Definitive washing technique for your ski outerwear?

[crgildart]

Skiing in the rain... just ski..... ing on the rain... What a glorious feeling... washing jacket again...

OR go to the car was with your buddy and fire away at eachother..

 

[cantunamunch]

Is Shake Dry like Shake Weights?

More like Indian clubs - more fun in than out.

 

[neonorchid]

Why You Should Stop Using Laundry Pods Right Now​

Save money and go easier on the planet with these tips and alternatives

Doing right by the planet can make you happier, healthier, and—yes—wealthier. Outside’s head of sustainability, Kristin Hostetter, explores small lifestyle tweaks that can make a big impact. Write to her at [email protected].

Oh, the irony. In trying to wash my clothes the green way, I was greenwashed. You might even say I was taken to the cleaners. Or hung out to dry.

Let me explain: more than a year ago, I learned that laundry pods—encased in dissolvable plastic—were bad for the environment. In my quest to find more sustainable, plastic-free household products, I was thrilled to come across laundry “eco-strips,” as an easy swap-out. Instead of the typical plastic jug, the thin compressed sheets are packaged in a recyclable cardboard envelope and marketed as plastic-free. I promptly ordered a year’s supply and told everyone who would listen about my new discovery.

The PVA Controversy​

PVA is a water-soluble synthetic polymer (a fancy word for plastic that readily binds itself to water molecules). You’ll find it on the ingredient list of virtually every laundry or dishwasher pod and every laundry sheet or strip. PVA has excellent barrier properties, so it’s good at holding together liquids and other squishy stuff, like soap. It’s also really good at dissolving. That’s why it vanishes in our washing machines and dishwashers. But does it really disappear? “When you stir a spoonful of sugar or salt into water, it dissolves, but is it gone?” Cohen asks. “Take a taste and you have your answer. It’s the same with PVA.”

The dissolved PVA slides right down the tubes and off it goes to the treatment plant with your dirt, suds, and wastewater. What happens next depends on who you ask.

According to the American Cleaning Institute, PVA polymers are “fully biodegraded by microorganisms in water treatment facilities and the environment.” But Cohen, a slew of other leading advocates for clean oceans, and this 2021 study in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health which looks at PVA degradation U.S. wastewater treatment plants, say that is simply not the case. “There is a serious lack of unbiased research on the human and environmental health effects of PVA,” says Cohen because existing research was funded by companies with biased interests. “We do, however, know that PVA has been found in human breast milk and in fish, which indicates that it does not simply vanish in wastewater treatment plants. It’s making its way into our bodies and our environment.”

Plastic Pollution Coalition, as well as many other advocacy groups like like Plastic Oceans, Beyond Plastics, and 5 Gyres, contend that we simply don’t know enough about the effects of PVA—which is why the groups have come together to call on the EPA to conduct an independent study to figure it out. “We need the EPA to take swift and urgent action to study the full ecological and health impacts of PVA in order to best protect people and our planet from potential harm,” says Cohen. The group has currently collected close to 23,000 signatures on a petition to get the EPA to conduct extensive tests on PVA biodegradability and its potential impact on the environment and human health. They want a few thousand more. You can add your name here.

Laundry Soaps That Are Truly Plastic-Free​

So what’s an environmentalist to do? First, avoid buying detergent in plastic containers. Second, check the ingredient list and if you see a lot of long, chemical-ish words, be suspicious. These things are bad: optical brighteners, chlorine, formaldehyde, synthetic nonylphenol ethoxylates, phosphates, phthalates. Third, if you have a refill shop near you, BYO containers and support it. We need the concept of refill shops to catch on in U.S.

Cohen helped me come up with a few green detergent ideas, all of which are quite affordable.

DIY Laundry Soap​

Combine 14 ounces of washing soda, 14 ounces of borax, or baking soda, with 4.5 ounces of natural castile soap flakes. Store the mixture in a sealed glass jar. Use one to three tablespoons per load, depending on size.
Cost: about .10 per load.

Soap Nuts​

I’ve been using these for several weeks with good results. Just put five to seven nuts (which are really berries) into the included muslin sack and toss in the wash. The shells contain saponin, a natural soap which releases into the water. Soap nuts don’t generate a lot of suds (because they lack the chemical foaming agents we’re used to) and they’re not for tough stains. But for regular use, they’re pretty cool. You can use soap nuts five to eight times before the saponin wears off. Compost the spent nuts and replace with new ones. I’ve been adding a few drops of lavender essential oil to the bag to give my laundry a light fragrance—the nuts alone are odorless.
Cost: about .23 per load.

