Reproofing goretex

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 swmackey 19 Nov 2018

Hi, need to reproof my goretex pro salopettes and jacket. I’ve got a Nikwax wash and TX direct wash in combo pack (ie a bottle of each). For best results do I need to dry the garments after I have done the cleaning wash before doing the reproofing?

 Alex Riley 19 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

No, you can use the reproof straight away whilst the garment is wet still.

 r1ch79 19 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

Watch tv programme "Poisoning America: The devil we know" and buy Paramo

14
 arch 19 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

Don't forget to clean your washing machine detergent draw out before you start.

 The Lemming 19 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

The advice I was given on this site many years ago was to do the following:

1 Wash in detergent

2 Wash in pure soap flakes or similar

3 Wash in favourite proofing such as TX Direct

The detergent removes all oils, sweat and dirt.  The soap removes the detergent from the garment.

1
 Andrew Lodge 19 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

I was always told to never wash anything you want to stay waterproof with detergent.

1
 Sharp 20 Nov 2018
In reply to Andrew Lodge:

> I was always told to never wash anything you want to stay waterproof with detergent.


Detergents wont damage your clothes, they'll just mask the DWR coating. There is an industry that has sprung up around misinformation when it comes to cleaning waterproof clothing. In reality if you put your gtx jacket through the wash with detergent and give it a couple of good rinse cycles it will still be waterproof and if it's relatively new it will still be water repellant. The waterproof layer is a membrane in between the outer and inner, unless you're detergent is sulphuric acid or has razor blades in it you wont destroy the waterproof membrane. Any remnants of detergent left on the jacket will hamper it's ability to bead up and theoretically reduce the breathability. Washing in tech wash and tx direct or similar will give you the most optimal results, it will clean it without leaving impurities and then enhance a worn down water repellant layer making it a little more breathable and prolonging the time before the outer layer wets out.

I have to admit I have never done side by side comparrisons with reproofed jackets where one has had the detergent drawer cleaned out before washing and the other hasn't. I vaguely remember asking the nikwax rep that when I was younger and he didn't think it was important. I'm inclined to agree.

My own opinion is that if say you're wearing a 10 year old GTX jacket with a pack pressing on your back, shoulders and hips and the odd duct tape repair, when you're struggling through a wild hoolie and the wind driven rain is dancing up your sleeves and down your neck the precise level of breathability doesn't really matter as much as the salesmen make you think. It'll keep most of you more or less dry and what more can you ask?

Soap flakes (disolved) are just as good as tech wash, cheaper and a bit more environmentally friendly. I don't know why they still sell it so diluted. I stopped reproofing my gtx jacket years ago and it still keeps me pretty dry.

 r1ch79 20 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

If i put my gtex in a machine doesnt the dwr coat the inside of the jacket as much as the outside and wouldnt that make my sweat bead inside my jacket?

 Sharp 20 Nov 2018
In reply to r1ch79:

In short no, it doesn't work like that. Imagine lots of tiny holes which water vapour can pass through but liquid water can't. If the jacket wets out (on either side) then you're essentially covering all those holes in a layer of water soaked fabric and water vapour wont travel through the holes because it can't pass through the saturated layer. If the water beads up and rolls off then the holes will not be blocked and the water vapour can pass through. This is a bit of an oversimplification but essentially the answer to your question is no, wash in proofer works despite "common sense" suggesting it wont. Don't think about it too much the differences in real life aren't great compared to in the lab, modern waterproofs are pretty great and don't need a scientific level of care to keep working for many years.

 galpinos 20 Nov 2018
In reply to r1ch79:

Nikwax is (and always has been) PFC free?

Rigid Raider 20 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

I have a very tatty and patched purple Goretex Freestyle cycling jacket, which must be over 20 years old. Thinking it owed me nothing I hung it on the line and doused it in Thompson's Water Seal. Once the kerosine had dried off the garment felt pretty stiff but after wearing it a few times it became beautifully soft and is now as water-repellent as the day I bought it. The damned thing just refuses to die.

 Gone 20 Nov 2018
In reply to Sharp:

>  If the jacket wets out (on either side) then you're essentially covering all those holes in a layer of water soaked fabric and water vapour wont travel through the holes because it can't pass through the saturated layer. 

There is a Gore Tex video on YouTube of a guy whose wet hand dries out inside a glove despite it being immersed in water, so how does that work then?

 oldie 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Gone:

Wet hand heated by body temperature turning liquid  to vapour which can enter Ben Sharp's  "tiny holes" which condenses with colder mass of water outside glove ie one way "pump"? ..... I don't really believe it either. 

 Otis 21 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

The final stage of a Gore Tex re-proofing is heat.  Tumble dry or iron on a low setting to finish things off. Took me a while to pluck up the courage to iron my coat, but it was what Gore Tex themselves recommended.  

 

1
Rigid Raider 21 Nov 2018
In reply to swmackey:

I was sold Goretex when I learned  to ski in pouring rain in Aviemore; a friend lent me his mitts, which had PVC palms and Goretex backs. Througout the day the backs of my hands stayed warm and dry while the palms were soaked with condensation and rain, a thoroughly convincing demonstration.


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