Look after your kit and your kit will look after you. Please refer to the wash care labels inside your garment for product specific care instructions, for more general advice do take a look at the following:
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These instructions will cover the majority of our range from merchandise to trousers, base layers and mid-layers.
Turn the garment inside out prior to washing in order to protect any external patches, buttons or seams.
Wash on a low temperature (30 is fine), low spin with a gentle non-bio detergent. For fleece layers, try to minimise washing where possible and hand wash if you can with a detergent designed for delicates.
Air dry where possible – do not leave on a radiator and avoid tumble drying on a high heat / for a prolonged period of time. Be conscious when hanging garments to dry that this can lead to stretching if not supported appropriately.
Routine care is essential to maintain the performance of your waterproof jacket as the build up of dirt or body oils from sweat will eventually compromise the Durable Water Repellant (DWR) coating that keeps you dry.
How often you need to reproof your
jacket will depend on your jacket’s use. Generally speaking you should be reproofing your jacket after 10 days of heavy use or 20 days of light use. If it’s no longer beading water, it’s time to reproof – and here’s how you do it:- Prepare the jacket for washing by closing the main zip and opening all pocket zips, release drawcords and secure Velcro cuffs.
- Wash the jacket on a regular heat and spin cycle with detergent and spin to remove any residual cleaning agent.
- Re-apply DWR by washing the jacket again with a treatment such as Grangers® Performance Repel. A spray-on treatment can be used to target high-wear areas.
- Re-activate the DWR by applying heat with either a machine dryer until the jacket is dry to the touch. Heat is an essential part of the process and the DWR won’t reactivate fully without it.
We advise that you use a cleaning agent made specifically for technical outdoor fabrics. We recommend the following:
- Grangers
- Nikwax TX direct wash-inYou may also use a liquid free-rinsing soap or gentle detergent. Avoid detergents that contain fabric softeners, fragrance, whiteners or colourants.
Try to minimise washing your down
jacket where possible (within reason) and only do so if it starts to show signs of dirt or if the down begins to lose its loft.Follow the step-by-step guide below to wash your down jacket:
- Prepare the jacket for washing by closing the main zip and opening all pocket zips, release drawcords and secure Velcro cuffs.
- Wash your garment on a gentle setting with the appropriate cleaning agent, we recommend Grangers ® Down Wash for this. Rinse any remaining detergent using an additional spin cycle.
- If you need to re-apply DWR then follow the instructions above on “Waterproof Care”.
- Restoring the loft is vital to maintain insulation and this will require some mechanical action to redistribute the down. To do so, place your garment in a machine dryer on a low heat with a couple of dryer balls (clean tennis balls will do). Keep an eye on your garment and keep turning it over to distribute the down evenly and spread the drying process.
It is imperative that down is dried completely before storing in order to prevent the clumping of feathers or mould.
Down care can take several hours to complete but make sure to be diligent and you will reap the rewards.