Meliora Laundry Powder Detergent​

This powder also gets my thumbs up. Made with non-toxic ingredients and shipped in curbside recyclable packaging, it comes in several all-natural scents. Meliora also makes a Soap Stick Stain Remover, which I use to rub any tough spots before washing.
Cost: about .23 per load

Why You Should Stop Using Laundry Pods Right Now

Save money and go easier on the planet with these tips and alternatives

www.outsideonline.com

​

 

[charlier]

Whichever way is listed on your care labels. There's a ton of legal regulations and laboratory testing that goes into what's written on the care label. Brands have to have "reasonable basis" for higher maintenance care instructions. I.e. If the label says dry clean only, you have to supply independent, 3rd party testing to prove it doesn't hold up in the wash. So therefore, when Arc'teryx tells me to machine dry their pieces and Flylow tells me to hang dry theirs, I trust their judgment.

The care labeling regulations don't allow for detergent recommendations / requirements. There's a lot of variety on the store shelves across enzymes, chemicals, oxidizers, scents, softeners, etc. Using the "free & clear" or "free & gentle" formulas ensures that you're not adding a softener or oxidizer that compromises the membrane. Woolite's also really gentle and the "delicates" version is unscented. Vinegar, baking soda, and enzymatic pet cleaner are all DWR & membrane-compatible for "washing projects," like when my partner got diesel all over an OR Ascendant midlayer.

So what's the deal with tech wash? Likely marketing. Nikwax wrote a full 650-word blog post about why you were ruining you membranes with regular detergent, but they really only pointed out two differences: 1) Nikwax is soap, which is made from organic compounds. Detergents are synthetic. 2) Detergents may leave behind a hydrophilic reside that would slightly work against the DWR and membrane. However, the only people talking about a hydrophilic residue from laundry detergent anywhere on the internet is Nikwax themselves or a Nikwax distributor. And even if you're into the natural, environmentally friendly aspects of Nikwax, you could still get the same combo of gentle, unscented, plant based cleaner with something like Tide PurClean for 1/5th of the cost per ounce.

@Analisa posted, tech wash is mostly marketing. Goretex and Arc’teryx development team told us that just about all their warranty claims for leaking Goretex is due to lack of washing/drying. After a 3 hour workshop, the product development folks strongly suggested that customers should wash your garment as often needed to remove perspiration, dirt, campfire smoke, sun screen, and cooking odors. Washing, drying and reheating your garment helps restore the durable water repellent (DWR)

The product development folks suggested that any liquid detergent works fine. Before washing, zip the front of the jacket, zip pockets. Set temperature at about 105° F with a small amount of liquid detergent - any brand is fine. They told us not to use powder detergents. After a wash, put the garments into a warm dryer. Once dry, tumble dry for a further 20 minutes to reactivate the DWR treatment.

 

[jt10000]

The product development folks suggested that any liquid detergent works fine. Before washing, zip the front of the jacket, zip pockets. Set temperature at about 105° F with a small amount of liquid detergent - any brand is fine. They told us not to use powder detergents. After a wash, put the garments into a warm dryer. Once dry, tumble dry for a further 20 minutes to reactivate the DWR treatment.

Not to use powders? I'm curious why.

 

[cantunamunch]

Not to use powders? I'm curious why.

I'm betting 'residue'. Powders have a higher chance to not get rinsed off properly, esp. in cold water rinse.

 

[teejaywhy]

... even then, if you are to do 5 or 6 garments to get a Full Large load that will work better than doing a small load with only 1 or 2 items.
So obviously, this means you need to go out and get 3 full ski outfits rather than just the 1 jacket and 1 pair of pants.

Like it! Can you write me a note?

 

[snwbrdr]

Nikwax Tech Wash

Welcome to Nikwax | Outdoor Innovation

Since 1977, Nikwax has been the global leader in environmentally safe aftercare and waterproofing solutions that extend the life and performance of technical footwear, clothing and equipment.

www.nikwax.com

To refresh the DWR:

Welcome to Nikwax | Outdoor Innovation

Since 1977, Nikwax has been the global leader in environmentally safe aftercare and waterproofing solutions that extend the life and performance of technical footwear, clothing and equipment.

www.nikwax.com

 

[charlier]

See post #44.