Cleaning kit

[Marmalade]

I use nikwax on my kit but it just doesn't get all the crud out and jackets mainly still look grubby.

I know detergent is meant to be bad for goretex but if i was to use some persil (other brands are available) to try to get it actually clean and then use nikwax wash and then tx would it be ok?

Also helmets, how do you clean them without making the lining fall to bits? I usually just buy a new one.
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Nobby the Bastard: How yo tell the difference between the actual japanese and her just screaming because she's had live fish stuck up her arse? [url=https://www.nicks-shop.co.uk/bcf-goodies-15-c.aspGet BCF stickers and things here[/url] Reflective helmet stickers - Legal requirement in france - Clicky

[Blackwolf]

[DrDonnyBrago]

I thought goretex could be cleaned with normal washing powder so long as you don't use softener?


Dirty goretex doesn't work properly so it does need to be cleaned - check the washing instructions label on the clothing itself. I do mine (goretex ripoff) in the bath:

https://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af271/DonnyBrago/STA71314.jpg


As for lids - I wash them in the sink, fairy liquid all over except for the pads which get washed in washing powder. Helps if most of the padding comes out of course, just be sure to let it dry 100% before using it, hang it in the sun somewhere warm to dry or it'll go mouldy and don't forget to wash the helmet straps.

[janner_10]

I just stick the textiles in a normal delicate cycle with persil, then do the nixnax wash then the treatment thing - comes up a treat.
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Yamaha FZS600 (Now gone to heaven) > CBR600F4i (SOLD) > '99 YZF-R1

[numpty2]

I can honestly say that the only bike gear I have ever washed is visors, and only so I can see.

Perhaps I should be ashamed, but I'm not. Just call me Pig Pen (ask your parents who this is).

[Dazbo666]

[Marmalade]

I would probably never wash mine either but wearing it all day 5/6 days a week over lots of miles in all weathers it gets a bit manky.

I'll try putting my euro jacket in on a normal wash on tues once everything else has dried, it's all been on the line all day and still a bit soggy and then i'll nikwax it and see how it goes.

I'll just get another lid, it's a pain in the arse to clean the bloody thing out.
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Nobby the Bastard: How yo tell the difference between the actual japanese and her just screaming because she's had live fish stuck up her arse? [url=https://www.nicks-shop.co.uk/bcf-goodies-15-c.aspGet BCF stickers and things here[/url] Reflective helmet stickers - Legal requirement in france - Clicky

[numpty2]

Actually I was thinking Pig Pen from the Snoopy cartoons. He was the kid who was always surrounded by flies. But Convoy - I'm having that.

[Zero]

Follow the washing instructions on the label (with regard to temperature etc) and you can't go wrong... but you can do a few things to improve results.

Goretex is very hard to actually destroy unless you physically put a hole in it, washing it won't fuck it up (if you follow the instructions) but what you wash it with can clean it a bit too well and strip off the *DWR finish from the outside. Also, a lot of washing liquids and powders contain things like optical brighteners that clog up the little microscopic pores so that your expensive breathable jacket is clean but no longer breathes quite so well.

You probably already know this, so sorry for pointing it out but for the benefit of anyone that doesn't I'll try and keep it from being too confusing.

All Gore-Tex jackets are constructed using laminated layers, so it may feel like one piece of fabric but it could be two or three bonded together.

A typical example, working from the inside of the jacket that sits against you, to the outside of the jacket would be...

1. an internal scrim designed to soak up moisture and spread it around until it is pushed through the holes in the goretex membrane

2. the goretex membrane itself, essentially a big sheet of PTFE tape that plumbers use, expanded so it has microscopic holes in it, and laminated to a fabric to give it durability

3. the outer most face fabric, also designed to take the scuffs and wear and tear of every day use

4. a *DWR (durable water repellent) finish, which is a fancy name for a chemical that is applied to the outer fabric of a jacket. This will be applied to any water proof garment. It's job is to make water and rain bead up on the surface and run off the jacket, allowing the jacket to breathe properly. The water won't push through the goretex unless it is physically damaged (a hole) but if the DWR coating has worn off then rain and water will saturate the outer fabric, and goretex can't breathe properly if it has a layer of water sitting on top of it. It'd be like wearing a goretex drysuit (yes i know these do actually exist) underwater. The moisture has nowhere to transfer to.

TL;DR?

Wash your goretex stuff regularly with something that is actually designed to clean it. This will unclog any microscopic crap from it's microscopic pores. If you use the proper stuff then it will rejuvenate any DWR that remains on the surface.

Re-proof your goretex stuff every now and then with something that is designed to re-proof goretex stuff. You won't need to do this every time you wash it if you are washing it in the correct stuff in the first place. Every three washes is a safe bet.

If you want to test it, run it under the tap after washing it. The water should bead up like when it was new. If it doesn't, this just means that you need to chuck it back in the washing machine with a re-proofer.
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'01 Suzuki GZ125 - scrapped
'91 Kawasaki GT550 - given away
'95 Honda VRX400 / '08 Yamaha XT660R - current bikes

[Zero]

Oops, I totally ran on there and forgot the point I was originally going to make.

Nikwax techwash is a fairly mild cleaner so as not to fuck up any water repellent chemical that remains on your jacket, but because of this it won't remove any real stubborn shit from the clothing. The best bet is to apply a very small amount neat to any really filthy areas, and rub the fabric against itself until it foams right up.

You could pre-wash a jacket with persil or similar, but it does leave a bit of a residue behind and can go a bit gluey after reproofing it. It wont effect its performance too much, but it wont feel like it should do (like new).
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'01 Suzuki GZ125 - scrapped
'91 Kawasaki GT550 - given away
'95 Honda VRX400 / '08 Yamaha XT660R - current bikes