If you're the sort of person who frets over detergent choice, then
Nikwax is about to make your life a whole lot easier with new
Wash 'n' Wick cleaners designed for wool and baselayer
fabrics.
Apparently
both Wool Wash and BaseWash are designed to - and we quote - 'increase
fibres' hydro-transfer properties of woollen and synthetic base
layers'. We think that's a complicated way of saying the new cleaners
improve wicking.
Wool Wash is designed particularly for merino wool, it's a
gentle cleaner which is claimed to clean and soften wool base layers
and socks and improve wicking capabilities, though to be honest,
absorbing moisture rather than wicking it is merino's greatest
strength.
BaseWash is designed for synthetic baselayers and socks and
claims to clean, freshen and soften fabrics while enhancing wicking
and reducing drying times, not that synthetic baselayers take long to
dry anyway.
Nickwax says that the cleaners have been introduced to help
wicking properties which some body secretions and cleaners reduce.
Both cleaners are biodegradable, non flammable, non hazardous and
fluorocarbon free.
We've washed both merino and synthetic baselayers successfully
using normal washing liquids with no apparent loss of wicking
performance, so while we're more than happy to recommend using
specialist cleaners for fabrics using a water repellant treatment,
we're less convinced by these baselayer cleaners.
Apart from anything else, most polyester baselayers wick because
of the structure of the fabric, which isn't affected by cleaners
while merino works by absorbing water and holding it away from the
skin rather than by wicking moisture.
However, we'll ask for a sample and see how we get on. Apparently in the shops already, prices for both varieties are
£3.99 for 300ml and £9.99 for 1 litre.
Contact Nikwax for stockists on 01892 786400 or see the web site
at www.nikwax.com where you can also play the Nikwax web
quiz.
And no, we don't know why Wool Wash has a space in the middle of it and BaseWash doesn't. Perhaps it makes them easier to identify using a telescopic sniping sight...
Simon Chaplin
