Care instructions for membrane clothing
Here's how to properly care for your membrane clothing
Maintenance and especially washing of membrane clothes is often thought of as a difficult task. For this reason, someone may leave the garment completely unwashed. Another may think that they are saving the properties of the garment by not washing it.
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The membrane only works properly when the garment is kept clean.
Cleaning the garment from time to time extends its life and improves its usability. Even hunting friends who are more sensitive to smell may appreciate not appearing at the campfire covered in years of sweat, fish scales and blood deposits.
Maintenance of membrane clothing is not nuclear physics. By keeping a few simple basic principles in mind, nothing can go wrong!
How does the membrane work?
In order to understand the importance of washing, you need to know how the film works.
The function of water- and wind-retaining membranes is based on microscopically small pores on the surface of the membrane. Steam evaporating from the skin can pass out of the pores, but raindrops cannot enter.
The membrane clothing therefore protects against water, but at the same time breathes effectively.
If the garment is not washed, dirt and, for example, salts in sweat clog the pores of the membrane. In this case, breathability suffers. When dirty, other properties of the membrane, such as water resistance, may also take a hit.
Here's how to wash your membrane clothes correctly:
- Empty the pockets and close all the zippers.
- Use a liquid detergent intended for washing membrane clothes. You can also use substances intended for delicate washing.
- Never use fabric softeners or bleach when washing membrane clothes
- Always follow the washing instructions on the garment! For example, Repo Extreme's membrane clothing can be washed at 30* degrees delicate wash.
- Do not spin membrane clothes, but hang them to dry at room temperature, for example in the laundry room
If necessary, saturate the surface of the garment after washing.
When and why should the surface of shell clothing be saturated?
Membrane clothing is treated on the outside with an impregnating agent that repels water and dirt. The DWR (Durable Water Resistant) treatment prevents water from being absorbed into the outer fabric, although it does not make the garment waterproof in itself.
The DWR treatment wears off with use and washing times. When there is no more treatment left in the fabric, the surface fabric slowly starts to absorb water. This, in turn, weakens the breathability of the garment and makes you feel damp, even if the membrane doesn't actually let water through.