Synthetic Material Care
Taking care of your high-performance outdoor materials is not hard. In fact it is much more straight forward than for natural materials. Most of the fabrics and notions sold on this shop fall under these general instructions, but check also by product.
Wash normally at 40C, do not use fabric softener. Never use bleach. In general air drying gives the longest life from your clothing. However, tumble drying at low/medium temperatures is OK. For shell materials with a chemical Durable Water Resistant (DWR) finish, drying is even recommended to activate the finish. Some time in a sauna works also to activate the DWR and is gentler to garment.
Most fabrics can be dry cleaned, although it is not required. If a fabric tends to wrinkle, it can be ironed at low temperatures. The real enemy in taking care of outdoor materials is dirt. Even synthetic materials, especially those with DWR coatings or waterproof membranes, are sensitive to dirt. It is very important to regularly wash your outdoor clothing. The DWR coating on shell materials will eventually wear off. This can be re-applied using a commercial product like Grangers, which should be done every few months or years depending on use and washing frequency.
Care chart for technical clothing
| Example for materials | Washing machine | Temperature | Type of washing cleaner | Extra rinse | Spinning + drying | Ironing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Shell | 3- and 2-layer WPB’s (Gore-Tex, Sympatex, Event, Texapore, Dermizax, Action…) | gentle wash | 30°C | special liquid cleaner like Grangers Performance Wash | 2 times | no spinning, use drying machine if allowed by the fabric washing instructions, otherwise hang to dry | low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed |
| Soft Shell | Polartec Powershield, Schoeller WB 400 + Dryskin… | wool cycle | 30°C | special liquid cleaner like Grangers Performance Wash | 2 times | max 600 rpm, hang to dry | low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed |
| Fleece | Polartec, Ponte torto Tecnopile, Normal fleece | gentle wash | 30°C, max 40°C | special liquid cleaner like Grangers Performance Wash or liquid washing cleaner like Elokuu Laundry Liquid | 0 to 1 times | low spinning cycle, drying according to fabrics washing instructions | not necessary |
| Synthetic shirts and pants | Polyamide (Nylon), Polyester with or without Elastan ( Quickdry + Quickdry stretch) | normal wash | 30°C, max 40°C | special liquid cleaner like Grangers Performance Wash or liquid washing cleaner like Elokuu Laundry Liquid | 0 to 1 times | spin only material without stretch, drying according to fabrics washing instructions | low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed |
| Cotton or cotton blended shirts and pants | Function 65, Mt-Microfiber, G 1000, Etaproof | normal wash | 30°C, max 40°C | special liquid cleaner like Grangers Performance Wash or liquid washing cleaner like Elokuu Laundry Liquid | 0 to 1 times | spin and dry according to fabrics washing instructions | low heat ironing or low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment if machine drying isn't allowed |
| T-shirts and Underwear with wool | Sportswool, merino wool, wool blends | wool cycle | cold or 30°C | wool washing cleaner like Elokuu Gentle Laundry Liquid | no need | low spin cycle, hang to dry | not necessary |
| Socks + Underwear | Powerdry, Lifa, Coolmax, etc | normal color wash | wash according to fabric washing instructions | gentle washing cleaner or Elokuu Laundry Liquid | no need | spin and dry according to fabrics washing instructions | not necessary |
| Lined Clothing | down filling or synthetic padding / filling | Hand or machine wash, wool program | 30°C | down washing cleaner like Grangers Down Wash | 2-3- times | max 600 rpm, first drip hang then with big drying machine, fluff down between drying process | no |
| Tents, bags and backbags | Syntethics (Nylon, Cordura, Silinylon, ...) | Hand wash | 30°C | special liquid cleaner like Grangers Performance Wash | 1 - 2 times | low spin, hang to dry | low heat sauna to re-activate the water repellent treatment |