Cleaning textile Jacket

[Oasis]

Stupidly I bought a jacket with large sections of white on it. After 6 weeks it's looking a bit grim. It's an Alpinestars bogotà.

Any recommendations for cleaning it? I'm crap at stuff like this and won't give in to asking Mrs (always) Right.

[Guest]

firstly you MUST NOT use any household detergent.. these will destroy any coating on the material (or innate ability) that makes water bead and run off.

Nikwax produce special detergents for waterproof/resistant clothes etc that dont cause the above problems.

I dont actually bother with any of that.. my textiles go in the washer with no detergent at all.. so its cleaned mainly by agitation and rubbing. Its important to be sure the tray is clean.. if you normally use powder any residue must be removed. not a speck of detergent allowed. similarly conditioner is a no-no.

remove liners and armour if possible. and wash at the temperature on the label. if plain warm water doesnt do it.. then try nikwax detergent. but.. in either case its unlikely your light colours will ever be pristine again. so far you have had just the normal spring weather and muck to contend with.. we're about to enter the insect season and thats a whole other ballgame.

to dry.. i hang them in a doorway so they dry out by airing. as these are all artificial materials they tend to dry fairly quickly. top tip.. empty the pockets as these tend to become full of water. and put a towel or cloth on the floor under the clothing because its certain to drip for a while. Now.. its warming up, hang outside if you can.

theres a reason why black and other dark colours are so popular in this climate. Lighter colours are really best for travelling in or closer to the tropics. they'll still get filthy.. but nobody will care.

If the garment has no washing label.. then I really dont know. you'll need to contact alpinestars.

[Oasis]

WOW! I didn't think I would get such an in depth answer. Thanks Shorty! Much appreciated mate.

[Valko]

firstly you MUST NOT use any household detergent.. these will destroy any coating on the material (or innate ability) that makes water bead and run off.

Nikwax produce special detergents for waterproof/resistant clothes etc that dont cause the above problems.

 

Agree to disagree here. What you have said is true for old style textile jackets that have outside waterproof coating. Like my old Frank Thomas textiles.

Not true for new style ones. Alpinestars Bogota is made by 600D Cordura and does not have coating. The waterproofing is due to special Drystar waterproof liner inside the jacket.

Means OP can remove all armor, the Drystar liner and wash on low temperature setting using mild detergent. Either air dry or dry on low setting. Avoid chlorine or bleach based cleansers.

Here what manufacturer say about Cordura: http://www.cordura.com/en/about/faq.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

IME Nikwax cleaners do not have much cleaning properties to be honest.

[Guest]

What you have said is true for old style textile jackets that have outside waterproof coating. Like my old Frank Thomas textiles.

 

 

I based my answer on my own gear.. all of which is Rukka and is either a cordura/kevlar/goretex laminate.. or cordura with a zip-out goretex liner.

I also looked up what the OPs gear was made from. If it had a laminate outer shell then this doesn't matter. but for Cordura and the layers underneath it does matter.

washing machine detergents have a nasty habit of ruining the garments ability to bead water.

This is a small but important point. It has no effect on the waterproofing.. but for some fabrics it means water is far more likely to be absorbed so the garment becomes heavy with water and if its cold.. then the wearer is cold too. colder than they would normally be. at speed... a jacket that beads rain water hitting it doesn't get sodden. or at least... it shouldn't if its fit for the purpose of keeping you both dry and warm.

the problem is.. you don't know whats going to happen until you do it. and test it for yourself.

which of course anyone is free to do.

[Oasis]

I've ridden in very heavy rain and the jacket does seem to bead the water like a nicely waxed car bonnet. And never seems to absorb to much. So I think it might have a waterproof coating as well as the drystar lining?

[Gin]

I have to admit, I recently bought a textile jacket too and everything I know about it says to follow Shorty's advice..

My partner has a lot of outdoor, waterproof clothing that he does similar too as well..

[Valko]

I've ridden in very heavy rain and the jacket does seem to bead the water like a nicely waxed car bonnet. And never seems to absorb to much. So I think it might have a waterproof coating as well as the drystar lining?

 

If that is the case Nikwax than, or as a last resort read the washing label

[Oasis]

I've ridden in very heavy rain and the jacket does seem to bead the water like a nicely waxed car bonnet. And never seems to absorb to much. So I think it might have a waterproof coating as well as the drystar lining?

 

If that is the case Nikwax than, or as a last resort read the washing label

 

Nooo! Reading the label is next only to reading the instructions!

With past experience of my sailing gear I know not to trust the label. Even with top brands like musto.

Will get some Nikwax in. Cheers mate.