Outerwear Care

If your ski jacket or pants are starting to look a little bit worse for wear, don’t worry this is not the end. Overtime the waterproof coating of your jacket can become damaged, causing your jacket to absorb water instead of repelling it, so washing and re-waterproofing is key to keeping your favourite jacket alive. We are here to show you the ropes and the soaps, ka-boom-ching!

MACHINE WASHING

Obviously, if you just throw your ski jacket in the washing machine and don’t pay any attention to the wash label, you are likely to remove your jacket’s waterproof properties or worse. For that reason, we’ve put together a guide for machine washing your jacket for the first time.

1. In order to prevent any zips from getting torn off during the washing process, ensure that all zips are fully zipped up. Also make sure that all of your pockets are empty.
2. Ensure that your washing machine if free of any previous fabric softener or detergents. The best way to do this is to run your machine on an empty hot wash.
3. You will want to use technical outerwear specific wash products, for example Nikwax or Granger’s. In most cases, you will wash your outerwear with one product and use a re-waterproofing product on the second wash. However, please read the instructions on the washing product that you buy, as these methods can vary from product to product.
4. If there are any tough stains attempt to scrub those out by hand using a nylon brush or a sponge and the washing product you will use to wash the jacket in the machine.
5. Before putting your outerwear in the washing machine, make sure you check the wash label. You will want to ensure that the washing temperature does not exceed the recommended temperature, as not following these could result in your favourite jacket or pants being damaged. As a general guideline if your wash label is worn out, put it in on a 30-degree wash.
6. After you have washed and re-waterproofed your outerwear wear, it is time to dry it. Once again refer to you wash label for drying instructions, this will determine whether you will need to tumble dry or hang dry. Although in all cases you must avoid hanging you outerwear over a heat source as this can damage the waterproof and breathability properties that you will have just replenished.

HAND WASHING

If the thought of throwing your favourite ski jacket in the washing machine makes you weak at the knees, or you don’t own a washing machine, there is always the option of hand washing your outerwear.

1. Once again ensure that all of you pockets are empty.
2. Find and use a washing tub big enough to fit your outerwear items, then fill it with the technical outerwear specific washing product and cold water.
3. Use your hands to work the water and cleaning product through the jacket. Then rinse the outerwear twice to remove all of the washing product. Before repeating the process with the re-waterproofing wash product.
4. Then finally rinse and squeeze the outerwear dry without twisting it, then leave it to dry, again avoid hanging you outerwear over a heat source as this can damage the waterproof and breathability properties.

REPAIRING WEAR & TEAR

When you’ve had a piece of outerwear for a long period of time, it isn’t uncommon to see some general wear and tear. Many people use duct tape to patch up old ski pants, this may be a short-term fix, but it is actually damaging and can make it much harder to repair the garment properly in the future. So here is a guide to patching up your old outerwear.

1. Locate and mark all damaged areas.
2. Decide whether you will patch the inside or outside of the jacket. Patching the outside will offer more protection. You may want to patch the inside to maintain the aesthetics of the garment, but for insulated jackets this may be difficult.
3. Search for ‘outerwear repair patches’ or ‘outerwear repair tape’ on the internet. Find and buy the appropriate patches to conduct the repair. There are a variety available on the market, so find some that match your jacket’s colour and fabric type.
4. Lay your outerwear on a hard flat surface.
5. Use an isopropyl alcohol wipe to clean the fabric around the damaged area.
6. Trim any excess threads around the damaged area with care and be aware not to make the damaged area bigger or any worse.
7. Then line up the edges of the damaged area and apply the repair patch following the instructions provided, as the application of repair patches my vary.
8. Finally, leave your outerwear for up to 24 hours to allow the adhesive to properly dry before use.