Anyone know anything about various NikWax detergents?
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Hey guys –
I have a rusty washing machine. That’s how I got started looking at the weird world of alternative laundry detergents. (And also how I came to be running a dremel tool upside down and re-applying appliance paint, but that’s another story). In the course of locating rust removing laundry detergent (which I am happy to say worked very well), I ran into all these NikWax branded detergents and DWR replenishment washes for outdoor garments.
One I am particularly interested in is supposed to strip the grease from down objects like comforters or down jackets, thereby causing the feathers to pop back up and restoring loft. Has anyone ever tried this? I think the idea is you wash your down garment in the stripper first, then dry it, then you wash it again in a DWR replenisher (basically Revivex) which sets the DWR coating and thus repels water again. (DWR = durable water repellency. For more read this: Breathing Underwater – American Angler – April 2006).
I’m interested because if you’ve ever applied bottled Revivex, you know it never quite gets the whole garment back to scratch. It’d be very interesting if you could wash your waders in one of these stripper products by NikWax then replenish the DWR coating for the whole garment. The ideal way to do this would be in one of those spindle-less washers (commercial or home) that never agitates back and forth. I’ve machine washed my waders before and the main risk seems to be causing the seam tape to release.
Anybody know more about this?
Zach
Zach, I have been doing my own tests and research into this stuff…
I am blown away by how good the stuff is!!
I never wash a GORE-TEX or fleece product in any other type of detergent. It does not damage the DWR finish, in fact, it enhances it. I find my waders look and feel like they came out of the box yesterday, and trust me, they work hard. I have only revive-ex’ed them when I needed to. My wader wick fleeces are also like they came out the packet yesterday, and they have been wash at least 15 or 20 times. Same with Polar Tech stuff and the likes.
However, other fleeces that I didn’t use to wash with Tech Wash have pilled and no longer have the DWR finish, but I have managed to get some of the finish back by washing them in a very mild liquid soap, then double rinse and allow to air dry. NO FABRIC SOFTNER!!!!!! then a full Tech Wash, followed by some Revive-ex and tumble dry on low heat till the fleeces are just dry. (you need to manage this closely!!)
For GORE-TEX garments flow the same process, but give them a double wash with a small quantity of liquid soap, then Tech Wash, etc.
GORE-TEX should never be washed with powder soap, it clogs the membrane.
You should wash on Synthetic Mode, at 40 deg C, you figure the F temp out…
Fleeces should be washed cold.Zack – I agree that when you Revive-ex you garment, it can come out patchy, but, if you have been washing in Tech Wash from the beginning, you wont find that at all. Also, the trick is to Revive-ex while the garment is still wet, then tumble dry at low for 60 mins or till it is completely dry. You might need to repeat this if it is still patchy…
Sjoe, I feel quiet OCD about this, but I think if you don’t do it properly then these very expensive, highly technical garments are not going to function like they should, and you should have saved your loot and bought some PVC waders to start with…
Lastly… sorry, just stuff I have learnt…
Before you start any of this, you need to clean your washing machine… take the soap tray out and clean that, also there will be soap build up where the soap goes into the machine. Then run your machine on a full wash on its hottest setting, preferably with “dishwasher” cleaner in it.I wish someone had told me this years ago!!
So back to your question Zack, yes, it should fix all your garments, but this is how I would do it.
1. Clean Machine.
2. 1 or 2 washes with liquid soap, trying to remove the previous soap build up, double rinses and air dry.
3. Tech Wash and follow manufactures guide on drying. REPEAT…It wont be perfect, but at least 50% better…
In future, just Tech Wash the garments from the beginning…And Zach, on the tape on the seams, SIMMS say that the main reason the seam tape peels is that the waders have not been washed. Your skin has a little bit of oil on it, and as the perspire, it caries some of the oil onto the waders, this goes under the tape and the tape lifts.
