Hi,
There was a great thread on here some time ago about washing eVENT jackets, the time had come for washing my Lowe Alpine Elite jacket, which had stopped beading water on the DWR, it's about a year old.
I remembered most of the details about using detergent rather than pure soap cleaners and looked up eVENTs website which confirmed this. So I have done this, then followed the wash with two rinses to clear as much of the detergent out of the jacket. Now it's dry I tried spraying some water on it and the DWR seems to have completly gone, the water was just soaked up by the jacket.
I have not tried ironing yet, but the DWR looks so far gone I think I am going to have to re-proof it with some nikwax TX, has anyone else tried this route,
Whats the best way to restore the DWR?
And once it's restored whats the best way to keep the DWR in good comdition once it's back, I always find once the original DWR is gone it's never as good as it was?
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 hello there,
When using a Detergent this will kill any DWR (water beading) so yep your gona have to reproof it.
I left my hood off my Paramo smock in the washer by mistake :( then washed some cloths.. Hood turn in to a sponge.
Anyways rewashed again with pure soap and reproofed with that Nikwax TX wash in stuff. As good as new now :) try it in one of those Thunder storms the other day...
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Well, it's kind of confusing. Normally it is advised to use pure soap cleaners instead of detergents because detergents have a tendency to kill DWR. BHA, maker of eVENT, advises to use detergents if the jacket is really dirty since detergents are more effective than pure soap cleaners. If not mistaken, after having cleaned the jacket with detergent, it's best to clean the jacket again with a soap based cleaner to remove as much residu of the detergent as possible. A couple of rince cycles and the DWR could be beading again. If not, use a reproofer.
But I guess, July from Montane will have the most complete answer if she sees this topic.
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 Aren't you supposed to tumble dry or light iron to rectivate the DWR ?
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Cheers for that, I think I will try washing it in Tech wash soap when I get home tonight, it still smells strongly of detergent (even after two rinses) before I try the re-proofing.
I did think about the detergent washing off the DWR, but by the looks of the eVENT instructions it sounded like the DWR should have survived the wash.
I think the original thread I read was from Julie at Montane, her advice was very good.
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 Hello yes I did add to a forum thread about a Rab Jacket which details the care instructions for cleaning eVent. Alternatively, that fine chap Richard Gear has also previously offered some handy advice about cleaning eVent garments too which you can find here
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Thanks Julie,
That was the thread I remember, very helpful, I will follow that and hopefully all will be well again with my much loved jacket.
Chris
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Good luck Chris :-)
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 I don't think using a wash-in reproofer will necessarily be the right way to do it, particularly if the jacket has a wicking mesh liner. I think the spray on version will probably be the best bet if techwash/soap doesn't restore the dwr. This may be the recommendation in the above thread but I'm too lazy to read it.
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Absolutely. If your garment has a wicking liner then a spray on reproofer is the way to go, as wash-in will ruin the wicking properties of the liner.
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Hi,
My jacket is a three layer so no wicking liner to worry about.
I washed it in the pure soap, then tried to apply the spray on TX direct as I had some in the cuboard, no luck as the spray had broken, so I wiped it on with a cloth (probably not the best way) then ironed the jacket on a cool setting (2 dot) after drying.
On Saturday I went for a walk in the Pentlands and was caught in a couple of heavy showers and the jacket is still not beading up, compared to my new paclite trousers it didn't even atempt to bead any water just absorbed it.
I think I am going to try and get some wash in this lunchtime and try that as another resort. I have to say the jacket isn't leaking just not beading up the water any more. Has me puzzled
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 After some initial scepticism I now follow Julie's instructions with my Montane Superfly and I'm sure she'll be gratified to know that in my case it works perfectly.
By the way different machines perform differently when it comes to rinsing, some being particularly poor at removing detergent residue during the rinse cycle (Which? reported some tests fairly recently). I hand rinse repeatedly until the rinse water is clear then I put it through the machine rinse cycle twice having cleaned all residues from the detergent drawer and the rubber door seal. A potch I know but it works for me.
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:-) great to hear that my instructions have kept a Super-fly wearer happy in all weather. It seems like more work than normal washing, but I'm sure you'll agree that to maintain great breathability and waterproofness, sometimes you have to go that extra mile.
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Hi Macsen,
That sounds like a good idea, I might try a good old hand rinse to see if there is more detergent stillin the jacket (I can't get the drawer out of my washing machine, despite allot of pulling).
Thanks for your tips too Julie, I am quite sure I am doing something wrong with mine somewhere, nothing to do with the good advice, just me being daft.
On a side note is it a bad thing to wash these jackets so often? I am thinking about the durability of the tape etc and the repeated exposure to heat, saturation and drying out?
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When eVent passes a garment for production they wash it in a special machine that agitates it for 2hours. This equates to about 10 full washes. After this time the tape must still pass a hydrostatic head test and not be lifting anywhere to be allowed to be produced.
So in answer to your question it should be fine.
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 I've been using the same Superfly for, oh, around 18 months now. It's been washed a lot and is fine with a nice soft texture too. Some early Gore-Tex jackets had problems with tape lifting, but virtually all modern taped waterproofs should be fine as long as you follow the care instructions.
I'd keep away from tumble driers for frequent use though, they tend to abrade the surface of the fabric, hence the fuzz you find on the filter...
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 Almost all detergents tested will start to strip away the DWR and leave residues that are Hydrophillic (water loving). Yes detergents are great cleaners and occaisionally a wash in detergent helps to clean off all the old crud, proffing and ground in dirt. After washing in detergent you should use Tech wash to help remove residues from the garment and reproof. Everyone has their own opinion on whether washin is better then spray on or vice versa. For convienience I use TX Direct washin and find that proofing the wicking lining does not alter the performance of the my jackets. Indeed many manufacturers have non wicking mesh liners that repel moisture and most have nylon sleeve linings that are treated with a dwr to stop them from saturating and making your arms feel cold and clammy. A wash in proofing helps with this.
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My Montane eVent was no longer beading rain, instead it got wet and saturated really quick. I noticed Julie from Montane recommended ironing the fabric after washing. I'm guessing this makes the surface much smoother so rain falls off, but like others here I was reluctant to try this until my Mum suggested ironing over a damp cloth. This keeps extreme heat off the fabric and after trying it I'm pleased to report the jacket is no longer beading. Jacket now performs like new. Thanks to Julie and my Mum!
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