You have prepared your ski and snowboard gear for summer storage, but did you forget about your ski jacket and snow pants? Keep your waterproof breathable outerwear performing and looking good longer by washing before storing in the warm summer months. Over time when clothing is stored with dirt, stains and sweat it will be harder to remove. Dirt will clog the fabric’s ability to allow vapor to wick out.
How To Clean Ski Jackets and Snow Pants
1) If you have a grease or food stain spot clean with Dawn dish soap.
2) Zip all zippers, snap all snaps, close all Velcro fasteners, remove lift tickets and empty pockets.
3) Wash with NIKWAX Tech Wash with cold water in your washer according to directions on the bottle.
4) Do not dry clean as the solvents used in dry cleaning will remove the outer DWR coating and delaminate the interior waterproof breathable layer from your jacket or pants.
5) Reapply outer waterproofing with NIKWAX TX Direct waterproofing.
6) Hang dry garments.
7) Do not use fabric softner as it clogs the wicking and breathable pores of the fabric.
8) Store in a cool dry closet.
NIKWAX Tech Wash® non-detergent cleaner’s gentle action lifts out dirt without removing the manufacturers DWR finish. NIKWAX Tech Wash is recommended for waterproof breathable fabrics such as Gore-Tex®, Ultrex®, Entrant®, Permatex® and eVENT® fabrics. Regular household detergent will remove the manufacturers DWR finish. If your garment has been washed several times and with a regular household detergent you may need to restore the surface waterproof coating.
If snow soaks through your jacket you can also spray on replacement DWR finish with NIKWAX’s TX.DIRECT® spray-on waterproofing. The spray on waterproofing is water based waterproofing, which restores and improves water-repellency and maintains breathability.
Even if the manufacture tag states to dry in a low heat I prefer to play it safe and hang my ski jacket to dry. High heat can cause the waterproof breathable layer on the inside of the garment to delaminate from the outer shell fabric. If you have ever dried a jacket in a hot dryer and it comes out in a puckered appearance the waterproof layer has separated from the outer layer.
For your ski socks, base layers and fleece wash with regular washing detergent but do not use fabric softener in the washer or dryer as it puts a coating on the fabric preventing your perspiration to wick through.
Gloves should only be surface spot washed with plain water. Use the spray on waterproofing if the snow soaks through the outer layer.
Or you can just replace your jacket and buy new snow outerwear at our end of the season closeout sale. An advantage to getting a new ski outfit is when you look back at your ski vacation photos. I had the same jacket for 3 years and I have the same jacket on in all the photos. It is had to tell which trip is which.