Waders that are washed regularly seldom have this issue.Simms website says not to tumble dry your waders as it damages the tape, but the GORE-TEX and Tech Wash sites say it is the best way to revive the garment, so I manually manage that till the waders are just dry and never let them heat up…
That IS good stuff, Mike. Thanks for sharing! I have a couple pairs of older Simms Guides where the only real issue is that they have ‘wet out.’ I basically have nothing to lose by trying this…
ZachSteve, that’s the stuff, it is a little dear and you burn through it fast, but then you are washing top end stuff, and stuff that needs to perform to its max at all times, so the cast is almost immaterial…
Zack, that “wet out” can be sorted out with a my process… you might need to do 2 Tech Wash, followed by Revivex both times… Simms also say that a hair drier will sort the DWR again, but I have found that the tumble dry does just as good a job… maybe try the hair drier and then the tumble drier…
They also say that the Revivex should be applied while they are damp, I have better results when they are more than damp, I hang them in the shower straight from the machine, after it has finished the wash and rinse on a 400 or low spin cycle. Thus the waders are more wet than damp…
Here’s the Simms revivex vid…
And here are all the Simms wader care vids.
http://www.simmsfishing.com/support/repairs.htmlZach
I have used Nikwax for years. I can remember mad old Nick demonstrating it at trade shows in the 1980s…he washed his down sleeping bag in the down proof and then floated it on a pond to show it didn’t loose any loft!
I have used their products on all my sleeping bags as Goretex (or the like) does not work in 99% of conditions. The last thing you want when spending weeks in a tent, at altitude, is a damp pit.
One I am particularly interested in is supposed to strip the grease from down objects like comforters or down jackets, thereby causing the feathers to pop back up and restoring loft.
Wash with the Down Wash and then if you want it treated wash it again in the Down Proof.Afterwards, depending on the size of the garment (sleeping bags especially) remove it into a tumble dryer. Support all of it otherwise the weight will cause the internal baffles to rip and damage the internal compartments. Then tumble dry with a tennis ball (or the like) for a number of hours. The ball bounces around and fluffs it all up again. Takes a long time, but is worth it. (Sorry if I am teaching grandmother how to suck eggs!).
Yes human oils ruin down products, so needs to be done regularly if the item is heavily used.
Down Wash does work!Glad to hear all the positives about this stuff I have had a few requests for it, and heard from the company today with the usual paper work to fill out.
After reading all the comments I decided to give the Nikwax Tech Wash a try with my waders (1 pair Orvis, 1 pair Redington) and a 10 year old Helly Hansen raincoat which was no longer waterproof. The net result was 2 pairs of waders that look like they just came out of the box and are just as waterproof. The raincoat is now waterproof once again and doesn’t wet out like it had been.
The only negative I can see with the product is the volume necessary to wash more than a few items (3 oz. per load up to 3 items). After washing the coat and waders seperately I’ve essentially used the whole bottle. In the long run however, it is probably worth it as it will save you replacing expensive outdoor gear on a frequent basis.
The only negative I can see with the product is the volume necessary to wash more than a few items (3 oz. per load up to 3 items). After washing the coat and waders seperately I’ve essentially used the whole bottle. In the long run however, it is probably worth it as it will save you replacing expensive outdoor gear on a frequent basis.
I thought the same, but then work the cost of the items you are washing, and the price of the washing detergent is easily justified, and it keeps the expensive garments working the way they should…
I used the Nikwax products for years with good success. Recently however, I got on to Granger’s Performance Wash and Granger’s Waterproofer (to replace the DWR). The folks at Patagonia recommended them for some gear. I can’t say that I notice any difference between brands, but it’s another option.
I’ve come to believe that your washer is critical. I know that top-loading, agitator washers destroy merino wool base layers and probably abuse fleece as well. It simply can’t be good for waders to be all twisted around. I successfully washed my old Simms waders in our agitator washer, but I now I go to my daughter’s and borrow her new front-loading machine. I can’ convince my wife that we need a new washer just for my Simms and Patagonia gear (although if she knew how much I spent on it, she might change her mind!).
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