[Closed] Who don't my waterproofs stay waterproof

Lining gets scored.
Well that was what I was told by a manufacturer.
Jacket was quite old.
They sold me a discounted replacement..

Do you wash them in ordinary detergent or in soap? Do you tumble dry or iron them afterwards?

Same problem for me. I have a Berghaus Paclite and Pace Event jacket. Despite following the care labals to the letter, neither are waterproof and 'wet out' almost immediately.

I shan't bother spending good money on a jacket anymore that's for sure.

how often do you wash it? one of my mates washes every ride them complains thay barely last a year? I wash it 3/4 times a year. normally last me 3+ years...

Just sounds like the DWR needs reactivated.
Tumble dry, cool iron, or stick on the radiator after washing.

Don't use biological detergent, made that mistake once!

To be honest I never really wash my waterproofs now if I can help it! Just rince off excessive
mud with water.

I re-proofed mine before a C2C trip last year. Put it on on the second day of riding and it was useless. A mate who does a lot of walking told me that it was because I'd folded and rolled it up to fit in my bag and this undoes the re-proofing, it needs to be kept on a hanger when not being used. Not very practical that really is it? 😕

don't use detergent and don't use the machine without rinsing it out first ( by running a washing cycle ). detergent contains stuff that basically makes fabrics attract water.
use the proper cleaning stuff and don't wash too frequently - try to just rinse it in a clean machine if you can, then wash it every third time or something.

if you are riding in it and it wets out then it becomes non-breathable and moisture (in the form of water vapour) builds up on the inside and condenses on the last line of defence - the waterproof jacket. Washing in detergent, although not detrimental to the membrane, will strip (or mask) the DWR coating on the outside of the fabric. unfortunately this Box-Fresh DWR you get with all new jackets soon wears off and it will never be the same though you just need to keep reproofing at regular intervals to stop the fabric wetting out and becoming impermeable to water vapour from inside the jacket. I can confidently say that a Gore-tex jacket, unless faulty (de-lamination being the main reason for failure), will not leak. If you think it is faulty take it back to the shop you bought it from and get them to have it tested by an approved Gore distributor.

HTH

My EVent, endura jacket still pretty good to go after a few years, although the arms aren't as waterproof at they were. Keep them clean - lack of washing is worse cause the membranes clog up with crap, only wash in non-bio and use a warm iron or tumble dry to 'reactive' [ahem]. Oh and accept that at the end of the day these things do have a limited life, and if you use them lots and work out £/wear then it's probably not too bad...? Also, could just be me, but I find the occasions I really need a full on water proof aren't that many. A good windproof/showerproof or softshell depending on the time of year is often as good ... that way I can save the waterproof for when it really is flat out, not stopping, in for the day raining. 😀

Dont use detergent either bio or non bio. Use either soap flakes or a fancy cleanner like Nikwax Tech wash

There's a lot of compromises made for some of the lighter fabrics that are commonly used for cycling stuff - eg Paclite. They won't be as hard wearing, and perhaps won't actually be as breathable, as they don't have the extra fabric layers that help provide/protect the conditions for the membrane to work best - I don't know, I'm just speculating here.

A tougher (3-layer) fabric will last a lot longer. As ART says - I only spend good money on heavier weight waterproofs for when you really need them, the rest of the time it's a softshell (if it's cool) or a "showerproof" shell if it's warmer and wet.

Mountain biking is [i]extremely[/i] hard on "waterproof" fabrics - the dirty and movement destroys them, and the exertion creates massive breathability problems not faced in many other sport.

I wash on 30 slow spin and hang dry.

There's you problem right there.

I never wash any of my mountaineering waterproof stuff, because it knackers it. 😉
Of course biking stuff gets very dirty. That's why I don't bother with waterproofs when riding! You get wet anyway, even with waterproofs, since they aren't breathable enough and a number of large holes for things to go in and out off.

washing waterproof stuff doesn't knacker it. Gore is tested using hundreds of washing cycles to test its durability. if it fails it doesn't make it to production

Thanks guys, you all highlight the conflict of information out there.

Wash, don't wash. Hang-dry, tumble dry. (I know it depends on the fabric's care condtions.)

I looked after my Endura event and it went downhill quickly.

Two bits of good advice to I may try from here: soapflakes and rinse the washer out before, and maybe not fold up.

I normally clean out the soap tray and then do two empty runs on hottest setting befroe hand

use soap flakes to wash jackets in then nikwax wash in proofing liquid.Persil and the like ruins jackets

You don't need to rinse the washer out before as your washer rinses out every time you wash something on a normal cycle anyway. that just wastes water and electricity!

my 5 rules

don't wear it unless its actually raining hard (get a windproof)

don't wash it unless its dirty

if you do have to wash it - use nikewash or whatever

dry in tumble dryer/ or iron to reaactivate DWR

test jacket by splashing water on it - if the water doesn't bead up - re-proof

all jackets wear out but they last longer if you do this

+1 on the do not use detergents. It is much the same as cleaning any tent material. Detergents will ruin it and also stop you from reproofing it IME.

Soap flakes or just rinse it.

Strangely I wash mine in nothing but regular detergent, but I do give it a very hot tumble. 5 years old but still waterproof Paclite

Most of the advice given so far is spot on, although I will contradict highclmber and say that yes, you do need to rinse the machine before machine washing. Best bet is to run a kettle of boiling water through the drawer then put on an empty 90c wash before washing then proofing your jacket. Otherwise the residual residue in the drawer and drum will counteract your efforts.

If you are looking to replace your jacket in the future, go for a goretex xcr lining. XCR is 25% more breathable than regular goretex and should help the condensation problem when you're being active. Plus a wickable top underneath and you should be sorted.

Lol residual residue ... It's been a long day 😀

I just re-read the Event care instructions.

"Regular washing of your eVent garment will enhance product performance. Your garment may be machine washed in warm water (110F / 40C) with liquid detergent, and we recommend a second rinse to remove all traces of detergent from the fabric."

So washing regular is okay, as is liquid detergent!

No mention of tumble-drier on this particular advice though.

NikWax tech wash. Iron with warm iron. Simples.

Best bet is to run a kettle of boiling water through the drawer then put on an empty 90c wash before washing then proofing your jacket. Otherwise the residual residue in the drawer and drum will counteract your efforts.

are you being serious?

3 year old Pace Event jacket and Endura Event keks here. Gets chuckde in with the rest of my bike gear when its muddy, hung up to dry then steam ironed when dry. Neither are as good as they were when new, but they both still do a reasonable job.

Yes I am serious. I used to work for an outdoors shop and became a bit of a product geek while I was there, even got a nice little certificate from goretex qualifying me as a "consultant" and had demos of all nikwax products. There's science behind the aftercare advice.

I got one of them too when I worked for an outdoor store. doesn't mention anywhere about wasting energy by putting a 90 deg c wash. Even Nikwax told me that rinsing the machine out is utterly pointless and their product will work regardless!

Meh, you're welcome to your opinion. It's just water proofing.