Maintenance Instructions for Outdoor Material

Synthetic Material Care

Wash at 40°C , Do not bleach, Thumble dry, low heat, Iron low max 110°C (*).

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

	Example for materials	Washing machine	Temperature	Type of washing cleaner	Extra rinse	Spinning + drying	Ironing
Hard Shell	3- and 2-layer WPB’s (Gore-Tex, Sympatex, Event, Texapore, Dermizax, Action…)	gentle wash	30°C	special liquid cleaner like NikWax Tech Wash	2 times	no spinning, use drying machine if allowed by the fabric washing instructions, otherwise hang to dry	low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed
Soft Shell	Polartec Powershield, Schoeller WB 400 + Dryskin…	wool cycle	30°C	special liquid cleaner like NikWax Tech Wash	2 times	max 600 rpm, hang to dry	low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed
Fleece	Polartec, Ponte torto Tecnopile, Normal fleece	gentle wash	30°C, max 40°C	special liquid cleaner like NikWax Tech Wash or liquid washing cleaner like Elokuu Laundry Liquid	0 to 1 times	low spinning cycle, drying according to fabrics washing instructions	not necessary
Synthetic shirts and pants	Polyamide (Nylon), Polyester with or without Elastan ( Quickdry + Quickdry stretch)	normal wash	30°C, max 40°C	special liquid cleaner like NikWax Tech Wash or liquid washing cleaner like Elokuu Laundry Liquid	0 to 1 times	spin only material without stretch, drying according to fabrics washing instructions	low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed
Cotton or cotton blended shirts and pants	Function 65, Mt-Microfiber, G 1000, Etaproof	normal wash	30°C, max 40°C	special liquid cleaner like NikWax Tech Wash or liquid washing cleaner like Elokuu Laundry Liquid	0 to 1 times	spin and dry according to fabrics washing instructions	low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed
T-shirts and Underwear with wool	Sportswool, merino wool, wool blends	wool cycle	cold or 30°C	wool washing cleaner like Elokuu Gentle Laundry Liquid	no need	low spin cycle, hang to dry	not necessary
Socks + Underwear	Powerdry, Lifa, Coolmax, etc	normal color wash	wash according to fabric washing instructions	gentle washing cleaner or Elokuu Laundry Liquid	no need	spin and dry according to fabrics washing instructions	not necessary
Lined Clothing	down filling or synthetic padding / filling	Hand or machine wash, wool program	30°C	down washing cleaner like NikWax Down Wash	2-3- times	max 600 rpm, first drip hang then with big drying machine, fluff down between drying process	no
Tents, bags and backbags	Syntethics (Nylon, Cordura, Silinylon, ...)	Hand wash	30°C	special liquid cleaner like NikWax Tech Wash	1 - 2 times	low spin, hang to dry	low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment