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Correct spot treating of ski jackets/pants?

Noodler

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How exactly are we supposed to correctly spot treat a stain or other discoloration on light-colored technical outerwear?

I have a few light colored jackets that have these issues and I have yet to figure out something that:
  1. Works
  2. Doesn't ruin the fabric/membranes
Note that I'm not asking about general washing with technical detergents. That's easy and obvious, but those typical detergents don't do much for the type of stains and/or discoloration I'm dealing with (chair grease, collar sweat, etc.)

@Analisa - any good info on the cleaning side for these types of garments?
 

raytseng

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use same detergents but hand wash the spot and hand rub at it and squish it around and submerge in a washtub. including squishing it up and down again after some soak time or even several goes at it.

Use woolite or down tech wash as a gentle detergent if your regular tech wash is ineffective

i wrote in another thread that unless you're handwashing as a prewash the big issue with cleaning in a machine is a waterproof item just floats around on the top and does not get worked the same as regular clothes. The machines also expect water to move in and out of fabric surface, but water can't go through a waterproof layer. Especially in a toploader even if your toploader has a top spray. Same issue with floating with down items in a toploader, but down items should be able to get a decent clean in a front loader.

So machine is very ineffective at cleaning and you get better resuts by hand in a washtub where you can control squishing it down and dunk it by hand. As a prewash you can still throw it in the machine for it to finish the job after you;ve worked it a bit.

see https://www.pugski.com/threads/best-dwr-coating.13659/#post-332143
 
Last edited:

tball

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I don't know the answer to your question @Noodler but have a strategy that might help avoid having to answer it in the future.

Warning to fabric gurus. You might not want to read the following. ogsmile

I've got two pairs of the same ski pants I wear regularly. One I use almost all the time and wash often with Tide and Spray & Wash and have given up on them being waterproof. I even put some Scotchguard on areas that get stained from regular use. That probably ruined the breathability in those areas, but I can always ventilate. Caution: Scotchguard on the seat of the pants will make them very slippery and your ass might just slip off a chairlift the first day or so. :eek:

I only wear my other pants on storm days when I'm worried about getting wet. Needing serious waterproofness is fairly rare here in Colorado (@Josh Matta ;). The pants are in slightly different colors, but both go with the jackets I usually wear and give me a little variety.

I'm kinda doing similar with my jackets. I wear one jacket with the kiddos and wash it more often as they are messy and are more likely to head inside if it's wet. My big boy jacket gets washed infrequently and I'm careful to use products to keep it waterproof and breathable. Just some ideas...
 

CalG

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detergent and a scrub brush! I use a "nail brush" , a bit stiffer than a tooth brush.
 

Analisa

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Go gentle - tech wash, woolite, vinegar added - enzymes in standard detergent and harsher solvents in stain removers are rough on the membrane. If you use anything tougher, to the toothbrush route to keep it to the stained area (also a good way to work the stain way more than a washing machine’s agitator would). My hardshells are white & yellow and definitely do not look pretty up close - they’ll definitely be my last light hardshells.
 
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Noodler

Noodler

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Go gentle - tech wash, woolite, vinegar added - enzymes in standard detergent and harsher solvents in stain removers are rough on the membrane. If you use anything tougher, to the toothbrush route to keep it to the stained area (also a good way to work the stain way more than a washing machine’s agitator would). My hardshells are white & yellow and definitely do not look pretty up close - they’ll definitely be my last light hardshells.

Thanks. What about water temperature? Are the tech membranes fragile when it comes to higher heat?
 

raytseng

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check whatever the label says. it also depends on if you're washing slopeside in a mountainhouse in winter where cold is near freezing 40degrees F or in summer where cold comes in at 70 degrees. i think warm is going to be fine.

typically id say not vulnerable because all recommend at least a stint on medium heat dryer cycle to activate the dwr, so it gets up to 120 130degrees while drying
 

Analisa

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Thanks. What about water temperature? Are the tech membranes fragile when it comes to higher heat?

Nah, most manufacturer labels call for medium or warm water, and even hot wouldn’t affect your lamination or heat sealed logos (Colorfastness would be my only concern at 130deg+).
 

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