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Maintenance Instructions for Outdoor Material

Synthetic Material Care

Taking care of your high-performance outdoor materials is not hard. In fact it is much more straight forward than for natural materials. Most of the fabrics and notions sold on this shop fall under these general instructions, but check also by product.

Wash normally at 40C, do not use fabric softener. Never use bleach. In general air drying gives the longest life from your clothing. However, tumble drying at low/medium temperatures is OK. For shell materials with a chemical Durable Water Resistant (DWR) finish, drying is even recommended to activate the finish. Some time in a sauna works also to activate the DWR and is gentler to garment.

Most fabrics can be dry cleaned, although it is not required. If a fabric tends to wrinkle, it can be ironed at low temperatures. The real enemy in taking care of outdoor materials is dirt. Even synthetic materials, especially those with DWR coatings or waterproof membranes, are sensitive to dirt. It is very important to regularly wash your outdoor clothing. The DWR coating on shell materials will eventually wear off. This can be re-applied using a commercial product like Nikwax, which should be done every few months or years depending on use and washing frequency.

Care chart for technical clothing