key pointers:

Never wash outerwear with detergent

Don’t wash at high temperatures

Only wash when required - when dirty or if you notice that a fabric is absorbing rather than repelling water

Invest in a good quality technical wash and re-proofer

Check the label of the garment for exact care details

Washing waterproof clothing

On your return from a trip, first of all check to see if it is necessary to wash your outerwear at all.

To wash a garment we would recommend using a technical wash available from the Cleaning and Waterproofing area of the site. Wash on a 40 degree cycle and make sure that the garment is well rinsed. With your clothing clean dirt will no longer be stopping the waterproof coating from working. By tumble drying the garment on a low heat for 30-40 minutes you will be resetting the coating into the fabric of the garment.

In most cases this will be all that is required to return your clothing to its best, however over longer periods you will need to re-proof the garment as well. We can provide a re-proofer and a 2in1 cleaner/re-proofer which both have a wash in formula to increase the water and stain repellency of outdoor garments.