Caring for Your Waterproof Jackets

Caring for your waterproof jacket is one of things many of us neglect over the years. It’s usually when we are out in a torrential down pour that you notice the slightly damp feeling you had a little while ago is starting to feel more and more wet.

There could be a couple of reasons for that decidedly wet feeling sneaking down over your shoulders; a) It could just be that you have worn out the jacket and it’s time for a new one, b) You have managed to puncture the fabric when you went headfirst through a gorse bush, or most commonly; c) Your jacket has been worn time and again hasn’t been cleaned.

While the outer fabric of the jacket may appear reasonably clean it’s really the inside waterproof layer that you should be worried about, that’s the layer that is really keeping you dry and if this is not given a clean every now and then its ability to keep you dry is seriously diminished.

Before you start attempting to clean...

It is always a good idea to check the cleaning instructions on your jacket and to follow these as best you can.

The Wash...

You can wash most modern waterproof jackets in the washing machine, using a non detergent soap or a specific wash formulated for waterproof fabrics. This will remove all the dirt and sweat that builds up on the inside waterproof membrane of your jacket that stops if from performing properly. Sometimes this is all your jacket needs to get it back up to peak performance.

After the Wash...

So now your jacket is clean it’s time to think about how water repellent the outer fabric is. Does it keep the rain out? There are a couple of easy tests you can do that will indicate whether the water repellency (DWR) on the outside of the jacket is intact.

You can tip a glass of water over the fabric and if it beads you should be good to go. The other option is to jump in the shower with your jacket on and see if you stay dry! If the fabric wets out (soaks in instead of beading) it is probably time to renew the water repellency on the outside. A nice easy way of doing this is to apply a waterproofing spray to the outside of the jacket and let it air dry.

After care we recommend...

• For cleaning in a washing machine you can use Grangers 30°C Cleaner
• If it need a quick clean and re-waterproof the 30°C 2 in 1 cleaner/proofer will do wonders
• For a quick and easy, washing machine free clean the Universal Spray Cleaner is ideal
• Renewing the DWR on the outside of your jacket is just as easy, the perfect product to use on is Grangers XT Spray. This will recoat the outside of your jacket with a nice water repellent layer that will help you stay dry

The best thing to do to look after yourself in the outdoors is look after your jacket, that way, when you really need to stay dry, you do!