Washing bike jackets?

[tigertim20]

My jacket is filthy, needs a good clean, but it is a perfect fit, and I don't want it to shrink!
How do you wash yours? machine wash on cold? with a damp cloth?

[howdamnhard]

Whats the label on it say.

[Mystic13]

You wash them?

[CookMySock]

machine wash on cold? Yup.

Steve

[YellowDog]

What's it made of?

I wear one for 4 hours a day and after 2 months though the summer realised that I needed to wash it each week.

The machine program says 'Delicates' but do first look for a label for washing instructions. The may be somethings that you first need to remove (like armour).

[bones135]

Yea washed mine a little while back. Just took all the innards out & into the machine on cold gentle wash, hung out to dry & no problems whatsoever.

[hayd3n]

wash em cold and gentle w/o armour

[James Deuce]

Don't use normal washing powder unless you like foaming the next time it rains. There's a bunch of products out there for washing testile jackets lined with a breathable waterproof liner, so go to a bike shop or tramping shop and ask about it.

[pritch]

There is a range of non-detergent liquids available, they will have names like "Sportwash". As James2 says try Kathmandu or whatever. Be prepared to pay about $20.00 for a rather small bottle.

If the jacket has a detachable lining take it out but wash it at the same time.
I usually do this in the middle of the summer so that things dry quickly. If they take too long to dry they don't smell right.

Follow the instructions and you should be OK.

[p.dath]

My jacket is filthy, needs a good clean, but it is a perfect fit, and I don't want it to shrink!
How do you wash yours? machine wash on cold? with a damp cloth?

Check the label on yours; but for my cordura I just soak it in a basin of cold water with some washing powder for 24 hours or so, and then hang it up to dry.

[Laxi]

go for a ride in the rain! SORTED:2thumbsup

[Devil]

Yeah what James and Pritch said.
Gentle cold wash. Armour out. I use Nikwax Techwash (from Kathmandu) and it's been great. $15 last time I bought it. You only get about two or three washes out of it.

[Swoop]

Pah! Fancy washing products.:2guns:

I have had much success with warm hand washing in regular washing powder.
Rinse it out several times and no worries at all.

This was coming from wearing a cordura jacket in summer and needing to wash it on a weekly basis.

Chuck it in the machine and spin dry, to speed up the drying process.

[vifferman]

I've washed my Teknic jacket (cordura with leather on the sleeves) multiple times. The first couple of times I did it using Sportwash in the tub or bath, then I decided it was too much trouble and chucked it in the machine. Then I decided the Sportwash was too expensive, so just used wool wash ('Softly' or similar). Hung it up to drip in the shower, then outside.
Because of the leather (and because it was of dubious waterproofness), I gave it a couple of treatments with Scotchgard (the one for treating tents and outside fabrics, in the green aerosol). I figured it's better to keep as much water out as possible. The Scotchgard is the cheapest silicon on the market, and the local supermarket sells it.
DO NOT buy the SnoSeal product that you spray on, leave to dry, then "heat activate" in the dryer. It's absolutely useless.

[Foxzee]

Yip...bung it in the washing machine without the armour. I don't spin my in the washing machine I take it out and drip dry on a coat-hanger...ps they don't like dryers tho!!!!!:innocent:

[Taz]

I wash mine with armour removed in warm soapy (washing powder) water in the tub, rinse a couple of times then hang up to dry. The jacket is over 10 years old and still going good. Waterproof too. I haven't used the washing machine as I feel this could be a little hard on the waterproof lining. It was one of the first clover jackets brought into NZ. Would hate to think how much mileage this jacket has done. Gonna be hard to find a jacket as good to replace it :(

Very Photogenic eh? :)

[Swoop]

The Scotchgard is the cheapest silicon on the market, and the local supermarket sells it.
Not all supermarkets stock the stuff. I have had a devil of a time trying to locate a can, out West.

[tigertim20]

cool, thanks people, looks like cold wash is the way to go. I went and cut the tag out of it cos it was annoyingly itchy on the back of my neck!

[junkmanjoe]

i take my lining out, all safty pads, and just chuck it in the wash, hang dry, put it all back together and go get it dirty again..:woohoo:

[davebullet]

For a textile jacket - washing powder is fine. Fully dissolve in a bucket of warm water. Foaming happens if you don't rinse your clothes properly (or you use afro-powder or something). Ring it dry or let it drip dry. I've washed 2 jackets that way - no shrinkage.

Use some sunlight bar soap first on the really grungy bits or if you want your whites to come up bright.

Do it by hand - bathtub or a large bucket (ie. paint or nappy bucket). Take the nappies out first though eh?

[vifferman]

Not all supermarkets stock the stuff. I have had a devil of a time trying to locate a can, out West.
Oh.:Oops:
Mitre 10?


Yip...bung it in the washing machine without the armour.
Then it will get damaged!
Washer rash, or summat...


i take my lining out, all safty pads, and just chuck it in the wash, hang dry, put it all back together and go get it dirty again..
My textile jacket would take mere milliseconds to get grubby again - all the traffic fumes and road spooge in the air, y'know...
Plus.... I think Scotchgard (which is supposed to protect fabric) actually attracts spooge.
NEVER wear non-black gear. Black leathers for the win! An occasional treatment with Nikwax, and yer good to go! :niceone:

[Swoop]

Oh.:Oops:
Mitre 10?
Will have to resort to giving them a try. Mitre 10 are a rip-off now that they have crushed the smaller suppliers. I would prefer to purchase from a supermarket, and Foodtown used to stock the stuff... no longer though. Pak & Slave are also non-stockers.:confused:

[dragonfly]

Yeah what James and Pritch said.
Gentle cold wash. Armour out. I use Nikwax Techwash (from Kathmandu) and it's been great. $15 last time I bought it. You only get about two or three washes out of it.

Advisable to use nikwax tech wash so the cordura fibres don't tangle which causes the cordura to be less effective water proof wise then use the nikwax tx direct to water proof and do this straight after washing then dry. Ya get about three washes from one bottle as said above.:wari:

[James Deuce]

http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/care-center/washing-instructions

[vifferman]

Something that needs to be highlighted here is that there is a difference between how you treat new Cordura garments with Goretex (or equivalent) liners, and how you treat Cordura gear that's several seasons old, and has been subject to normal wear'n'tear, road spooge, strong NZ sunlihgt (high UV), traffic fumes, etc.
When new, a cordura garment is fairly stiff and reasonably waterproof, with or without goretex. After a while, that's no longer the case, and the goretex itself may have been compromised. In that case, you're best to assume it's no longer 100% waterproof, not worry too much about breathability (which is pretty marginal anyway, especially on a very hot day), and just do whatever is expedient to keep the garment clean and to keep water out.

Hmmmmmm.... perhaps boiling in detergent, followed up by boiling in baby afghani lesbian fur seal whale penguin fat is advised?